David Breakey

Whoo ... well. I suppose let's get the obvious out of the way: is it an entertaining movie? ... I suppose so; certainly it wasn't something that made me want to leave at the earliest opportunity, and it certainly had some fun elements. Now, more importantly, is it a Doctor Who movie? ... ah, no, not really. I mean it has it's heart (or is that hearts?) in the right place, certainly, but Doctor Who is just so ... quintessentially British that any attempt by an American company to replicate it is doomed to mediocrity almost by fiat. Is it competently done? Yes. Is it a decent story? Yes. Is it Doctor Who? Not really. First of all it tries to take itself a bit too seriously. The show is *very* self-aware and doesn't even *try* to take itself too seriously. It revels in camp (the 2005 restart notwithstanding). Simply put, the movie tried to wrap it in too many American sensibilities, and it just doesn't fit. Oh, and I'm sorry, but who messed with the theme? The original theme is an absolute *classic* of electronic music. Turning it into a purely orchestral score--while very well *done*--is just insulting. Fortunately the 2005 series didn't make that mistake--sure, there are strong orchestral elements to it, but it's core is still synth. Thank you.