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Doctor Who: The Time Of The Doctor Blu-ray Review

“The Time of the Doctor” is a poor send-off for the 11^th Doctor.

Since “The Time of the Doctor” is filled with many pivotal events, I’m not going to get into the story much. Instead, I will just say that Whovians can expect to see subplots involving Trenzalore, a space Church, the crack in time, Daleks, Gallifrey, Christmas town, a broadcasting message of great importance, a wide variety of the Doctor’s foes, and an old friend of the Doctor’s by the name of Tasha Lem, Clara and her family, and, of course, a regeneration.

After wowing fans with “The Day of the Doctor” and “The Night of the Doctor,” showrunner Steven Moffat completely drops the ball with the 11th Doctor’s final outing. To say this is one of the worst new Who episodes is a gross understatement. Sure, fans get answers to several burning questions, but the answers we get were largely unsatisfying. Why didn’t Moffat spread out some of these ideas and storylines over the course of the seventh series instead of wrapping up so much in the 11^th Doctor’s last episode? “The Time of the Doctor” suffers because the episode is crammed with far too much exposition and plot for a one part adventure. Had this been a 2 part episode, it wouldn’t be such a hurried affair which would allow for some breathing room for the story and especially the actors. Additional running time would have also prevented the story from feeling like we are jumping into the middle of this story. The beginning of ‘Time’ certainly feels like it’s missing a prequelsode at the very least.

Perhaps the most insulting aspect of ‘Time’ is that Matt Smith simply deserves a better farewell episode than this. Given how popular and successful his take on the Doctor was, it’s positively shameful to see him acting out eye rolling nude gags and an embarrassing “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” esque scene in which the Doctor is an old man dancing around shooting regeneration beams at Daleks (don’t ask).

On the plus side, there are a few memorable moments here such as the wooden Cyberman, Handles (the Cyberman head companion of the Doctor), the all too brief glimpse of the 12^th Doctor (Peter Capaldi), and the touching and surprising cameo at the end which will no doubt have viewers tearing up.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? With each new release, “Doctor Who” keeps looking better and better in hi-def.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD. How does it sound? Lively as always.

Extras:
* Trailers for “Sherlock” and “Atlantis.”
* “Behind The Lens” contains set footage, cast and crew interviews, discussions about the episode, etc.
* ‘Tales From The TARDIS”- A special in which former “Doctor Who” cast and crew members talk about regenerations, the costumes, the TARDIS, companions, villains, their experiences in filming the series and more. Be on the lookout for some great first day on set footage of Matt Smith.
* “Farewell To Matt Smith”- A special 45 minute tribute to actor Matt Smith (the 11^th Doctor).

Overall Thoughts: The fact that “The Time of the Doctor” is such a crucial part of “Doctor Who” mythology makes this misfire all the more disappointing. As much of a letdown as it is, however, this episode is still worth owning for any Whovian completists out there.

March 5, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 11th Doctor, 12th Doctor, Clara, Cybermen, Daleks, Doctor Who: The Time Of The Doctor Blu-ray Review, Gallifrey, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Whovians