I’m getting really, really tired of the unsatisfied British geeks out there — the ones who have insufficient lives such that they must spend every waking moment trashing whatever new take someone has on a beloved sci-fi concept. Cases in point: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who.
First off, Hitchhikers. This is a property that has seen so many different versions that even Douglas Adams himself couldn’t keep it straight. Nevertheless, übergeeks are expending great energy in complaining about the upcoming movie, calling the trailer “crap” and blasting everything from the costumes to the special effects. One website author spends equal amounts of time complaining about the movie, promoting himself as a Douglas Adams expert, and crowing about how many entries he’s posted last month.
Now, on to Doctor Who. After being off the air for almost 10 years, the series is returning this month, produced by Queer as Folk creator Russell T Davies — who is credited in the UK as one of the best and brightest. But no, this is not good enough. The Brit anoraks who make it their business to blast the BBC have plenty of complaints about the new show — the logo, the music, the actors… it wasn’t long ago that they were complaining about a lack of Dr. Who. No wonder the BBC was loathe to bring it back.
This morning, I saw the first episode of the new series (it’s been leaked online), curious because of all the sniping, such as:
“Bottom line: Excrement,” says one reviewer. “It feels nothing, nothing like Doctor Who, more like a cheap sitcom.”
Alien plastic creature invades London causing mannequins and plastic rubbish bins to come alive and attack people. Yes, seriously.
Gee, sounds exactly like Dr. Who to me. In fact, that concept was used in two stories in the 1970s and enjoyed great popularity.
All these Who nerds like to scream about a new movie (see 1996 telemovie which got the same reaction) or series being not like Doctor Who, but none of them can tell you what Doctor Who should be like. And if they can, you can point them to the many different styles that the show has used since 1963. Nine different actors, many different producers, and innumerable styles of plot; the show has evolved over the years over and over and over. This is just another evolution.
The show is shot on video tape. Yes, video tape. If the BBC felt rebuffed that SciFi in the US passed on the show, maybe they should have spent a bit more money making it look like something that was actually produced by professionals.
Doctor Who has always been shot on videotape except in certain special circumstances. Should the 1963 episodes, shot on low definition 405 line videotape be called amateur?
This ridiculous complaint shows just how naive the reviewer is, especially about SciFi Channel: 99% of what airs on that channel is shot on video tape, as is a huge percentage of television output these days. It’s high definition, 24-frame video. Get with the times, pal.
Bottom line: Excrement. It feels nothing, nothing like Doctor Who, more like a cheap sitcom. Maybe it can improve but given that it’s clearly being produced by people who think the whole property is a joke, I hold out no hope.
This guy obviously assigns far too much value to Doctor Who, but I can’t quite figure out what he thinks it should be. The series has always been all over the map, but at it’s core it’s entertainment. It’s not designed to change the world, it’s not supposed to impart deep moral lessons — at least, not since the 60s. It’s a fun ride, sometimes comic and sometimes serious.
Nothing is good enough for these people, who seem to have created expectations based on a past that never existed. After watching this new show, I’d stack it up against any other Dr. Who episode ever made, and it’d come out… average. Some things are great, despite the complaints: the special effects are very good, the style and cinematography are great. The plot is somewhat contrived and the acting veers a bit toward the comic… but those are traits Doctor Who has always had.
So, what’s the problem? It sure seems like real Doctor Who to me! Just enjoy it.
