User Reviews

The talented folks at the Federation have made a quantum leap forward in film craft since the Reign Of Turner. The acting, the editing, the sound, the music, everything is much more polished and professional looking.

The story (without giving too much away) involves the characters known as The Doctor and his assistant Peri, from the famous BBC TV series, Doctor Who. It also involves the actors who played them, in an original way that fits quite cleverly in with the original series that it refers to.

Steve Hill is spot-on in his dual performances of Colin Baker/The Doctor. His accent and mannerisms are very consistent and he does a wonderful job in giving visual and audible cues as the subtle differences between the two. The fact that he also directed and co-wrote this film are an even greater credit to his talents.

Jennifer Adams Kelley has a bit more difficulty in pulling off the illustration of two different characters, but has a wonderful sense of humor that plays nicely on the screen. I suspect her real strength is in writing, since she is listed first in the writing credits, and I really enjoyed the finely crafted story a great deal.

Erin Tumilty plays a sexy BBC employee who gets drawn into the story by the antagonist-who-shall-remain-shrouded-in-secret. Erin is very easy on the eyes, and a fine addition to the story.

The original score and the editing help the pacing of the story very well, always keeping the story moving forward.

If you enjoyed Doctor Who and Twilight Zone episodes, you'll love Realitywarp!

Dennis

At last, the long awaited return of the Federation to the arena of Doctor Who based fan video.

With better equipment, improvements in video technology and experience gained by fan film makers, some of the more recent fan direct-to-video releases available have shown "remarkable" improvements in overcoming many of the common technical problems often found in videos, and I am delighted to inform that Reality Warp is one such production.

From the chillingly sublime sound of Robert Warnock's title theme, you immediately feel a sense of professionalism. As the opening shots follow the journey of the character Nicola Bryant (Jennifer Adams Kelley), the viewer is aware of the transatlantic setting of the story, as she arrives at the offices of the BBC for an audition (much of the action takes place in both the US and UK).

From the outset her audition is not typical. As Nicola waits to be called, she notices a shadowy figure siting across from her, hiding behind a newspaper as its chair hovers inches above the floor. Following a series of strange apparitions where she is addressed as Peri and instructed to obtain the Doctors multicolored coat, a nightmare leads her to contact Colin Baker (Steve Hill). It seems he has also had an unusual and related dream. So begins their quest to resolve the truth of this warped reality.

There are some highly enjoyable scenes as the actor's transform into their fictional counterparts. High marks go to Steve Hill for his astonishing portrayal of Colin Baker and the 6th Doctor. He successfully combines the mannerisms of Colin's Doctor with solid acting, resulting in a believable portrayal. Jennifer Adams Kelley's character strengthens as the story progresses, and she "becomes" Peri. This results in a number of successful scenes where the mismatched duo regain their acerbic chemistry.

Erin Tumilty gives a fine performance as the engaging Stacey Aldrich, an employee of the "Beeb" whose curiosity results in her compulsory involvement in the mystery.

A wise decision was made to allow certain actors to avoid the pitfall of assumed accents in the interests of dialogue clarity. However, sound consistency was a factor at certain points during the film, resulting in some muffled conversation. But this detracts little from the production.

Reality Warp's story is solid and has some clever video effects and costuming which add a layer of detail often lacking in fan films.

Overall Reality Warp succeeds where many have failed and should make a welcome addition too your video library!

-Matthew Slavin cbermatts@aol.com

'Realitywarp' is easily one of the most successful and enjoyable Doctor Who fanvids so far and has many impressive aspects.

Such as?

Well, there's the script, which is very original and inventive, and sets it apart from the usual fanvid constraints such as limited locations, low budget and lack of performers. Leads Steven Hill and Jennifer Adams Kelly effectively play three parts each. Nicola and Colin, Nicola and Colin who *become* Peri and the Doctor and the *actual* Doctor and Peri. This leads to an illusion of variety, when you are really seeing the same two people on screen for 90 per cent of the time.

Then there's the original score, which is *fantastic*. Original music seems to be one of the things that several fan vids have pulled off rather well in the past ('Time Rift' for instance), but none better than here.

Then there's the clever technical stuff. The very professional opening sequence where footage from the UK is blended with shots of 'Nicola' in her car works *very* well. With the aforementioned score playing over the top, and the expert blending of the title sequence throughout these scenes, the opening really impresses, being stylistically akin to many a high budget movie. (At this point I should admit to a certain vested interest, as it was yours truly who shot the UK footage - but it was how it was integrated that impressed)

Another, oft quoted, asset is Steve Hill's performance as Colin/The Doctor. While he bears only a *slight* similarity to Colin Baker (though more so, it has to be said, than any other fanvid actor has every looked like a Doctor), his mannerisms are very well observed, and his voice is so spot on at times that if you close your eyes you could easily be fooled. Not quite so impressive is Jennifer Adams Kelley's performance as Nicola/Peri - her lines are often rather garbled, and it is sometimes hard to follow what she is saying. She does, however, manage to convey Nicola's scepticism at the who affair rather well.

The supporting cast also put in solid performances, not least Erin Tumilty as Stacy, and Robert Warnock (who comes across as suitably desperate in his appearances as an apparition).

There are some impressive special effects, specifically in the dream sequence and Gordon Cole's flickering appearance when Colin makes the transformation into the Doctor. The Tardis exterior prop is very good indeed, and though the interior is not quite so impressive, it does the job nicely.

Another plus is the length. At 55 minutes, 'Realitywarp' never outstays its welcome, yet still has time to fully explore the ideas around which it is built.

I heartily recommend 'Realitywarp'.

Mark Phippen