Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Blu-ray Movie Review

"Sorry! Christmas Eve, on a rooftop, saw a chimney... my whole brain just went, what the hell!?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 14, 2011

For Doctor Who fans, it looks like Christmas comes but twice a year: once on December 25th and again on February 15th. Or, as the good Doctor would have it, once a year for the entirety of a young man's life. Confused? Don't be. Soon after Companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill ) hop aboard a luxury space liner for a honeymoon getaway, they find themselves and their 4000 co-passengers plummeting to their deaths when the ship's crew has difficulty navigating through the strange cloud cover of a mysterious planet. The Doctor (Matt Smith, the eleventh Doctor to grace BBC's long-running sci-fi series) responds to their distress call and heads for the planet's surface to see how he can save everyone on board. There he encounters the wealthy and powerful Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon), a cold shell of a bitter old man who would rather allow thousands to perish than part the clouds with his late father's weather tower. "We already have a surplus population," he huffs. "No more people allowed on this planet." But then the Doctor spies a hint of humanity within the planet's would-be Scrooge and decides Sardick would be best served with a touch of Dickens. Traveling back in time, the Doctor becomes a most literal Ghost of Christmas Past in an attempt to teach a sweet young boy named, you guessed it, Kazran Sardick (Laurence Belcher) that every life needs a little love and compassion to thrive.

Tonight you will be visited by three spirits... or something like that.

Alas, change doesn't come to Kazran as easily as the Doctor had anticipated. Even though the time-hopping Time Lord visits young Kazran every Christmas throughout the boy's adolescence, he can't seem to alter the future drastically enough to save his friends. First, old Kazran begins developing new memories, a byproduct of the Doctor's interference that initially benefits the cantankerous old cuss but soon leaves him more miserable than before. Then there's a nasty bit of business with the flying fish that frequent the planet's icy clouds (yep, you read that right), in particular a fierce Great White shark that takes a liking to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. And of course there's Abagail Pettigrew (Katherine Jenkins), a beautiful woman the Doctor and young Karzan release from cryostasis in the Sardick family vault. (People seeking a loan from the Sardick fortune can offer one of their family members as collateral.) Not only does the boy develop an affinity for Abigail -- an attraction that only builds as he unfreezes her every year when the Doctor makes his annual holiday visit -- he inadvertently learns about the cruel hands of fate, a lesson that makes old Kazran withdraw even further into his deep-seated humbuggery.

I've never been a Who enthusiast. I have, however, grown quite fond of the oddball series' cheeky charms during David Tennant and Matt Smith's tenures. Not enough to consider myself a complete convert, but enough to admit the whole thing is growing on me. Even so, Doctor Who's spin on Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" is a fantastic Doctor Who special and an excellent, easily accessible standalone episode, not to mention an altogether amusing, inventive and witty adaptation of the classic tale. Writer Steven Moffat applies clever twist after finely tuned turn to the original story -- often to hilarious, heartfelt or genuinely moving ends -- and his take on the Ghost of Christmas Past isn't the last surprise the Who showrunners have in store for fans and newcomers alike. (Just wait till you see who fills the shoes of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.) It isn't a character for character, subplot for subplot adaptation. "Loose" would be a fitting descriptor. But it's all in good fun and, more importantly, in the spirit of Dickens's beloved novella.

Even the special's jargon-riddled genre banter (ice crystals, isomorphic controls, harmonic resonance) and wackier elements (flying sharks, frozen sirens, misadventures in the time stream) rarely rob Moffat's adaptation of its humor, poignancy or genre-skewing moxie. Some of the Christmas Carol's visual effects stick out like a sore thumb, but Who zealots will hardly flinch. Likewise, Who entrants will be left in the dust as to who Amy and Rory are (their roles in the special are extremely limited), but it won't prevent anyone from wrapping themselves in the cozy Christmas spirit that ensues. Smith's puckish charisma is as infectious as always, Belcher and teen-Kazran Danny Horn deliver strong performances, Jenkins brings arresting innocence to her scenes and Gambon... well, Gambon is one of the most embittered, spiteful, spittle-spewing Scrooges to grace the small screen. The latest incarnation of Doctor Who has boasted smart casting and light-speed dialogue, and its Christmas Carol is no exception. Now if only the Blu-ray release had arrived before Christmas. February isn't exactly the best time to toss in a Christmas special, no matter how good it is.

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray edition of Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol slides down the chimney with a bag of goodies in hand, the best of which is a spirited 1080i/VC-1 encoded presentation that almost nearly lives up to the high standards set by Who's remarkable Complete Fifth Series release. Detail is sharp and striking, with plenty of exceedingly well-resolved textures and top-tier closeups to go around. Delineation is quite impressive as well, even if black levels are so rich that they sometimes cloak the backgrounds in unyielding shadow. And while Moffat's Carol isn't the most colorful Who special fans have been treated to, its wintry palette and icy interiors aren't without their share of hearthy colors and cheerful primaries. Moreover, troubling issues are few and far between. Minimal crush, errant bursts of harsher-than-usual noise and inherent bleeding creep in from time to time, but little of it appears to be a product of BBC Video's technical encode. Artifacting, banding and aliasing are also kept to a minimum, and the interlaced nature of the presentation is the only point of contention to be had. Regardless, fans will be ecstatic.

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Doctor Who's DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround track (at 2.0Mbps) may not be a full-fledged DTS-HD Master Audio lossless mix, but frankly, I doubt many audiophiles would be able to tell the difference even if it were. Dialogue is bright, playful and perfectly intelligible, and not a single line gets buried in the snow. LFE output is tough and firm, bolstering every crashing space liner, thrashing cloud shark, slamming cryovault door, crack of thunder and TARDIS groan the special has in its repertoire. Rear speaker activity is just as engaging and energetic, taking advantage of the soundfield in ways television episodes tend to neglect. Not convinced? Just close your eyes and listen as Abagail's songs fill the air. Any lingering doubt about the track's quality will simply melt away. Directionality is precise and pans are smooth, dynamics are tenacious and immersion is a cinch. In short, it all sounds wonderful. A few noticeably front-heavy scenes are all that interfere, but even they fail to undermine BBC Video's efforts. Enjoy!

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Only two features are included, but at an hour a piece, the pair go a long way. Learn everything you could ever want to know about Who's Christmas Carol in "Doctor Who Confidential: Christmas Special" (HD, 56 minutes), an extensive behind-the-scenes documentary that follows the cast and crew from table read to set to recording booth to post-production. Thorough and thoroughly entertaining, it would be downright silly to ask for much more. From there, "Doctor Who at the Proms 2010" (HD, 57 minutes) goes behind-the-orchestra to cover the 2010 Doctor Who Prom, a live concert performance of Doctor Who music at Royal Albert Hall. Oh, did I mention you get to watch the entire concert? Matt Smith and his fifth-season cohorts make special appearances, fan-favorite aliens invade the stage and the music soars above the rafters. Enjoy.

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Who's Christmas Carol may be late to the holiday bash, but don't let a mere two months stand in the way. Moffat's adaptation is funny, intelligent and inspired, the story itself is full of surprises and the cast's heartfelt performances seal the deal. It isn't just a great Doctor Who special, it's one of the best "Christmas Carol" adaptations in recent memory. BBC Video's Blu-ray release is formidable as well. Its video presentation is terrific, its DTS-HD High Res mix packs some power and its supplemental package adds even more value to an already satisfying disc. It may be February, but this Christmas Carol doesn't need to be watched in December to be enjoyed.