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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Who-ite's dream, 27 Jul 2005
One by one, the earlier four incarnations of the Doctor are being plucked out of the space-time continuum, and placed into the dreaded Death Zone. Originally used by the Time Lords for organizing gladiatorial matches between various races, Rassilon closed the Death Zone, and forbade the use of the Time Scoop. So, who is doing this, and more importantly, why? It's up to the Doctor (all of them) to figure it out. This movie is a "Who-ite's" dream. Four of the five Doctors are present, with Richard Hurndall performing very well as the formidable first Doctor. Many companions appear, including Turlough, Tegan, Susan (the Doctor's Granddaughter), Sarah Jane, the Brigadier, Mike Yates, Liz Shaw, Jamie, Zoe, and K-9. Plus, of course, the Master (played by Anthony Ainley). It is a shame that Tom Baker refused to be involved in this production, but he is reasonably represented by scenes taken from the never-completed episode Shada. I recommend this movie absolutely to any fan of Doctor Who.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oh -- it's you!, 20 Sep 2003
When the long-running science fiction series 'Doctor Who' reached its Twentieth Anniversary in 1983, there must have been only one idea at the forfront of the minds of then producer John Nathan-Turner and cohorts Eric Saward (script editor) and Terrance Dicks (writer). A story which would bring together all of the previous Doctors with the latest, and the more popular companions and monsters in a epic story. Seems like a perfectly reasonable idea. Little did they know what they had themselves in for. Which in a way makes 'The Five Doctors' quite idiosyncratic viewing - the main interest being the ingenuity of Dicks as he overcomes the obstacles which would be in the way of bringing a coherent story to the screen. For a start not all of the Doctors would be available. The first, William Hartnell, passed away some years before, and Tom Baker decided not to appear (a fit of hubris he would regret in later years). In the show then, Hartnell is replaced by Richard Hurndall, an apparent lookalike so wildly unlike Bill as to be a distraction. Baker's absense is explained through unseen footage from the unfinished adventure 'Shada' and a malfunction in the main baddies computer. There seem to be few monsters other than Cybermen, a Yeti and a Dalek. That's because all of the rights to these monsters have fallen to their creators and clearance to use must have been a nightmare. And then there are the companions. Believe it or not most don't appear because of other work commitments. So you're left with the then current companions, The Brigadier, fan favourite Sarah-Jane Smith, and Susan, The Doctor's erzats granddaughter. When some other companions did become available at the last minute they were swiftly written in as 'illusions'. And the thing would appear as the centrepiece of the very first Children in Need appeal and so had to intelligable to a wider audience than usual. So it should a complete mess. And it is. But what a glorious mess. There is some nostalgia in seeing 'your Doctor' at work again even in a brief few scenes. And The Master is in top form. And without the need for a cliffhanger every twenty-five minutes the story has an extra pace - perfect for the post-Matrix generation...maybe...pickup the DVD if you can, for Peter Howell's haunting music - which strangely may be the highlight...
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Sum of All the Best, 3 April 2006
"...A man is a sum of his memories you know, a Time Lord even more so..." --The 5th Doctor, The Five Doctors, 1983 As this was one of the first classic Doctor Who stories I saw, I have to say I was impressed at the time. And indeed I still am. This has to be one the best of the series and quite possibly in the Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor era. A truly fantastic way to celebrate the anniversary. Although the title suggests the involement of the five Doctors--two are missing but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. The deceased William Hartnell was replaced by Richard Hurdnall in the role of the First "Genuine Article" Doctor. His performance was very good and I thought he served as a good replacement. Tom Baker's Doctor however was tehnically absent throughout the entire story and a scene from the half-finished ep "Shada" was incorporated so it might give us an illusion of his involvement, while in reality he never even stepped onto the set. And his absence in the story was cleverly explained with the Fourth Doctor and Romana II being trapped in the Vortex. Even though Baker was absent, it didn't affect the great story and the excellent performances from the other "Doctors" especially my favorite number Five and their companions. The only little nitpick I might have about this special edition is the absence of the extras and no commentary I was used to getting from the Davison era DVDs. But don't let that discourage you from buying it because this is definatelly a must have for every Whovian out there.
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