ag-2

Cast changes can be rough, but if any series knows how to do them, it's Doctor Who, where the the process is baked into the mythology. With not only a new lead actor and companions but a new showrunner on deck, there was a lot to reset this time around; it's wonderful to report that Whittaker & Co. knock it out of the park, with a fast-paced, scary, sometimes extremely funny, sometimes incredibly sad debut that ticks all the reboot buttons while taking us through a nailbiter of an adventure. Whittaker's sharp, alien, and funny; the companions are well-outlined and promising; and the sound and set design are gorgeous. We're off to a great start!

Ignore the horrendous dialog cards -- that sort of "dialect" speech was offensive then and it's nearly unbearable now. But do not, do not, DO NOT miss seeing the immortal Bert Williams doing one of his most famous pantomimes -- it's giving nothing away to tell you it's the bit at the end, as contemporary audiences were enticed to the movie with the promise of seeing this routine from the 1911 Ziegfield Follies. Mr. Williams was born into a terrible era and we lost him way too soon; I'm glad that the effort was made to preserve this film (and well preserved, too; the Slapstick Encyclopedia seems to have a complete copy with remarkably little image deterioration) and wonder what sort of wonderful things he might have done had he lived longer.

Gotta love this movie -- nothing earthshaking, but pure viewing pleasure and ridiculously hummable. (How I wish they'd kept the original, darker ending; hands-down cult classic.) And I know just how Mr. Anderson, above, feels about having one particular moment that just makes the movie for him. I feel exactly the same about this split-second little... hop? jig?... that Steve Martin executes near the end of his "Dentist" number. Utterly blissful (yeah, Steve and me both). And what's not to like about a movie that posits everyman Rick Moranis as a romantic lead?! It's interesting to remember that this and Platoon (Big Important Message Movie) came out the same year. Does anyone still care about Platoon? Don't discount the appeal of fluff. It's more enduring than you'd suppose.