|Gobots|Transformers|Linkits|Lightan|Doctor
Who|Comics|Lego|Formula
1|Girls|
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Yeh,
I'm calling it "Enemy Within". Accept it and move on.
It's actually hard to find a Doctor Who story quite so muddled in direction as this. It's reminiscent of Saward's "Resurrection of the Daleks" or "Attack of the Cybermen", in that Philip Segal went to the huge effort of engaging Sylvester McCoy, reaffirming his character and having a proper regeneration scene, taking the Master's life in a direction consistent with his insanity and mutation from "Survival" and throwing in several other little nuggets for the fans (the gold dust, for example), while also adding several things that might not have bothered Joe Public, but sure grated with the fan community, such as the Doctor inexplicably being half human via his mother, and the Eye of Harmony suddenly being in the Doctor's closet. There
are many, many things "Enemy Within" got right. Both Doctors
are absolutely marvellous. Sylvester McCoy imbues his role with a
remarkable gravitas considering the scant dialogue he receives. While
I loved the Seventh Doctor as seen in Seasons 24 to 26, I also dearly
love this lonely, sad but content little man flying around space listening
to gorgeous vinyl and reading well-kept old books (no doubt for the
hundredth time). The real sadness is that we didn't get to see the
rise and fall of McCoy's Doctor on screen, with it being instead shown
in the New
Adventures.
The other big missed opportunity of the film, of course, is Paul McGann. In not much more than an hour, he creates an indelible impression as the eighth Doctor, taking elements from several portrayals (notably Tom Baker), and imbuing them with his own energy and stamp. His childlike fascination with the world is a joy. Considering the weakness of the script, it's hugely commendable that McGann was able to make the part his own, even if only for not much more than an hour. It says something for the strength of his portrayal that the eighth Doctor that the BBC books basically ran on the back of this one performance for nine years. That the BBC, on the back of ratings of 9 million for the TV movie, couldn't find the money themselves for a series, instead choosing to make idiotic garbage such as Invasion Earth (to pick on just the science fiction they produced; the money the corporation pissed away on Rhodes would also have been better spent on Doctor Who, something even a non-fan would be hard pressed to argue against) is another sad loss. McGann would have been one of the undoubted great Doctors had a series been made - it's not a might have been, it's a would have been. His performance would have been just as great had the erstwhile series been filmed in San Fran- erm, Vancouver, or videotaped in a Surrey quarry. As it is, we're left with this tantalising, frustrating teaser. Eric Roberts' Master is one of the more controversial takes on a returning villain in the series' history. Personally, I rather like it. He gives the film a real sense of fun and much-needed irony. Sure, he's not a suave English Moriarty knockoff. But he's still the Master. Roberts gives his own take on the part while still remaining basically faithful to the original, in much the same way McGann does for the Doctor. He puts genuine evolution into the character as his movements gradually become more natural, and he becomes more confident as he gets used to this new body. The Master obviously loves being this six-foot bastard who can intimidate the Hell out of anyone. By the end, Roberts is playing it thoroughly over the top, which is hugely enjoyable to watch, and captures the insanity enveloping the character. It may sound like I'm simply doing the tedious 'evaluate each performance in turn' style of review, but the problem is the performances really are the story here. Matthew Jacobs' script seems hugely unpolished, with a mixture of sizeable plot-holes, sloppy writing and a huge lack of explanations making the plotting opaque at best. The ending is a huge anticlimax, and outright insulting to anyone familiar with the series' attitude to changing history. While some moments are truly magical ("These shoes fit perfectly!" springs to mind), many are cringe-inducing - the Doctor telling Gareth his future, the overwrought "WHO AM I?" sequences, the Russell T Davies-subtle biblical parallels, and the fat stupid morgue attendant. The broader humour largely falls flat, though there is some sly wit, mainly coming from the Doctor and the Master. Grace is actually rather forgettable, surprising considering the amount of screentime and background given to her. She feels strangely artificial, and Daphne Ashbrook isn't given much to do other than be a foil to the Doctor. Yee Jee Tso is also rather muted, constricted by the thin writing given to his character. As a pilot or first episode for a series, "Enemy Within" is a very solid foundation for what could have been a great era for the show. Sadly, left stranded and abandoned between the first 26 series, and RTD's populist revival, it's something of a frustrating dead end. Review
written: 27/04/06 |
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