Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest (2007) Reviews

• Below the standard of the proper series but has a solid narrative and some imaginative locations

  bob the moo2007-08-13

  Having destroyed his ship seconds before it was due to destroy Earth, the Doctor and Martha leave villain Baltazar adrift in open space assuming he will serve the rest of eternity in prison. Travelling forward in time they learn that he was in prison but was released as he was deemed "reformed". On the contrary, the Doctor learns that Baltazar seeks "the infinite", a device of great power that will see him able to be the scourge of the galaxy. The Doctor and Martha set out to recover it first, but is it part of a trap? This animated Doctor Who episode was screened in parts over the series "Totally Doctor Who" – which I never watched because it was aimed at children (as the title would suggest). However the complete special was trailed after the first part of the season 3 conclusion and, since I enjoyed that so much that I was in the mood for more. At first glance I didn't think this was going to be any good. What put me off right away was the animated Doctor and Martha just looked, well, odd. I didn't manage to get past this and even after 45 minutes I still thought that they didn't work visually but what did work well was the fact that whole episode was set in locations that even the increased budget given to season 3 couldn't have created. The locations are inventive and well laid out – the animation isn't amazing but it is good for what it is. The plot is reasonably good and allows for the location hopping and for, in theory, the creation of another nemesis for the Doctor (assuming the animation went on from this one-off). The voice work is not that great though. The presence of Tennant and Agyeman is a bonus of course but they don't manage to produce anything as good as they do in the series – Tennant is a bit too wacky here though. Head has a good voice for his character but people like Liza Tarbuck, Calyton, Meo and Morgan stand out too much without giving good performances at the same time. Overall then this is an OK special that will probably be worth seeing for fans but not for the casual viewer who would need it to be at the level of the "proper" series. Visually it offers locations beyond the budget of the normal series but the performances and characters aren't there with it.

• Amazing Scope

  driskollxun2013-04-23

  Finally, the Revived Series addresses the scope of the Classic. Infinite Quest manages to capture the feel of season story arcs like Dalek's Master Plan, many of Tom Baker's seasons, and Trial of a Timelord, in just 45 minutes. Particularly, Infinite Quest brought to mind Pirate Planet, Androids of Tara, and Power of Kroll, of The Key to Time Arc. If there is only one Timelord to monitor all of creation, why does he doddle so much on Earth? If you are tired of the Earth bound &/or Earthling centric adventures of the Revived Series, you will be delighted to find androids and aliens playing the prominent rolls in Infinite Quest. If it takes animation to tell this kind of Classic Doctor Who story today, do what you got to do!

• Okay script hampered by flimsy production.

  Faena2009-08-02

  The most successful thing about this is how the animation flawlessly captures David Tennant's and Freema Agyeman's performances. Next, I thought the script could have worked for an actual Doctor Who feature. Not that it was phenomenal, but had they made a Tennant flick, this would have clicked because its ultimately a stand-alone story, but broad in scope. Unfortunately what we get is claustrophobic, cheap-feeling flash animation. A traditional 2D approach would have served this better, though admittedly it would have been more expensive and time consuming. Some great ship and robot designs with decent 3D rendering, but my concentration evaporated about 10 minutes in and I was waiting for it to end.

• Maybe I shouldn't have as an adult but I really liked this...

  poolandrews2007-12-30

  Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest starts as the TARDIS arrives on the warship of the evil Baltazar (Anthony Head) just as he intends to turn every living creature on Earth into diamonds by enveloping the entire planet in a field of plasma fire, the Doctor (David Tennant) manages to stop Baltazar with a spoon. Afterwards Baltazar's huge mechanical bird named Caw (Toby Longworth) hijacks the TARDIS in space & takes it to his home planet where it tells the Doctor & Martha (Frrema Agyeman) about Baltazar's new plan to find the legendary spaceship Infinite which has the power to grant whatever one desires, fearing that if Baltazar finds the Infinite he will use it's powers for evil the Doctor & Martha set out to find it first & stop Baltazar... The second official Doctor Who animated feature after Scream of the Shalka (2003) The Infinite Quest was originally broadcast split into twelve weekly parts of three & a half minutes each on the show Totally Doctor Who (since the new series is such a success the BBC really is milking it for all it's worth with the Doctor Who Confidential series as well as the spin-off's like Torchwood & The Sarah Jane Adventures) with the last instalment part of a entire compilation repeat that when all put together runs to the length of a normal Doctor Who episode, it has also subsequently been released on DVD over here in the UK as a complete story. I like Doctor Who as a series, I liked the old series & I like the new series & despite this probably being aimed at children I really liked The Infinite Quest. The story isn't anything overly special but at the same time is not much worse than anything from it's live-action counterpart old or new & I think one could even argue it's better than some, I'm not looking at you Timelash (1985) or then again maybe I am... The character's are fine although most don't stay around for long, the Doctor & Martha are both well represented here with several references to the live-action series including Martha's continued admiration with the Doctor & overall it's jolly good fun that I enjoyed over it 45 minute duration. Probably more than I should have. The one aspect that stands out on The Infinite Quest is that without the budget restrictions for a live-action show they have given this a much grander scale, from alien planets with three suns on the horizon to snowy landscapes to underground prisons to jungle worlds to huge derelict ships floating in space. There are locations here that the live-action series could only dream about. The cast of character's is also more varied from huge Mantasphid Queen bugs to slinky stylish robots to huge mechanical birds to lizard-men to an entire futuristic pirate crew who are nothing but skeleton's to Baltazar with his shutter blind like eye-protectors & tubes of green bubbling liquid attached to his mask. It looks as if the animation was done entirely on computer but in such a way it resembles traditional hand drawn animation, I though the Doctor & Martha looked great & are instantly recognisable & all the other assorted character's & aliens are very memorable. There are some really nice computer effects as well, from huge swarms of glowing green bugs to a constant snowstorm to huge multi-legged oil rig robots firing laser beams & asteroid belts it seems like a lot of time & effort went into the look of The Infinite Quest. Bottom line is it looks fantastic with a cool Japanese Anime feel to it & it does things & goes places the live-action series can only dream of. It's nice to actually have Tennant & Agyeman provide the voices for their character's as well. The Infinite Quest was undoubtedly aimed squarely at children but look at all the Disney & Pixar films which are animated & aimed at children but are enjoyed by all, if you like the series then I'd recommend it but if your a stuffy adult who maybe isn't interested in 'children's cartoons' then The Infinite Quest probably isn't for you. I liked it though & thought it was a fun way to pass three quarters of an hour, if you don't agree then sue me.

• Disappointment

  winner552012-01-08

  I've seen reviews of Dreamland that complain of the animation. The animation of Dreamland is clearly based on computer game CGI. Not great, but certainly of its time. The animation of Infinite Quest is also of its time, not great either, although given over to impressive visual effects in the foreground and background. But the real difference between these two Doctor animated episodes has to do with something far more basic. Dreamland, whatever its visual weaknesses, tells a strong story with a discernible beginning - middle - end. Infinite Quest - does not. In fact the narratology of Infinite Quest is very similar to that of The Pescatons, jumping and skipping over essential details. But Pescatons is presented as narrated by the Doctor himself, and the voice of Tom Baker covers a multitude of sins. One can listen to Pescatons with the brain on hold and still have a fine time. Infinite Quest isn't so lucky. Events we expect disappear. Cliff-hangers end in 'deux-ex-machina' cul-de-acs. At the end everything is explained - yet nothing much has happened. I don't blame the actors, animators, or supporting personnel. This is the problem that the writer, producer, and director must own. Either Doctor Who is a series worthy of proper storytelling, or it is a throwaway for a quick buck. Recognizing that this episode was clearly intended for children, I'll give it a little extra credit. It is certainly watchable. But I expected more - a solid story taking advantage of the animated media. I don't feel we get that here.