Doctor Who: The Movie

The Doctor is returning home to Gallifrey with the remains of his arch-nemesis, the Master. Forced off course, the TARDIS arrives in San Francisco on New Year's Eve 1999, where the Doctor is critically wounded in a gangland gun battle. At the local hospital, Dr. Grace Holloway fights - and fails - to save his life.

Later, in the morgue, the Doctor wakes up a new man. But he is not the only one - the Master has also found himself a new body. As the clock counts down to the start of the new millennium, can the Doctor stop his oldest enemy from destroying all life on Earth?

The Master is apparently exterminated by the Daleks on Skaro, and the Doctor agrees to take his remains back to Gallifrey in the TARDIS. The Master is not really dead, however, but has transformed into a shapeless morphant creature. He causes the TARDIS to make an emergency landing on Earth, in the city of San Francisco, in the year 1999.
The Doctor emerges from the ship to find himself in the midst of a street battle between rival gangs. He sustains gunshot wounds and, accompanied by young gang member Chang Lee, is taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
Surgeon Dr Grace Holloway attempts to save his life but, failing to understand his alien physiology, actually causes his 'death'. The Doctor later regenerates into his eighth physical form. The Master has meanwhile taken over the body of an ambulance driver named Bruce. This is just a temporary measure until he can achieve his ultimate goal: to inhabit the Doctor's body.
He gains access to the Doctor's TARDIS and, with lies and false promises, wins Chang Lee over to his side. The Doctor manages to convince Grace that he is the same man that she thought had died on her operating table, and that he is an alien Time Lord - albeit half-human on his mother's side.
Together they race against time to prevent the Master's scheme from bringing about the Earth's destruction at midnight on 31 December. They eventually succeed, and the Master is sucked into the Eye of Harmony within the TARDIS's cloister room. The Doctor bids farewell to Grace and Chang Lee - who ultimately saw the error of his ways - and departs in the TARDIS as the world celebrates the millenium.
Trivia
Sylvester McCoy gives a dignified performance in his last appearance as the seventh Doctor.
The Doctor's sonic screwdriver returns.
The movie was originally supposed to open with a voice-over monologue by the Master - hence the on-screen credit given to actor Gordon Tipple. In the version shown to test audiences this was replaced with one by Paul McGann as the Doctor. This too was eventually dropped and replaced with a different one by McGann when the producers concluded as a result of these screenings that American viewers unfamiliar with Doctor Who needed an introduction that would more clearly explain the premise to them.

Directed by Geoffrey Sax
Written by Matthew Jacobs
Produced by Peter V Ware
Executive Produced by Philip David Segal, Alex Beaton
Film Editing by Patrick Lussier < br> Costume Design by Jori Woodman