I didnt like it. And I really went in with an open mind, I was skeptical, even more than I was with The Daleks and well… if anything the Colors here look stunning. And I am happy they didn’t used too many wild Colors, as they did with The Daleks, our Tardis Team feels so strange seeing them in all the brown and green setting.
That being said… somehow the Edit is worse for me, while it starts out very solid with its first 30-40 minutes, it starts to rush more and more. With such a huge Cast in the Story, we miss out a lot of great Character Moments, some Characters just appear out of nowhere! Especially this great part of the Original, where we slowly build up a new threat to another threat to another, and the Resistance feel barely like Characters here.
I understand they couldn’t and wouldn’t do all Episodes in Color, but why pick this one and remove so many great bits? While not as harsh as The Daleks, I would imagine a new viewer would look at their screen and think they missed something.
The Music, while being good on its own, it doesn’t work for me for the most part. It gets too loud at times and I miss the more eerie soundtrack of the Original. It feels like an attempt to make the War Games more like a NuWho Episode. Which is just a bit of a dumb idea, because while I am all for alternative Versions of classic Serials, taking one of the LEAST NuWho Era and trying to make it more like it, just doesn’t work and at best is just jarring, at worst just feels a bit sloppy.
As for some extra bits that got added here:
The CGI Shots look good, but don’t mix too well overall.
Having the Master Themes over the War Chief is annoying. Headcanon fun aside, I wish they wouldn’t have done this, since it MIGHT lead to future appearances of the War Chief just being an early Master. It makes the Universe feel smaller for me and I preferred the ambiguity of it all.
Showing off some future Faces is a fun idea, but done a bit sloppy. Just having those quite famous promo pictures seems charming on first glance, but the more I think about it, the more I dislike it. Why is 12 shown here, when 12 based his face on somebody he would later meet, for example. I understand Who isn’t the most consistent with some of its own canon, but I wish they have done it differently. Perhaps even more in the style of the Original, where it’s drawing of future Doctors. (How they have done it and who they chose is more a nitpick than a real criticism point, although I really wish they went a bit differently about it).
The Regeneration is good, but I still preferred the original attempt, even through it’s quite a morbid note to end the Story on. But it’s still really well-made and nice way to end this alternative take on this Story.

Overall, I understand this Story isn’t for me and that’s okay, but I really hope as they continue with this range that they learn and find some way to improve on some technical issues (please don’t overdo with the music, please!)
I also hope they won’t do TOO MUCH of those slight Implications, there is a lot of fun with some ambiguity.

Glad to see that many see it differently and enjoyed it overall! Not sure if I rate it higher than the Daleks, but the back and forth cutting works MUCH better here for sure, even if I am not totally in love with how they have done it.

This production is a phenomenal showcase for the remarkable talents behind its colourisation. The transformation of black-and-white footage into vibrant colour is nothing short of magical, offering an entirely fresh way to experience a familiar story. For long-time fans, it reinvigorates a classic, while for newcomers, it makes the material more accessible and engaging.

When I consider who this is aimed at, I think of someone like my sister. She’s made multiple attempts to engage with classic Doctor Who but often finds the slower pacing inaccessible. Fans like me appreciate the stately, deliberate pace of the originals, which makes certain aspects of this production feel a little breathless at times. While I prefer the slower original version, the brisker pacing here does shine in places, though I think an extra 20 minutes of runtime could have helped the middle section breathe and reduced some of the muddling caused by trimming too much.

That said, I don’t see this as a replacement for the original but as an exciting addition. For fans, it’s a way to re-experience an old story with fresh eyes, and it has the potential to draw in new audiences who might otherwise struggle with the original’s pacing. My sister, for example, loved The Daleks in Colour, largely because its pacing made it more digestible. I’d be fascinated to hear how she feels about this production and whether it struck the same chord.

The new elements—such as cheeky additions, appearances from other Doctors, the regeneration, and the updated music—were delightful and added a sense of playfulness. The overall production quality was stellar, and while I would have loved more time to let certain parts settle, this version remains a triumph. It also leaves open the exciting possibility of a longer cut down the line.

In summary, this is an exceptional piece of work. Fans are incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to reimagine and rediscover classic Doctor Who. While not perfect, it’s a wonderful addition to the canon and a brilliant reimagining for a modern audience.

(Review copied from letterboxd)

I'm in two minds about this one. The original War Games is one of my favourite Classic Who serials (I gave it 5 stars on TARDISguide) and Troughton is my favourite Doctor. The colourisation looks very nice; this new version is certainly visually appealing, although was there really any need for the establishing shots of Gallifrey, which wasn't even named in 60s Who?

HOWEVER I have massive problems with the pacing. There are a lot of bizarre, very quick dialogue cuts. I get they had to cut it down, but 90 minutes doesn't feel enough for a story this epic. The music also seemed to be very loud, drowning out the dialogue in parts.

I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't seen the original as a lot of important context is taken out. For instance, Carstairs and Jennifer talking about the gaps in their memory and the weird mist- this is brought up seemingly out of nowhere. The same happens with the sections where the resistance group is assembled; character introductions are left out and you're left wondering where the random Mexican guy came from.

The new regeneration is very well done, although the initial shots of Pertwee are slightly uncanny. This, and the ending as a whole, were the parts I was looking forward to most. It was just as emotional and effective as the original seeing the companion exits.

Overall, I'm glad this was made, as hopefully it'll get more people interested in peak Who, but, if given the choice I would prefer to watch the 10 part original.

that ending the war games in colorus i saw tenth eleventh and thirteenth doctor and the birth of third doctor with first word

the pacing is laughably bad, the sound mixing is atrocious, and the tacked on regeneration is unnecessary and ugly, but at the end of the day this is still the war games. peak is peak, even if it's neutered