: Another Review: Another ReviewWell, here's where I step up to the plate and attempt a review of "Time Rift".
For those of you who been too busy looking at that supposed rock from Mars, "Time Rift" is a fan-made Doctor Who video by Jon Blum and company. Overall, I would recommend it. It costs only nine bucks (price of VHS cassette and postage) and you get it in about three weeks. This is a full-length Doctor Who story, four parts running at about 25 minutes each. (I didn't time them, so no complaints.)
It starts off with the graphics from the Sylvester McCoy era, and I was a little disappointed that they didn't cover up McCoy's face and put Blum's up there, but the title effect was neat. The ending credits were simply a still taken from the opening titles and the credits scrolled on by. Why did they use the opening title music for the end credits?
What Worked
The story was very well thought out, and not a whole lot of plot holes to worry about. Written by Jon Blum, A.C. Chapin, and Amy Steel, this was obviously not something that was thrown together on a lark. There were enough plot twists to keep even non-Who fans interested. (The Doctor Who Audio Drama crew watched it after a long day of production. Half of the crew are not DW fans, so their input was invaluable. Unfortunately, 3/4 of the crew are professional stunt people, and so they were a little critical of the fight scenes in the show. I told them to put a sock in it. haha)
Kudos goes to the first cliffhanger. That had everyone shocked!
The incidental music was far superiour than anything Keff McCulloch did during McCoy's reign. It felt like classic Who. Neil Marsh and Darrin Snider are to be credited with this. It was never over- or under-done. I wish they had been involved in the BBC series instead of Keff.
Jon Blum, that versitile man, was the director. Except for a few shots, everything looked very professional. ABA cutting, angles, establishing shots, everything worked.
The space shots, though few, were perfect. How'd they do that? [It's that Mark Sachs guy again. - ed.]
The man wearing the producer's hat was also Jon Blum. Overall, I wish Mr. Blum had been producer instead of that JNT fellow. The show might still be on the air. Hey, Phillip Segal, get Jon Blum onto the crew for a sequel to the McGann movie. Blum might actually make a show people will watch!
The Doctor (Jonathan Blum) - I was a little disappointed that they went with a McCoy and Ace story instead of inventing a new Doctor and companion. But Jon Blum does Sylvester McCoy better than Sylvester McCoy does. Scary. Blum's interpretation of the 7th Doctor seems to have come from "Time and the Rani", since the Doctor's mannerisms were more exaggerated than usual, and this was more apparent in "TatR" than in later episodes. The accent was even there! Oh my gosh! He scares me.
The Rift (Amy Steel) - Alive and animated, she got the best lines. The sock-stealing line was classic!
The Master (Itzy Friedman) - Along with Blum, Friedman delived and exceptional performance. It was wonderful to watch those two together. Friedman does a wonderful Master, full of grace just like Delgado and Ainley.
The Master's TARDIS was just perfect! And functional! I laughed, I cried. Why hasn't someone else thought of this?
What Didn't Work
The TARDIS. Oh, help me! It's the wrong colour and obviously made of cardboard. It was painful to even look at. Thankfully it's not on screen for very long.
There were terrible audio problems. I had difficultly hearing what was going on half the time. Hey, director, if you know you're having sound problems, don't stick your people in a hallway that echos! And if boom mikes aren't practical, use those transmitter mics that you can place on your actors' costumes. There were too many long shots where I couldn't hear what was being said.
Ace (AC Chapin) - This person was not Ace. And for more reasons than I can list. I thought her performace was irritating and OTT. There were far too many scenes of her running away and I kept wishing that she would just keep running and not return.
Ray (Amy Steel) - Did Amy regenerate when she became the Rift? Amy as Ray turned in a terribly uninteresting performance, drifting through her lines. The character of Ray was simply not three-dimensional, though the writers seemed to make an attempt. Better luck next time.
General Kramer (Marsha Twitty) - Someone wake this person up! If Amy drifted through her scenes, Marsha Twitty slept though them. Did Marsha even want to do this project? She looked terribly uninterested throughout the show.
Timothy Hartnell (David Dougherty, Eldridge Brown) - One dimensional character, protrayed by one dimensional actors.
I didn't like the Master simply running away when he thought the Rift was going to get them. Too cliche.
Well, there you have it. My humble opinion of "Time Rift". Remember, this is only one person's opinion. I would really recommend getting this video and seeing for yourself. It really brought back feeling of classic Who. I really hope, though Jon has said he wouldn't, that they would make another one.