Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death (1999)

From my favorite movies..

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Blistering performances.

Okay, I am not one of those people that can't take a joke when something I enjoy is parodied. No, what I don't like is when people do it wrong and while this does help a cause (which won't get in the way of my opinion of this despite me tipping my hat to them for doing that) the simple problem is this is not funny.Okay so The Master (Jonothan Pryce... who I'll be fair does a decent job) is hunting down the Doctor (Rowan Atkinson) and the TARDIS's go onto a planet where the species communicates by flatulence... If you can get past that they have the Time Travel banter taken directly from Bill & Ted of "I went back and did this" "I also did this which is why what you're doing doesn't work" and The Master gets trapped in a Sewer for 600 years. Then The Daleks are on this planet and The Master is revived back to his younger self thanks to The Daleks making him tits (no, that's literally the explanation) but we learn that for The Master, it's a trap so The Doctor communicates to him by the alien's farting language. Then The Daleks say they want to leave the planet and The Doctor agrees... for some reason and while this is going on he proposes to his companion. But don't worry, now they'll attack the regenerations. After the first regeneration The Doctor becomes someone the companion fancies even more, then he regenerates into Jim Broadbent playing The Doctor that's "scared of girls", then Hugh Grant, then Joanna Lumley, the marriage is called off and The Master and The Doctor now have a crush on one another, the end.This has to be one of the laziest written parodies I have ever seen. I mean a Doctor Who parody could have worked. Maybe have The Doctor's strange wardrobe choices be laugh out loud hilarious or if they use the common trope of getting an overacting bad guy then how about they go so over-the-top you can't help but laugh. It's better then giving the Master tits (which I think the writer has a fascination with being as that he's done this twice!) but even if you take away the bad writing you would think that I might have gotten some kind of laugh with it but there was nothing, but parody - so I thought, was using elements of the show and turning it into a joke, enough so that people would have a laugh with it, whether they've seen the show or not. Well I've seen both shows and this parody failed to even get one laugh with me.

I read the reviews. Most say it's brilliant. Some say it's terrible. I think it's just what you could ask for a parody. It can stand up on it's own, but if you are familiar with the series, it can be a lot of fun. Take Dr. Who, Steal a bit from "Bill and Ted", and add a twist of Blackadder and you get a suprisingly good story that's easy to follow and fun to watch. The multiple regenerations are quite silly, but what do you expect. Jonathan Pryce adds a touch of class as the Master in spite of everything. If you know anything about Dr. Who, you will probably enjoy it if you remember not to take it too seriously.

Although not to be taken seriously, "Curse of the Fatal Death" is a labor of love. The script features a lot of fan-pleasing moments and references. Rowan Atkinson proves how good a Doctor he could've been by playing the character straight, and not primarily for laughs. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jonathan Pryce, who is just as excellent as the Master, going waaaaaaaaay over the top. The best part of the sketch is the quick-change regenerations near the end where Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, and Joanna Lumley all play the Doctor in less than five minutes. Richard Grant is hilarious as the sex-fiend Doctor who has a good laugh over the Master's Dalek "bumps". Hugh Grant surprised me with his portrayal. The video release also contains a "Making Of" special which may even be more funny than the sketch itself. Jonathan Pryce is the highlight of this section, proving how completely bonkers he really is. His interpretations of the Master's various laughs are hilarious.

Are fans of the good Doctor so desperate for new material they'll accept anything - even a pantomime take of their favourite show? It certainly seems so, judging by the reaction they gave to this extremely cheap, poorly-written slapdash spoof that aired on Children in Need night in 1999. It was never intended for fans, but for average viewers who remembered the TARDIS and the Daleks and the cheap sets. The show attempts to laugh with them at the conventions of the show, while obviously trying to distance the BBC from Doctor Who and delivering a stinging slap in the face to Whovians: "This is the show you love? It's silly garbage, of course we're not going to make it again." Some of the spoofing is not even accurate - the writer was obviously less than a fan of the show, and makes assumptions of it's content. He decides that the Doctor used to inform companions, "I'll tell you later," to avoid explaining his miraculous feats, which is quite the opposite in fact.Rowan Atkinson admits playing the Doctor has always been an ambition of his, but surely one of the most talented comedy actors of the last twenty years should have known better. Although he immedietly works as the titluar Timelord, he continually reverts to a milder version of his beloved Blackadder character instead of grasping the opportunity with both hands. Julia Sawalha's character emphasizes the sarcastic nature of the production from the word go, while Jonathan Pryce embarrases himself, as do the rest of the cast, and special effects are recycled from the excellent 1996 movie (an infinetly better purchase). Don't be fooled by the stars on the cover (Hugh Grant, Richard E. Grant), they appear for less than a minute. It's sad to see the BBC ridiculing both it's most successful show and it's fans, yet this is what Curse of Fatal Death does. Sadder still, the BBC slap the official Doctor Who logo on this spoof and sell it across the world, even though it's only 30 minutes long (shorter than the Making Of documentary!) - if we can have this on video, why not the far superior Dimensions in Time from 1993? Saddest of all, the fans will go out and buy it.