★ 1 / 10
Oh boy, I knew The War Games in
DanTheMan2150AD
Oh boy, I knew The War Games in Colour was going to be rough from the moment they announced the runtime, but I didn't know it could go this wrong so fast...…
Oh boy, I knew The War Games in Colour was going to be rough from the moment they announced the runtime, but I didn't know it could go this wrong so fast... with every. passing. minute. Benjamin Cook, I hope you never get to edit one of these ever again. Stay away—far away.
I re-watched The War Games only the other day just to remind myself how good the original serial is; The War Games in Colour just amplifies everything wrong with The Daleks in Colour and becomes a truly sour viewing experience. Granted, I can't fault the guys who did the colourisation, some of the choices are utterly tremendous (minus that one moment where the picture inexplicably becomes black and white for a second) but the moment-to-moment editing is completely borked beyond belief utterly destroying any sense of tension, atmosphere or thematic relevance the original serial had in spades.
I will say that Mark Ayres' music this time around was a little better, but still very ill-fitting. The original cues from Dudley Simpson are thankfully still here but they get drowned out by a metric cacophony overlaying noises. The kicker for me however, was the use of The Master’s theme for The War Chief, that’s completely unacceptable. The new effects are a huge mixed bag, the new establishing shots of the locations are nice but the big CG “Earth” opening is rough and, of course, the "new" regeneration being the big one is the most egregious, it’s not terribly done but feels so out of place due to the use of the NuWho orange fire effects. The cast is extremely ill-served by Ben Cook's hacksaw approach to editing, Philip Modac's War Lord is basically a passing cameo which annoyed me so much, also wtf did they do to his eyes?!
Like I've said a few times in the past, I'm all for seeing Old Who with a new coat of paint, but The War Games in Colour is the wrong way to go about it, it’s utterly barbaric and a total misrepresentation of the original serials' greatness, it’s only saving grace is the colourisation. It started relatively alright but fell to pieces very quickly, Ben Cook should never cook again.
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★ 7 / 10
Looks amazing, but a little manic.
Sleepin_Dragon
Following on from last year's successful update to 'The Daleks', 'The War Games' has been colourised and edited.I'm a fan of 'The War Games', but given its…
Following on from last year's successful update to 'The Daleks', 'The War Games' has been colourised and edited.I'm a fan of 'The War Games', but given its hefty running time, I don't watch it often. When I do, it's always rewarding - and the first thirty minutes of this update are terrific. The colourisation is stunning; it looks fabulous.However, after about half an hour, the pacing falters. So much has been hacked away that it feels frantic, with no chance to breathe and several important scenes missing. There are a few liberties taken, including the long-held fan theory that the War Chief was the Master - a curious choice, considering the character didn't exist at the time.For a new audience used to punchy, fast-paced storytelling, this might appeal. But long-standing fans of the classic series will probably stick to the original.On the plus side, the regeneration scene works very well, the conclusion is handled nicely, and there are some impressive new effects. Some of the new music is effective, though Murray Gold's Master theme left me a little unsure.My score is fairly generous.7/10.
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★ 5 / 10
Too Much Was Cut
4thLadyPatience
The War Games in its entirety is a 7.5/10 for me, but that's the original black and white without any cuts.The coloured version started out great, but was…
The War Games in its entirety is a 7.5/10 for me, but that's the original black and white without any cuts.The coloured version started out great, but was given a serious disservice by being so sloppily chopped midway through. In an attempt to make it flow better, they continually show a CGI outlook of central command. Without former knowledge of the full episode, it'd be difficult to know what was going on.The result of such butchery makes the entire episode move too fast, and leave out important details. Like Jamie and the nurse meeting the resistance team. Or how Jamie got caught.Though I must say, the slight change to the 2nd Doctor's trial and regeneration was a nice touch.I was still hoping for more in watching the War Games in Colour. Hopefully one day they give the full serial the justice it deserves one day, but I doubt it. Oh well.
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6.5/10
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