Wartime (1988 Video) User Reviews

The first official "unofficial" independent Dr Who spin-off...

[zedthedestroyer · 22 March 2001]

...and it's pretty good. RSM Benton is given more depth than he was during the series. The story ends abruptly, but that's fine. Exposition probably would've dragged it down a bit. Mark Ayres' music is a bit overpowering for the most part. It generally works only when it's low key. Some of the jump cuts are effective, some are jarring. My biggest gripe on the technical side came during the scenes where the UNIT soldier was guarding the jeep. Why shoot it in slow motion? I was initially under the impression that time was slowing down, but apparently that wasn't the case. The confrontation between Benton and his dead father was great, and there's a realistic fight scene at the end. All in all, a pretty good first go.

Rounding out the tape is a "Making of" special where you get an idea of how enthusiastic Keith Barnfarther was over filming the whole thing, and how long-winded collaborator Nicholas Briggs is. There's also a summary of some of the independent spin-offs produced by Reeltime Pictures since.

Ooof... not an auspicious start to the semi-official spin-offs!

[TARDIS_Tech_Support · 3/10 · 29 July 2022]

Well, this is technically a story, and it's a Doctor Who spin-off in the absolutely loosest sense possible. Wartime's budget is about the price of a ham sandwich. It's story is almost non-existent, and it could be summed up in literally 5 minutes of screen-time. It's acting is pretty awful. Am I glad to have seen it? No, except to check off that box of having watched all Doctor Who-related media. I watched it to the end at least, or else I would have scored it lower. If you're a completionist, watch it. All others, SKIP THIS ONE, please.

An Intriguing Story, That Sadly Falls Flat

[The_Minister · 7/10 · 10 January 2020]

Oh Wartime, the first of the independent Doctor Who spin-offs that led the way for the "wilderness years" (not to mention the career of Nicholas Briggs). As much as I love this film and appreciate it for being the first of its kind, it definitely has its flaws.

We find ourselves in the company of Warrant Officer Benton, who fans of the classic series will likely recognise better as a Corporal or Sergeant, who finds himself in a place he remembers from his childhood, and is confronted by the ghosts of his past, and the ghost of his father.

Right off the bat we have a story that I was easily hooked on, but was met with disappointment as it abruptly ended. So abruptly that I genuinely thought that this was a miniseries, and I had only watched the first episode. It's filled with emotion, action, and fight scenes that are surprisingly realistic, and is overall well written performed, toned, and paced, but is (kind of) resolved almost instantly.

As disappointing as the ending is, I find myself rewatching this short film time and time again, impressed with all of its qualities, but imagining what it could have been.

Doctor Who companion Sgt. (now Warrant Officer) John Benton is forced to confront ghosts from his past...

[joekronberg · 7/10 · 4 January 2017]

As the very first independent Doctor Who spin off, Wartime did an excellent job of paving the way for several other films, books, and audio dramas (without needing the approval of that pesky BBC).

As far as supernatural B films go, Wartime isn't too shabby. Although it's only half an hour long, we receive a lot of character development for Benton, which we didn't get to see much of in Doctor Who. With John Levine reprising the lead role, it's gratifying to see him able to explore more of the character.

While on a trip for UNIT, Benton visits the grave of his brother, whose death he believes to be his fault, when the ghost of his brother appears from behind the tombstone and begins to play games with Benton's mind. Benton's Jeep then breaks down and he decides to explore the area where he and his brother used to spend their childhood, along with the place of the accident.

From there it's a spiral of Benton confronting his emotions, where we see scenes of him yelling at the ghost of his father, trying to save his brother, and wanting to prevent the death of his father, which is what made him go into his line of work. Overall, a great display of finding oneself and facing regrets.

But with great concepts, a great storyline wasn't completely evident. The film was far too short for an entire plot to form, and leaves us with many unanswered questions, such as "Why were these events occurring?", "Who was the man trying to rob the car, and why was he with the ghosts?", "How does a prick from a rose cause that amount of blood?", and "How was anything actually resolved?"

Yes, Benton's inner struggles and hardships were beaten, but assuming that the ghosts were real (or some temporal anomaly), then why did they stop without Benton having to fight them?

In the end, you're left with many unanswered questions and a little confusion, but Wartime brings great character development to a Doctor Who character who deserves more love, and if anything brings us more theories...

An Intriguing Ghost Story and An Excellent Start to Reeltime Pictures

[AncientArtifact · 10/10 · 14 July 2020]

Wartime was one of the first ever Unofficial Doctor Who Spinoffs to have licensed characters from the show onboard. And for a first attempt it delivers a fantastic story about John Benton (a companion from Doctor Who) and his past. Accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack by Mark Ayres who would later go on to create pieces for Doctor Who's 25th and 26th Seasons. It is proof that a Doctor Who spin off can be successful and good without having the Doctor involved.

I feel however the story could have been longer as it only goes for half an hour and It would have been nice to see some more action with Benton fighting off the ghosts of his past such as his father who died in the war and his brother who accidentally fell to his death while playing in the ruins. With that said the setting is also beautiful. Overall I can't say its the best Doctor Who spin off to come out but being one of the first by an independent company I'd say its worth a watch.

Good first attempt at Doctor Who spin-off!

[mjshannon · 26 June 2001]

Wartime was the first independent Doctor Who spin-off (made when the show was still in production in 1987) and is pretty good. John Levene stars as Sgt. Benton of U.N.I.T. (from the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker years) on a delivery mission who gets sidetracked to a haunting landscape that holds a painful secret from his past. Younger versions of himself and his brother, who died in a tragic accident at the location he finds himself in, assault his senses, as do images of his mother and father (the latter played by original Doctor Who Davros, Michael Wisher). Benton's confrontations with his father are well handled and sometimes quite eerie. A major issue that had haunted Benton is finally resolved and it is never really clear whether the images of his family are mental projections brought on by the previously unresolved trauma or actual ghosts and this ambiguity is a positive attribute of this production. The acting itself varies, with John Levene putting in an adequate performance (with a couple of minor lapses) and Wisher contributing a marvellous and occasionally spooky one. The overall look and some of the effects are strictly low budget but credit must be given to the crew who proved people outside the BBC could treat characters in a sensitive and interesting fashion. Also on the video is a Making Of Wartime section that is revealing in the trials and tribulations of a low budget production. Some of the remembrances are long winded but most are fresh and sometimes quite funny. Buy this to see where the Doctor Who spin-off phenomena began and give it a few viewings before passing judgement on it as it is really very intriguing and moody.