Prismark10
In the 1990s there were only three pieces of new Doctor Who, two of them were parodies.The Curse of Fatal Death written by (future show-runner) Steven Moffat is almost played straight but at that time Moffat was known more for his comedies and elements of comedy seep through.Rowan Atkinson plays the Ninth Doctor with Julia Sawalha playing Emma his companion and fiancée. Jonathan Pryce plays the Master with a side of ham and a piece of costume from his appearance in the Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies.The Master plans to eliminate his own foe, the Doctor has news to tell the Master and asks to meet him at a castle on the flatulent planet Tersurus. Both time lords have used timey-wimey to set up traps for one or another.The Doctor plans to retire from a life of saving planets in order to marry Emma however he is injured by the Daleks and swiftly goes through his regenerations. He changes to Richard E Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley where the Master takes a shine to her.The production here presumably done on a low budget and shot quickly is actually very good. Sets reused, some early CGI and an early look of some Moffat sci-fi tropes. However we get a tribute to what is now regarded as classic Doctor Who with music used from past Doctor Who.Looking back at it, I can only admire the refreshing take by Russell T Davies in reinvigorating Doctor Who and allowing Moffat room to develop his own brand of storytelling.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Comic Relief: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death" is a British 20-minute short film from 1999, so this one will soon have its 20th anniversary. The director is John Henderson and as it is Doctor Who, the writer is Steven Moffat. I read this actually consists of 4 episodes, which means each episode is extremely short, but to each their own. Early on, the Doctor is played by Mr. Bean Rowan Atkinson. But the longer it goes, the more actors show up to play this prestigious character, all of them probably bigger stars back then than today. This is also a big problem here. It really just feels like a line-up of stars eventually. The story is uninspired and generic, the sets look cheap and yet it is embarrassing how the actors try to deliver the pseudo-intellectual and pseudo-funny script in a way that feels so self-aware and over the top that I had to cringe basically from start to finish. Here and there the line delivery isn't bad, but as a whole, it felt truly embarrassing. Then again, I never understood the hype around Doctor Who and this short film made clear once again that this is probably the one cult show that is unbeatable when it comes to bad character writing in terms of female characters. Literally, the assistant only exists to make Who even more spectacular and get him even more attention. Zero shades. 4 stars out of 10 is still pretty generous. Don't watch.
I_saw_it_happen
If you're a Doctor Who fan, you'll probably watch this regardless of how bad anyone says it is, because you're own opinions are not all that influenced by people telling you how bad something is; after all, you're a fan of Doctor Who. Kudos to you.Nonetheless, Doctor Who (and apparently all related media) has a tendency to get very dated, very fast. As far as comedy goes, the humor is quite below the levels of humor that recent Doctor Who episodes have engaged in. Pointing out the silliness of Daleks and the pompousness of the Master seems kind of tired, at this point.Don't expect much. It's light fare. Better than some of the Season Specials of the real show, but quite meager compared to the real deal.
zedthedestroyer
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.
AD
