When a classic piece of media is rebooted, fans will always find themselves divided on whether the original or the reboot was the better one. Many fans are loyal to the original and swear off the reboot entirely. Some fans connect better with the reboot. And some people are simply happy for more content and enjoy both versions for different reasons.
Though many people have rather negative opinions about the first series of the Doctor Who reboot (which we completely and utterly love,) it did reignite the classic show and bring a whole new generation to the fandom. That being said, today we are going to look at 5 reasons why we love the reboot and 5 reasons why we love the original.
Reboot: Rose Tyler
Some people brand her as a Mary Sue and write her off entirely but others think that she is one of the best companions that was ever featured on the series. We love her warm heart, determined and stubborn nature, and positive perspective. Any girl that can see the good in a Dalek is alright in our books.
Her storyline with the tenth Doctor was truly heartwarming (and breaking) and we wish that we could have had more time with this spunky character.
Classic: Retro Sci-Fi
For fans that love classic, retro, old fashioned science fiction, then there is no better show than the original run of Doctor Who. Some fans are simply not woo’d by fancy CGI and elaborate sets. They want to explore the far-reaching corners of space and time in a way that is familiar to them.
Classic Doctor Who is the pinnacle of 20th-century science fiction and should delight any fan who seeks to immerse themselves in said genre.
Reboot: The Female Doctor
For an alien who can regenerate into any kind of human being on this diverse Earth, the Doctor sure does end up being a caucasian man from the UK a large majority of the time. And while we love the (majority of) the previous Doctors, many fans were craving a change.
Though the Thirteenth Doctor has been met with a somewhat mixed reception, her unique take on the Doctor will surely leave a mark on the series.
Classic: Practical Effects
Simply put, CGI was not really possible at the time that the show began production. They had a much lower budget than the show currently has as the show had yet to amass an audience and many of the effects we done practically. Though some effects are still done practically in the reboot, CGI is heavily relied upon in order to create many of the sequences that makes up the newest version of the classic show.
If you find that CGI tends to age poorly and are not a fan of weird effects, the original show might be the better version of the series for you. The practical effects can appear hokey at times to a modern audience but it simply adds to the campy nature of the original run of the show.
Reboot: Modern CGI
That being said, modern CGI does have some advantages. For starters, it allows the show to be much bigger than it ever could have been before.
Monsters can be bigger and more abundant in number, the space sequences can be far more expansive and awe-inspiring, and the more dangerous aspects of the show’s plot can be easily created without any risk to the actors (or need to scale it down for the sake of practicality.)
Classic: Bigger Variances In Doctors
Though we do love each and every version of the Doctor (for the most part,) we do have to admit that there were bigger variances in the Doctor in the original run of the series. Each Doctor needed to set themselves apart from the previous Doctor in order to explore new sides of the character.
Some explored a more action-based side while others kept him campy and light. Some played him as a traditional emotionless alien while others preferred to make him a bit more larger than life.
Reboot: Darker Themes
Though there is no denying that there are some truly dark themes in the original run of the show, we have noticed that the more recent series of Doctor Who have seemed to prioritize more emotionally devastating and truly dark subject matter.
It is important to note that there are some truly campy episodes as well that remind us of classic science fiction styles and conventions. But the show seems to have taken a darker turn and favours more impactful and intense storylines.
Classic: Campier Themes
On the other hand, one must note that there are some truly dark, intense, and impactful episodes from the original run of the show as well. However, the nature of classic science fiction tends to veer towards campier material.
Fans that find that the most recent seasons of the show have gotten a bit too dark for their personal tastes might prefer the campier and lighter themes of the show’s original run.
Reboot: David Tennant
Though we could list several different actors as the reason why both runs of the show are worth watching, few Doctors have had the impact that the Tenth Doctor has. David Tennant played the Doctor at the height of the reboots popularity and his version of the character became a pop-cultural phenomenon that escaped the science fiction bubble and left its mark on pop-culture at large.
His version of the Doctor was everything that we loved about both runs of the series. He was campy, silly, and fun. Some of the funniest moments of the reboot occurred during his time as the Doctor. But he was also able to truly excel in the shows more dark, sinister, and scary scenes. The Tenth Doctor is the best Doctor to start with and we were truly sad to see him go.
Classic: Nostalgic Fun
People tend to gravitate towards things that are familiar to them. If a person grew up watching the original run of Doctor Who, then that version of the show is going to hold a special place in their heart.
The original run of the show is truly a nostalgic piece of science fiction history that every Doctor Who fan should experience at one point in their lives; regardless of their preference between the two runs of the show.
