Doctor
Who: The Day Of The Doctor - 50th Anniversary Special (2013/BBC
Blu-ray 3D w/Blu-ray 2D & DVD)
3D
Picture: B 2D Picture: B Sound: B Extras: A
(Tele)film: A
Since
the show's reboot in 2005, Doctor Who has done big, universe
shattering events quite adroitly. The latest incarnation of the
Doctor does not disappoint in this amazing special featuring current
Doctor Matt Smith, his predecessor David Tenant, and screen legend
John Hurt as a never before seen iteration of the Doctor. Flowing
from the present, to 16th century England, to the very end of time
and the time war of Gallifrey vs. Skarro, this story feels big, and
manages to deliver the goods on a long held plot complication of the
modern Doctor. Did the Doctor end the time war by committing
planetary genocide? How does he live with that decision? Can it be
undone?
In
The Day Of The Doctor (2013), ex-companion Rose Tyler (Billie
Piper) returns in this tale as the manifestation of a device that
just might deliver the Doctor's greatest desire, or fulfill his
destiny as a destroyer of his own people. Seeing her again in the
role of Rose, if even as a Rose proxie, will bring back fond memories
for most modern Who fans, and she seems to relish her chance to
inhabit her old skin. Jenna Coleman returns as the impossible
girl companion of Mr. Smith's 13th Doctor, and she plays
beautifully off of Mr. Hurt, who looks every inch the war-haunted
Time Lord: grizzled, hard, and weary, but also cool and steady under
fire. Mr. Tenant resumes his role as the 12th Doctor with aplomb and
his performance will make fans miss him all the more. His romance
with a pudgy Queen Elizabeth (and her alien doppelganger) will bring
laughs and surprises, a bit of that madcap Tenant magic that made so
many fall in love with his Doctor.
Offered
in three formats, the picture and sound on these discs stands up to
the BBC's current high quality standards. The
1080p 1.85 X 1 MVC-encoded 3-D - Full Resolution digital High
Definition image is fine and this was issued briefly in British
theaters, but it is not always great, yet is just fine and thorough
enough for the presentation offered, but the 1080p 1.78 X 1 2D
digital High Definition image transfer looks as good for this
all-digital shoot. Continuing the look of the show (slightly dark
since its revival) and style, the cinematography is as consistent and
impressive here, though the
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the DVD is not as good as
either. It is as good as it is going to be in that format.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes for both Blu-ray 3D &
2D presentations are the same, well recorded and offer soundfields as
consistent as anything in the series' history, while the lossy Dolby
Digital 5.1 on the DVD is weaker, is too as good as it will ever be
in that format.
BBC
Video does not skimp on extras for this set, and the box includes a
featurette entitled Doctor Who Explained, exploring the nature
of the Who phenomenon and how it has endured these past fifty years.
They also include a thorough Behind the Scenes feature that
will take fans deep into the making and execution of this
series-changing special. Finally, two mini-episodes round out the
extra offerings on this collection.
Packed
wit thrills and surprises, The Day of the Doctor sets fans up
beautifully for the Christmas Special where Mr. Smith makes his
departure as the 13th Doctor and Peter Capaldi enters as the 14th man
to inhabit the role. Well, counting Mr. Hurt, let's call him the
15th Doctor, at least unofficially!
-
Scott Pyle
