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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Doctor Who-The Time of the Doctor + other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Special (2013)

Doctor Who-The Time of the Doctor + other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Special (2013)

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Released 22-Jan-2014

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Main Menu Audio & Animation
Featurette-Behind The Scenes
Featurette-Tales from the Tardis
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 2013
Running Time 300
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered
Dual Disc Set
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Graeme Harper
Euros Lyn
James Strong
James Hawes
Studio
Distributor

Roadshow Home Entertainment
Starring Matt Smith
Karen Gillan
Arthur Darvill
Case Amaray-Opaque
RPI ? Music Murray Gold


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1
English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

        The new Doctor Who series has been going from strength to strength with excellent storylines, three interesting actors as The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant & now Matt Smith) plus some wonderful companions such as Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) & Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), who is the current one.

   To round out Matt Smith's time as The Doctor, the BBC have collected here all four Christmas specials from his tenure including the latest 2013 one, which is his last episode in the role. Considering the bargain price of this set, it is very easy to recommend, especially because all four specials are excellent viewing. The only potential problem is that fans who have the season sets may already have some of these episodes. The specials are spread across two DVDs and are also available in a Blu-ray set.

    The four specials included are

    A Christmas Carol  (2010 Christmas Special) - (61:50) - A spaceship is crashing towards a mysterious planet. Amy & Rory are on their honeymoon on the ship and call for the Doctor's assistance. He discovers that the planet is controlled by an evil businessman, Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon) who has a machine which allows him to control the weather, meaning the ship cannot land safely without his assistance. Also, Kazran controls the population by extending them loans and keeping their family members frozen as collateral. The Doctor sets out to fix these issues, of course. Smashing Christmas special!

    The Doctor, The Witch & The Wardrobe  (2011 Christmas Special) - (58:29) - The Doctor falls to earth in 1930s England in a spacesuit which he has on backwards due to needing to put it on while hurtling through space. Once he lands with a thump he is rescued and looked after by Madge (Claire Skinner). 3 years later, Europe is in the middle of World War II and Madge's husband has been killed in the war. The Doctor returns to Madge's life in an attempt to give Madge and her children a great Christmas. Another excellent Christmas special this time with a really touching story.

    The Snowmen  (2012 Christmas Special) - (59:49) - In 1842 England a reclusive and unlikeable child is befriended by a talking Snowman which is actually an alien in disguise. When he grows up (Richard E Grant) he is assisting the Snowmen to take over the Earth much to The Doctor's annoyance. Probably the weakest of the four specials but still good television.

    The Time of the Doctor (2013 Christmas Special) - (61:05) - A strange message from a previously unnoticed planet attracts The Doctor and all of his old enemies including The Daleks, The Cybermen, The Slitheen, The Sontarans, The Crying Angels and more. The Doctor faces a very tough decision in order to save the peaceful inhabitants of the planet. This episode introduces the Twelfth (or is it Thirteenth now after the previous special) Doctor (Peter Capaldi) at the end. Another excellent show.

    A wonderful set of specials at a bargain price. What more could you want!

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is excellent for DVD.

    The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio.It is 16x9 enhanced.

    The picture was very sharp and clear for DVD. Shadow detail was very good.

    The colour is great for DVD.

    There were no noticeable artefacts.

    There are subtitles available in English for the Hearing Impaired which are clear and easy to read.

    There is no obvious layer change.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is very good.

    This disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 plus an Audio Descriptive track in Dolby Digital 2.0.

    Dialogue was quite clear however sometimes it got lost in the mix of effects and music, meaning the subtitles were useful at times.

    The music by Murray Gold is excellent as usual adding significantly to the show.

    The surround speakers were surprisingly well used for wind, rain, action scenes, music and lots of directional effects and the subwoofer supported the music, rumbles, explosions and action scenes.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    A good collection of extras

Menu

    The menu is good featuring scenes from the specials and the theme music.

Behind the Lens (6:12)

    An interesting making of for the final Matt Smith episode which covers the cast, guest stars and their previous involvement with the series, the characters involved, effects and stunts and the next Doctor plus the feeling on set with the end of Matt Smith as The Doctor.

Tales From the Tardis (43:03)

    Another in a series of documentaries which have featured on recent Doctor Who releases this time focusing on the actors who have played The Doctor, their wardrobe choices, the various actors responses to the Tardis set plus some anecdotes about various companions and The Daleks. Features Matt Smith, David Tennant, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy & Tom Baker. Excellent for fans and those without a full appreciation of the legacy of the show.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This set is available on Blu-ray locally and in the UK. On DVD, the local edition is missing a US produced Farewell to Matt Smith special, making the UK version the pick.

Summary

    A set of Doctor Who Christmas Specials which are great watching.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

    Good selection of interesting extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Monday, March 03, 2014
Review Equipment
DVDSONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output
DisplaySharp LC52LE820X Quattron 52" Full HD LED-LCD TV . Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationMarantz SR5005
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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