Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I wondered how the BBC would handle their 4.5 season of specials...this. The one-shot new companion nature of the Dr. Who specials lends it self to this single story DVD release. This "Easter Special" follows the 2008 X-Mas special "The Next Doctor" leading us up to the END for the !0th Doctor as played by David Tennant....some reference is made to this in the final moments of Planet of the Dead with some foreshadowing similar to the Planet of the OOD line about the Doctor's song coming to an End (but not before the October special and Xmas 2009).

Planet of the Dead is a pretty good special with some lovely cinematography and great location in the Dubai desert , some retro-aliens. The Doctor and a bus load of characters make an unscheduled stop on a desert planet . Characters like "sassy" wealthy adventurer/thief Lady Christina de Souza a'la Laura Kroft as played by the lovely Michelle Ryan (Merlin, the Bionic Woman, Jekyll) are likely to become fan favorites. Ryan, contrary to internet buzz, never auditioned to replace Billie Piper's Rose in '06, but after seeing the end product I think you'll agree she'd make a terrific season 5 or 6 addition to the cast.Enough filibustering for Ryan, the cast was great including Mousehunt's Lee Evans who superbly plays UNIT's technical support and parody of fandom....oh yeah did I mention UNIT gives fire support as always.

Extras....Backstory is outlined in the consistently good behind-the-scenes series "Dr. Who Confidential." This features the making of the special was even better the actual end product...how the double-decker bus of shipped out of country, the stunts, disasters endured and of course effects.

DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD is a very fun, very entertaining Easter special that provides fans with a light-hearted episode featuring David Tennant, the beloved Tenth Doctor. As we all know by now, this shortened 5th season will be Mr. Tennant's last, and it certainly was enjoyable to see him save the day in typical easy-going fashion.

DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD is full of the characteristic energy and charm that is brought to the Tenth Doctor by David Tennant. He matches wits with Michelle Ryan, who would clearly make an excellent companion and foil for Mr. Tennant if he were continuing on. The chemistry between the two brought a well needed sparkle back to DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD, and the pair was quite fun to watch.

As DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD opens, Lady Christina de Souza (Ryan) is attempting to evade the police after stealing a rare and priceless artifact. Of course, she ends up on the same tour bus as our quirky, lovable Doctor. And as is expected in any episode of DOCTOR WHO, that bus then drives through a wormhole in time and space and winds up on a desert planet, placing all aboard, and all life on Earth, in terrible danger. As always, it is up to our Doctor and his faithful companion to save humanity.

The Dubai location of DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD is quite spectacular, the aliens cool and retro, and the threat to Earth as expected. Is this "the best DOCTOR WHO episodes ever?" Of course not. But it is engaging, amusing, and very, very Tenth Doctor. It reminds us why we like David Tennant so much and why he will be sorely missed.

(Let's call it 3 & 1/2 stars)
I was also a little disappointed when I first watched this episode online a few months ago (Human-ear friendly bluetooths in a ship where the crew has no ears? Alien anti-gravity clamps that just happen to be the right size and number to fit the wheels of a London bus?). I also think it was a wasted trip for them to shoot in Dubai since most people will assume the vast expanse of desert is just a CGI trick anyway. I didn't think I would be watching it again anytime soon.

Having said that, I recently saw it again with a couple of people who are only casual Doctor Who watchers and they enjoyed it and took it for what it was, an amusing diversion. This made me relax and just have fun with it. It was good to see UNIT in action again and Lee Evans is always hilarious (if you haven't seen Mouse Hunt, do so immediately!)

I think most fans' problems with this special stem from the fact that we are having to wait so long between installments and we expect every one to be a complex stunner. In a normal season this would have been a perfectly acceptable light "change of pace" entry sandwiched between two heavier episodes. I think after we've seen the upcoming specials, which promise to be darker, this one will be put in its proper context.

One greatest Sci fi programs of all time! I don't see what the big deal is with everyone and the price of the DVD!! Most of the original Who shows with tom baker and john pertwee will run at least $20 or more for one DVD.. Personally I'm Glad that the last couple of David's movies are being release indvidually rather having to pay a fortune for one big box set..The way I see it you have 2 options ... Buy the DVD and enjoy it or don't buy it and complain about how you don't have it!!

Pretty good episode - plot was good in this transitional episode (between companions) for the Doctor. Lady Christina is a great companion match for the Doctor, too bad she was only in this one episode. I also enjoyed the UNIT tie-in and the humor associated with the idolization of the Doctor by members of UNIT.

Pardon me, I'm going to nit-pick for a second: not EVERYONE knows about the Doctor, just U.N.I.T and Torchwood, and they've always known about him. (He worked with U.N.I.T back in the 70's, when the Timelords exiled him to earth and he didn't have access to the TARDIS.)
Now that I've revealed my geekiness, I will say that I LOVE the new series even more than the classic series. This is not one of the best (and yes, "Blink" is one of the best ever), but it's enjoyable, nonetheless.

After the emotional ride of the last season, this special offers a lighter adventure. Don't let that fool you, this is as fun as the show has been since it was revived.

For those people who complain about the presentation, don't buy it. As simple as that.

I think David Tennant is the best Doctor yet, I will be sad to see him leave. I thought that Michelle Ryan had good chemistry with him in Planet of the Dead, I would have liked to see her as the next companion. I hope they consider her.

BBC Video put out a ***** Star BR Disc
It's a Stand-Alone "Special" Episode That doesn't really Tie into any of the Previous Seasons
Which in a way can be a good thing to lure new viewers into The Doctor Who Universe

It's Doctor Who in HD!!!!!

The PQ is @ The top of the List (I think it was shot in HD to begin with)
It just looks so Slick and at times close to 3D
The Audio also being in DTS makes it a must have
My Only major problem with the BR is Lack of any extras on the Disc
(BBC Could have went crazy and gave Fans allot of extras Like They did with the Recent RED DWARF BR Set)

The Episode is very good with Michelle Ryan starring opposite The one and only David Tennant

If u have a BR Player / Doctor Who Fan it's a Must have to add to your collection
Overall I gave the BR 9/10

A great addition to my collection, especially because of the Blu-ray. The color and brilliance is awesome.

The story was fun, and I liked this side adventure. It is sad that there aren't many more episodes with Tennant, but then again, I am excited about the upcoming new Doctor!