8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
The adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS. Along with a series of companions, the Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help people and right wrongs.
Starring: David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Christopher EcclestonAdventure | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 88% |
Fantasy | 82% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD HR 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
disc #6 is in english stereo 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Six-disc set (6 BDs)
Bonus View (PiP)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are. This is not one of them, this is an opportunity. Whatever happens here will create its own timeline, its own reality... a temporal tipping point. The future revolves around you. Here, now. So do good!
Doctor Who has long been the pinnacle of ingeniously contrived plot devices. Series star ducking out? No problem. The Time Lords are capable of regeneration, appearing in different forms each time they're resurrected. Limited special effects budget? No worries. The TARDIS time machine is cursed with a faulty chameleon circuit and always appears as an ordinary police callbox (at least on the outside, when a more elaborate set simply isn't practical). Ambiguous alien races? Have no fear. The good Doctor learns more about the cheesy monstrosities he encounters as Who's cheeky showrunners come up with reasons for him to intervene in their civilizations and histories. Don't get me wrong, these aren't cheap jabs aimed at a beloved series -- especially one that's thrived for decades (in one form or another) in spite of its inherent limitations -- but it does help identify Doctor Who's chief charm. Before Lost wrapped its spindly fingers into the brains of every TV junkie with an appetite for episodic enigmas, serialized science fiction rarely relied on drawn-out mysteries or densely plotted adventure to attract new viewers and satisfy series regulars. Such elements were employed to a lesser degree, sure, but fans didn't have to wait very long to get answers. But Doctor Who has always been ahead of its time, so much so that Fifth Series showrunner Steven Moffat's continuation of Russell T. Davies' immensely successful Who reboot actually works, often in spite of the saga's homespun roots.
"Total event collapse. Every sun will supernova at every moment in history! The universe will never have existed..."
I have to admit, Doctor Who's dazzling 1080i/VC-1 encode took me by complete surprise. Compared to Sherlock's bleak (but beautiful) presentation, watching The Complete Fifth Series is like being slapped in the face with a rainbow; a blazing, razor-sharp rainbow hellbent on doing whatever weird and wonderful things it wishes to your eyes. Primaries are punchy yet convincing, perfectly saturated skintones deftly weather the most colorful CG storms, blacks are absorbing on the whole, and contrast is nice and vibrant throughout. Yes, every special-effects seam is more apparent than ever -- all hail the Great Green Screen -- but the technical image is sound. I didn't notice any significant artifacting or banding, aliasing and ringing are kept to a negligible minimum, and the series' grainy disposition only succumbs to a few annoying bursts of noise per episode (each of which are inherent to the source). And detail? I wasn't expecting anything like this. Fine textures are exquisitely resolved (in all but the most VFX-slathered shots), fabrics and textiles are almost tangible enough to touch, delineation rarely falters, edges are exceedingly crisp and clean (again, barring the softer CG elements that appear), and closeups reveal every scratch, pore and misplaced hair that adorns the actors' faces. Interlaced though it may be, the Blu-ray edition of Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series looks fantastic. Jaws will be dropped.
The Complete Fifth Series also features a brawny DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround track (at 2.0Mbps) that complements its video presentation nicely. Dialogue, though a tad thin at times, is generally warm, well-prioritized and crystal clear. Even when the action heats up and the Doctor finds himself in danger, voices (human or alien) aren't overwhelmed by the ensuing cosmic shenanigans. Moreover, robust LFE support grants explosions and implosions deafening power, crashing spacecraft and invading starships serious oomph, and alien assaults weighty malice and menace. The soundscape drifts over the top quite often, sure, but the vast majority of these over-reaching sonic flourishes trace back to Moffat, not BBC Video. Through it all, clinks, clunks, whirs, whizzes, bleeps, boops and a variety of impish effects dart about the soundfield before attacking the listener from every direction. If anything, the series' score -- enveloping as it can be -- sometimes bullies other elements in the soundfield, every now and then to the track's detriment. It isn't a debilitating issue by any means, but it made its way into my notes on more than one occasion. Still, BBC Video's DTS-HD HR mix adds even more value to a value-packed release.
Six video commentaries, three-hours of behind-the-scenes featurettes and more than an hour of additional bonus features. Not too shabby for a somewhat obscure BBC series being released on Blu-ray. Spread generously across six BD-50 discs, the largely high definition supplemental package leaves plenty of room for the episodes and their AV presentations without leaving much room for complaints.
Doctor Who will never appeal to the masses at large. If it did, it would cease to be Doctor Who. Thankfully, Moffat and Smith's turn at the TARDIS controls is as funny, exciting and entertaining as Davies and Tennant's five-year run. Whether that sends you to Amazon or leaves you shaking your head is entirely dependent on how much you love or loathe all things Who. BBC Video's Blu-ray release of The Complete Fifth Series isn't divisive at all though, and its stunning video transfer, rousing DTS-HD HR audio mix and bounty of special features will draw cheers from fans. Chances are, you already know if this six-disc set belongs in your cart, so dive in and enjoy.
2005
2005-2006
Remastered
2005
Remastered
2005-2006
Remastered
2006-2007
2007
Remastered
2007-2008
2008
Remastered | The Next Doctor / Planet of the Dead / The Waters of Mars / The End of Time
2008-2010
2009-2010
2009
2009
2010
Remastered
2010-2011
Remastered
2010
2011
2011
2011 Christmas Special
2011
2011-2013
2012
2012 Christmas Special
2012
2013
2013
2014
2014
Keepcase
2014
2014
2014
2015
2015
2015
2016
2017
2017
2017
2017
2018
2018
2019
2020
2021
2021
2022
2022
The Star Beast / Wild Blue Yonder / The Giggle
2023
1977-1978
50th Anniversary Special
2013
2009
10th Anniversary Collector's Edition | Limited
2014
2018
Collector's Edition
2020
2020-2023
1966-1969
2018
40th Anniversary Edition
1982
1977
1999
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2019
2015
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2009
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2017
2005
1983
2002
2016