Doctor Who Reactions: "Dreamland" (SPOILERS)

[The Baron]

This is another animated story featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Originally shown on the BBC website, it has been released as part of a two-disc set. "Dreamland" is about 45 minutes long, and features the Doctor in the American Southwest in the 1950's, getting caught up in an alien infiltration. Tennant is joined by Georgia Moffett as Cassie and David Warner as Lord Azlok. I'm not wild about the animation style in this - even moreso than in the previous animated release, "Infinite Quest", one gets the feeling that one is watching an extended cut-scene from a video game. The story itself is an OK bit of fluff - the characters are all pretty much one-note - there's not really enough time to develop them much. The second disc has three one-hour "Doctor Who's Greatest Moments" specials - one for the Doctor himself, one for the companions and one for the heels. These are only mildly interesting - they feature a sort of "greatest hits" clips compilation and comments from various actors, but are limited to the adventures of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, from "Rose" to "The Next Doctor".

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I liked Dreamland well enough but the animation style was a bit clunky... an odd choice because I'm sure better options were available. (Too expensive?) the animation was especially jarring for us because Tracy bought Monster House recently and we watched it over the weekend (a good Hallowe'en feature, but no replacement for Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree. But I digress...) The story itself (or at least the visuals) seemed a mish-mash of images lifted from feature films. I spotted bits lifted from the Alien franchise, Indiana Jones, Close Encounters, ST:TNG, Independence Day... you name it.

I watched the special feature on The [Tenth] Doctor, but I'd really like to see a similar special feature sometime that would cover the show's entire history. Generally, the DVD extras of the old TV show cover the old TV show and those of the new, the new, and never the twain shall meet.

[The Baron]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Generally, the DVD extras of the old TV show cover the old TV show and those of the new, the new, and never the twain shall meet.

That's loosened up a touch on some of the more recent DVD extras, but it is still largely the case. It's why I like to listen to the commentary tracks - you sometimes find out what people from the old show think about the new show. Christopher Hamilton Bidmead seems to loathe it, Colin Baker seems to be a big booster of the new show, Tom Baker claims to have never watched it, and Terrance Dicks and the late Barry Letts mostly seem envious of the money and resources the new show has available to it.

[Doctor Hmmm?]

Tom Baker claims to have never watched it ...

I take everything Tom Baker says with a grain of salt, just on principle. It's not that I think he's an outright liar. It's just that he knows, and I know, and he knows I know that it's much more fun if you assume that anything coming out of his mouth could be completely true, complete baloney, or anything in between.