Movie Review: Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks (2022)

Movie #2 of 2022:

Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks (2022)

This standalone adventure is Doctor Who at its absolute best. The premise of a steadily-shortening time loop, while not totally original, is still fairly distinctive, and is executed here with great aplomb, alternating humor with tense terror via the ticking clock of the countdown. The Daleks of the title are completely relentless too, representing the formidable threat that the Doctor’s arch-enemies always should be (yet so often aren’t). On this occasion, at least, they live up to their hype and then some.

And the characters! The two guest actors pop really well, both in their performances and the specificity of each’s respective characterization in the script — another frequent weakness of this series, particularly under current showrunner Chris Chibnall, that is thankfully nowhere in sight. The dynamic of the Doctor and her companions likewise receives a fantastic development in this New Year’s special, of the sort I am reluctant to spoil but is an exciting culmination of three seasons of growth and the start of a big step forward for the future.

We only have two episodes left with Chibnall and the Thirteenth Doctor (and presumably Yaz and Dan), but this hour finds the head writer at the top of his game, avoiding all of the missteps that have sometimes made his tenure an exercise in frustration and missed opportunities. If the spring and fall specials are crafted with this same level of care, 2022 will be Jodie Whittaker’s finest run as well as her last.

★★★★★

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