Doctor Who is a series that has always fascinated me, thanks to its ability to add to its edifice while keeping continuity consistent, with a few exceptions because it remains a time-travel series that is over sixty years old. I therefore find it quite interesting to revisit the early years of the series, a period when no one could imagine the future of the show, not even those who worked on it. However, the early days of Doctor Who remain controversial. The cause? An Unearthly Child, a story that divides fans, but which remains negatively criticised by some fans. I never asked myself what my real opinion was of this episode, all I knew was that I was having a good time watching it, without knowing why. So, once I look into it a bit more, what stands out about this story?

First of all, I have to tell you about the first striking element: the realism of the story. We're left with a real human vision that keeps its feet on the ground, which I think is an interesting way of introducing us to a science-fiction series, because it allows us, the viewers, to enter the Doctor Who universe gradually. The realism is reflected in the first part, which takes place in a school and then in a junkyard, with deeply human characters who are worried about a pupil, but it can also be reflected in the whole plot with the prehistoric men, which I'll come back to later, or in the piloting of the time machine, which is much more elaborate than it is nowadays.

Doctor Who... Doctor Who... If the beginning of the series had been all about the Doctor, it would have been a total disaster, in my opinion. We don't really understand who the Doctor is because of his unclear motivations and loathsome character. Fortunately, we have Susan, Ian and Barbara, who are the real main characters. I won't be able to explain it, but I find this group very touching and I care about them, probably because they are the humans in this group, where the Doctor, as an alien, is shown as inhuman and heartless. So, yes, I feel sad when Susan is sad, I feel bummed when Ian and Barbara get kidnapped. I found myself feeling for all three of them, which is already a very good thing, because the scenes in which they are in danger are no longer mere twists and turns, but real events that grab me by the guts.

The other key element of this story is the presence of prehistoric men. By way of introduction, I'd just like to point out that it's a good idea to exploit time travel by going back to the first steps of humanity, it's great to go to the furthest point. Otherwise, in terms of the individuals themselves, I really liked the fact that there were fairly recognisable archetypes. It's simple, but it works, so why deprive yourself? It doesn't take long to work out who's who, who has what role, and what the tribe's problems are. It immediately makes the story more interesting, because you understand it. And as I mentioned earlier, there's also a very realistic aspect to the prehistoric men, who don't always understand everything, don't have all the language terms and have very changeable moods. Where people see simple cavemen, I see characters who may not be very advanced, but who embrace the plot perfectly.

There are also a few positive and negative elements, which I'll list below. On the positive side, we have some pretty interesting action scenes, thanks to the characters, but also to the camerawork, editing and the whole atmosphere of the scenes. We also have a fairly pessimistic vision of time travel, where everything isn't perfect and no one has control over anything, and everyone becomes a victim of time travel. And on the negative side, I'd like to mention a few scenes of exposition that are unfortunately done through dialogue, as well as a very personal problem: I found it hard to tell the difference between Kal and Za's physical appearance, so sometimes I was confused when I thought I was following one character when in reality it was someone else.

Finally, what did I think of this first Doctor Who story? I'm very pleased with it. It's not done with the codes of our time, but that doesn't mean it should be bad. The story is full of good ideas and I'm pleased to see that my favourite series is starting out on a very good footing, with flaws that are really quite trivial compared to the positives.