An Adventure in Space and Time

In the awake of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who commemorations, there were many special features (including a special episode, already reviewed at POPinions by Tiago Gonçalves) to celebrate the event. From documentaries (like the Doctor Who Ultimate Guide) to the object of my review today, the biopic An Adventure in Space and Time, I already watched most of what BBC put out in the days around November 23rd. Some better than other, today I will bring you my thoughts about a short movie (about 85 minutes long) about Doctor Who's first steps.

Doctor Who original logo, back in 1963

An Adventure in Space and Time was written and produced by a long time collaborator of the regular Doctor Who show: Mark Gatiss (writer of episodes such as The Unquiet Dead in 2005 or Victory of the Daleks in 2010; readers may also recognize his name as creator and actor in well-known shows like The League of Gentleman-a personal favorite of mine-and Sherlock-also highly recommended). The film narrates the story of how what is now known as the First Doctor was cast and the show was produced and focus on two vital characters for this to happen: William Hartnell and Verity Lambert.

William Hartnell (on the left) and Verity Lambert (on the right);
they were vital, as the first actor to play the role and the producer
of the show to make Doctor Who the long-lasting success it is today.

Hartnell (played by another well known name, David Bradley, that readers may know from the Harry Potter movies as the unfathomable Mr. Finch) is a seasoned actor worried about typecast after his last role. Against all odds, a young, but fierce producer, a impeccable Verity Lambert played by Jessica Raine (of Call the Midwife fame), cast Hartnell to a new show on BBC, an educational science fiction show for everyone at home, from children to elders. The film then depicts how, being a grumpy old and progressively sick man, Hartnell goes from being hated by the original cast, to being loved by them and to being hated by the cast that comes and goes, with him being the only constant in the show. I have to say that it can be a heartbreaking film when you realize that Hartnell, at first suspicious of the show and not sure at all of its ability to be successful, ends up being the only one sincerely caring about it. All of this while he fights against himself, as his health makes it difficult to him to memorize lines and being at all aware of small slips on camera.

David Bradley as William Hartnell; not only they resemble
each other, but Bradley delivers an amazing performance.

All in all, it is my opinion that An Adventure in Space and Time stands by itself in the midst of the paraphernalia being produced for the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, and it is a good film to watch on a rainy evening: warm, interesting and compelling.

Plot - 4/5
An Adventure in Space and Time is a biopic, but explores really well the story behind the story and it is compelling.

Visual - 4/5
The action takes place in the 60s and the visual is on line with that; on top of that, the usual quality one can find in a BBC production.

Sound - 4/5
The most interesting thing in the sound department is also a plot device: the audience is guided to the process of generation the familiar sounds on Doctor Who (the same happens with the visuals, were we follow the creation of the sets); apart from it, nothing relevant to point out, except that none of the sounds, either music or sound effects, dragged me out of the film.

Performances - 5/5
The high point of the film, specially when David Bradley is on screen.

 
Final Score - 17/20
An Adventure in Space and Time is a good way to celebrate the anniversary of your favorite time traveler and maybe even be a interesting film for someone completely unaware of Doctor Who. We, here at POPinions, definitely recommend you to go watch it.