8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The brand new series of Doctor Who marks the arrival of Jodie Whittaker, the 13th Doctor – a super-smart force of nature – alongside a new team of friends. Already highly anticipated, the new-look series heralds a brand-new era for Doctor Who with a world-class team at the helm led by showrunner Chris Chibnall. The show will be full of action and adventure, humor and thrills, an unmissable adventure across all of space and time.
Starring: David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Christopher EcclestonAdventure | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 88% |
Fantasy | 82% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It’s probably arguable how much of the cultural zeitgeist the various actors who have portrayed Doctor Who captured during their tenures in the role, with at least a couple of the variant characterizations seeming to sum up aspects of British (and at times global) culture that had already passed. Given that admittedly questionable thesis, I guess a case could be made that, for example, William Hartnell as the First Doctor stood in for what was in the early sixties already a somewhat staid and stodgy (and increasingly faltering) British Empire. Similarly, I guess Tom Baker’s seventies (into the early eighties) iteration might be seen as a somewhat “late to the party” hippie-fied version of the Doctor, what with his neo-Victorian togs and slightly unkempt manner. But for a rather interesting connection to what is going on globally currently, there’s probably no better example of this “maybe, maybe not” phenomenon than Jodie Whittaker, who assumed the role in the closing moments of the Christmas 2017 special Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time, and became the first female Doctor in the now decades long history of the popular series. With the prevalence of female empowerment as exemplified by the #metoo movement, it’s perhaps actually overdue for a distaff doctor, but it’s interesting to note that a female Doctor Who was at least considered quite some time ago, in fact when Baker announced he was leaving the show in the early eighties. But as those with an interest in “equal rights” may be aware, it can take time for seemingly logical things like, well, equal rights to actually come to fruition, and if the Thirteenth Doctor is, like Baker’s version, perhaps a bit late to the party, Whittaker’s take on the character invests this so-called “eleventh series” with considerable energy, if perhaps also with a bit more silly and cheeky humor than even some Whovians may prefer.
Doctor Who: The Complete Eleventh Series is presented on Blu- ray courtesy of BBC with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2:00:1. This series continues the show's generally excellent presentations in high definition, and as is discussed in some of the commentary tracks included in this set, there was attention paid to things like palette and saturation in various episodes, leading to one of the more colorful and vibrant seasons in recent memory. As with previous seasons, CGI can be a little soft at times, and there are some sequences which I assume might have been green screened where entire backgrounds can be kind of hazy looking. There are some very brief moments of banding, including on things like a time lapse sunset. Detail levels are quite impressive throughout the season, and some of the directors opt for extreme close-ups (see screenshot 2), moments where fine detail is really excellent.
Doctor Who: The Complete Eleventh Series features a well wrought DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers good immersion in the many effects laden sequences but also in some of the "quieter" dialogue moments, where both ambient environmental sounds and directionality come into play. There is good use of LFE and panning effects in several episodes, and the episodes' scores also waft through the surrounds winningly. Fidelity is fine, delivering dialogue, effects and music without any problems.
Disc One
- Becoming the Doctor (1080p; 9:39)
- Regenerating Doctor Who (1080p; 7:51)
- Directing Doctor Who (1080p; 8:29)
- Friends of the Doctor (1080p; 1:06)
- Everything You Need to Know about the TARDIS (1080p; 3:17)
- Making the Theme Tune (1080p; 5:30)
- Best of Social (1080p; 5:56) offers an assortment of rather brief pieces that I assume were webisodes marketing various aspects of the show.
I have to say this series of Doctor Who "reached out and touched" me almost from the get go by detailing that Ryan suffers from dyspraxia, a little known motor control issue that one of my sons was also afflicted with (my wife and I have joked that we spent the first three years of his life wondering if he would ever talk, and the subsequent 17 years — so far — wondering if he'd ever shut up). While that is obviously a completely random reason for liking a series, it's perhaps indicative of how Doctor Who manages to build both comedy and pathos out of sometimes rather small elements. Whittaker steps into this role with a good amount of energy and humor, and there are some interesting new assistants on hand as well, but I found this one of the more hit or miss seasons from a consistency standpoint. Technical merits are strong, and with caveats noted, Doctor Who: The Complete Eleventh Series comes Recommended.
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