|
|
|
Average Customer Review
Share your thoughts with other customers
|
|
|
The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
End of the LINE or unscheduled stop? ....Easter Special continues counts down to the 10th Doctor's final adventure.
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...
Published 14 months ago by Kevin J. Loria
|
› See more 5 star, 4 star reviews |
 |
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Gave it another viewing
(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...
Published 13 months ago by Byron
|
› See more 3 star, 2 star, 1 star reviews |
|
|
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
End of the LINE or unscheduled stop? ....Easter Special continues counts down to the 10th Doctor's final adventure., June 27, 2009
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
A Fun Ride, Even Without the Tardis, July 30, 2009
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
"Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead" - Brilliant and in HD!, July 29, 2009
This review is from: Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Just released on Blu-ray yesterday is the recent Easter episode of "Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead." This is the start of the last four hours of David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor and is the first time the series is available in HD. It lives up to a Doctor Who fan's expectations brilliantly!
As writer and executive producer Russell T Davies states in the bonus material, the attitude for the episode was to "go for broke," and they certainly did. The story follows the Doctor and fellow London bus passengers through a wormhole to a deadly alien world where they must contend with humanoid flies and a swarm of armor plated stingrays. As exciting as the action is, the real draw of the series is the depth of the characters involved. The adventures through space and time provide an interesting backdrop to a story of the last member of a destroyed race who is destined to travel the universe essentially alone forever. Tennant continues to play the Doctor with the same quality that has earned him a National Television Award for Outstanding Drama Performance, and the highlight of this episode is the addition of Lady Christina de Souza, brilliantly portrayed by Michelle Ryan ("The Bionic Woman"). Ryan plays the sexy blue-blooded jewel thief with strength, wit, and an edge of irreverent fun and is a quality match to Tennant's Doctor. The chemistry between the characters drives the story as the Doctor meets an equal. One of the great aspects of Doctor Who is the strength and intelligence of the Doctor's companions. These are characters that don't just go around being saved by the Doctor but actively help him save the universe. This episode continues that tradition in spades.
This is the perfect episode to launch Doctor Who in HD. The alien world features the stark beauty of the Dubai desert, and the panoramas of the desert dunes set against cloudless, arid skies are great in HD. The special effects and alien creatures also look good as do Tennant and Ryan, which can't be said for all actors in HD.
The bonus material consists of the 60-minute special, "Doctor Who Confidential." It features interviews with the cast, crew, and creators, as well as behind the scenes footage of the making of the episode. It is quite a story that includes bringing a London double-decker bus into the middle of the Dubai desert, dealing with sandstorms, and creating alien flies. Some memorable moments include the crew sweeping the desert by hand to remove footprints in order to create a "pristine" set. It gives a good sense of all that goes into the production of the episode. Davies gives insight into how the story developed, and the actors share where their characters come from.
All in all, the Blu-ray version of "Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead" is entertaining both visually and dramatically, and the bonus documentary is just enough to add to the experience without overloading the viewer with less than quality material. I recommend it to Doctor Who fans and newcomers alike.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
AWESOME!!!, June 22, 2009
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!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Doctor in Transition, August 24, 2009
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
decidedly mediocre, August 18, 2009
I'm a big fan of the new Doctor Who series. This episode was not one of the best; in fact it was decidedly mediocre. Make no mistake about it, at 60 mins, this is an episode and not a movie.
Opening with a scene stolen from Mission Impossible, and laboring under more pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo than usual, the Doctor is given none of usual opportunities to showcase his wit and enthusiasm. About the only thing going for this episode is the interesting image of a red double-decker bus in the desert and a fairly cool alien monster. Our family actually found the behind the scenes documentary of how they got the bus into the Dubai desert more exciting than the episode itself.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Gave it another viewing, August 2, 2009
(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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Not the Best, but Enjoyable, July 28, 2009
This review is from: Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Planet of the Dead, July 23, 2009
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Love David Tennant, December 12, 2009
This review is from: Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515iCPEHOUL._SL160_SL90_.jpg)
