Doctor Who The Complete Specials The Next Doctor Planet of the Dead The Waters of Mars The End of Time Parts 1 and 2 DVD with David Tennant, David Morrissey, Michelle Ryan (NR) +Movie Reviews

Region 1 Special Features

Harlow | Cape Cod, MA United States | 01/03/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although Amazon doesn't give any details about what special features will be included in this box set, BBC America does. Region 1 box set should have the following:
Special Features:English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired
* Doctor Who at the Proms
* Doctor Who Confidential - The Next Doctor (New)
* Doctor Who Confidential - Planet of the Dead
* Doctor Who Confidential - The End of Time, Part One
* Doctor Who Confidential - The End of Time, Part Two
* Deleted Scenes
* David Tennant Video Dairy - The Final Days
* BBC Indents
* Audio Commentary
* Doctor Who At Comic Con
* 5.1 Surround Sound

"

Sonically Screwed

Phil Rosenbach | Chicago, IL | 02/16/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"At this point, I would think that most people reading a review of these specials are already aware of their contents, so I won't dwell on that. The bottom line is, the 10th Doctor, David Tennant, whose performance has never been less than excellent, decided to take permanent leave of a role that he revered since he was a child, and due to a variety of circumstances, he took all of 2009 to do this, which is in these 4 specials. And I say 4 deliberately, since The End of Time is a 2 part story, I chose to count it as one story.

As far as these stories go, they only get better and better. When I was watching, The Waters of Mars and The End of Time, I'll admit that I did so while standing up and watching it two feet from the telly!

So what's my beef?

EXTRAS!

Since Doctor Who returned, each season has been jam-packed with extras, and commentaries became a standard. This box set, which has all four stories of 2009, only has commentaries for the last story, the aforementioned two part, The End of Time.

So now I'm thinking, "Now seriously, did they not have time to do the other three? Realistically, they've had many months to do comment on these, and wrap up the whole package nicely. And don't you tell me they didn't do them because the individual shows were not finished. I have heard commentaries from previous seasons when the commentators stated that the show itself was not complete, but they were still doing the extra audio track for the fans. It fact, it was stated in The End of Time commentary it was recorded before the show was broadcast.

Additionally, I have heard a pod cast, which is a commentary, from The Waters or Mars, and yet this was not included as an extra. So they are out there, but not included. SHAME SHAME 2entertain.

And what about the Doctor Who Confidential which introduces Matt Smith? It was broadcast over a year ago. Are they going to wait until his first season is available before they release that as well?

So, faithful viewers, I summarize by saying that my rating of three stars does not reflect these fantastic shows, but the lack of what we should get from PURCHASING them.

In closing, if you simply want to watch the first three stories, bare bones, and the last one with some inside knowledge, and you want to see all their uncut Confidentials, this is perfect for you.

But for those fans who have been watching this exceptional programme for nearly five decades, and wish to continue experiencing more than the average viewer, then these so called COMPLETE SPECIALS are less than complete.
"

Complete 2009 Specials

Mary Raugh | Poolesville, MD USA | 12/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ordinarily, I'd have to agree that this might seem a little steep. Five episodes, five disks, $40+. But if this is comparable to the British release, in addition to the specials you're also getting the full Doctor Who Confidential episodes for each special (as opposed to the 'Cut Downs' normally included in the Doctor Who boxed sets), David Tennant's video diaries (which are always good for a laugh, in my opinion) and the Doctor Who at the Proms special from last year which hasn't been released in this country at all.

Of course, I'd really prefer to see some confirmation from Amazon that this release matches the Region 2 release in the UK (which is out in January, incidentally). If it does, I'd say it's worth what they're asking."

Worth the price

Capo | 01/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Normally $40+ for five episodes of any show would be steep, but when you put things into perspective, the price isn't bad.

These are the final five episodes of David Tennant as The Doctor, who many viewers, (especially newer viewers,) consider to be one of the best doctors throughout the show's history and all of them are amazing episodes.

Russel T. Davies, (who wrote all the episodes,) is now stepping down as executive producer of Doctor Who and many people admire him for helping to bring Doctor Who back to life and for his many other works, which are incredible.

All of the extras are completely worth it. The Doctor Who Confidential and the David Tennant video diaries are not only good for a laugh, but they're very interesting to say the least.

Overall the show is brilliant and with all the bonus material, it's worth the price. That and the run time must be a typo. The final two episodes alone are roughly an hour each, and the other three are forty-five minutes. There's no way the run time could be that short, just to help clarify if anyone was confused."

As the Doctor might say, "Fantastic!"

A. Gammill | West Point, MS United States | 01/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of Doctor Who, or just good science fiction, who's been putting off the upgrade to Blu-ray...here's a most compelling reason to make the switch now. These 4 special episodes shine brightly in the hi-def format. BBC gave us a taste of this with last year's release of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead [Blu-ray] (which was the first episode to be filmed in HD) as well as the 3 series of Torchwood. I'm not sure what the British are doing different from the U.S. or other countries, but their hi-definition programs are simply the best I have seen in the format.

On the chance that you're not familiar with these special episodes themselves, here's a quick run-down. Please note, this review does contain minor SPOILERS:

THE NEXT DOCTOR: The 2008 Christmas special. The Doctor visits Victorian England, where he encounters another man claiming to be the Doctor. I won't spoil the surprise, but there are some nice twists and a standout performance from David Morrisey in the title role. This was the first of the modern Doctor's episodes without a regular companion. It was also the last episode before the switch to hi-definition, but the upconvert used here looks fantastic, so it's really a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.

PLANET OF THE DEAD: Aired on Easter, 2009. The Doctor and a woman on the run (The Bionic Woman's Michelle Ryan) are among a busload of passengers who find themselves stranded on a desert planet overrun with terrifying flying creatures. Most folks agree this one's just an average adventure. But, it looks stunning.

THE WATERS OF MARS: A great, creepy tale set on mid-21st century Mars. The Doctor has some hard choices to make when he realizes a group of Martian colonists are destined to die on the day he arrives. It's also one of David Tennant's finest hours, as he begins to confront the prophecy regarding his own death that he was told at the end of Planet of the Dead.

THE END OF TIME: This two-parter was the end of David Tennant's tenure as the famous Time Lord. While confronting his own mortality, the Doctor also must face the enemy who knows him best. . .and the power of a forgotten race that is using the power of time itself to reshape its own destiny. It's a bit of a mixed bag (particularly part 1), but it's still highly engaging and a fitting resolution to the 10th Doctor's journey.

As with the individual season episodes, each special includes an hour-long documentary, Doctor Who Confidential. These are typically well-made and informative shows that die-hard fans will appreciate. Most everyone else will probably watch them once (if at all) and not again.

More interesting (to me, anyway) is "Doctor Who at the Proms," an hour-long special. It features the music of the show performed live at the Royal Albert Hall. But this is no mere concert; it features actors in costume as Cybermen, Judoon, etc. that interact with the audience. And it's hosted by Freema Aygemen, with an appearance by Catherine Tate.

As I said at the outset, these shows look fantastic on Blu-ray. If you're a fan, this is really a no-brainer. As Doctor Who moves into a new era with a new actor in the role, it's very gratifying to know that BBC is providing fans with the best possible versions of these final adventures with the 10th Doctor.

"

Search - Doctor Who: The Complete Specials (The Next Doctor / Planet of the Dead / The Waters of Mars / The End of Time Parts 1 and 2) on DVD

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