Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

"Physician, heal thyself..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 10, 2013

Few television specials have had more riding on their every twist and turn as Doctor Who's highly anticipated 50th Anniversary special. Part exhilarating celebration, part calculated recalibration, part clever revisionist history, and a full continuation of the series proper, The Day of the Doctor is an event unlike anything current series showrunner Steven Moffat or his predecessors have attempted. And against all odds, the resulting convergence of three dramatically different Doctors, three points in time and three divergent philosophies is a resounding success on almost every level. The script is among the finest the 2005-13 Who relaunch has delivered. Seeing familiar faces and new players come together as they do here is more satisfying. John Hurt is terrific. David Tennant is back and better than ever. Matt Smith is at his best. (The interplay between the three? Smartly conceived, unbelievably fun and unexpectedly heartwrenching.) Jenna-Louise Coleman brings her all. Billie Piper's return is a delight. One special guest will bring tears to lifelong Whovians' eyes. The heart, the humor, the wit, the pathos, the time travel... all intact, all decidedly Who. Moreover, Moffat and company address criticism of Smith's Doctor head on, and with one brilliant adjustment to the timestream, make it clear exactly why Tennant's fan-favorite Doctor became Smith's younger, more playful Time Lord. A perfect special? Not quite. Smart? Funny? Thrilling? Tragic? Everything it needed to be and more? Absolutely.

"Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro, I serve notice on you all. Too long have I stayed my hand. No more. Today, you leave me no choice. Today, this war will end. No more. No more."

First things first. It's best to go into Day of the Doctor with as little foreknowledge of its plot as possible. So while I have no intention of divulging any substantial plot points, consider everything from this point forward a potential spoiler. My advice? Watch Moffat's crucial prequel short, "Night of the Doctor," and go into the 50th Anniversary special blind. Still here? Onward then. Into Day of the Doctor steps Hurt's War Doctor; the Doctor responsible for ending the hostilities between the Time Lords and Daleks... by killing every single one of them. That means Hurt's Doctor is retroactively the Ninth Doctor (following Paul McGann's Eighth), making Eccleston's Ninth Doctor the Tenth, Tennant's Tenth Doctor the Eleventh, Smith's Eleventh Doctor the Twelfth, and Peter Capaldi's soon-to-be Twelfth Doctor the Thirteenth. (Thirteen regenerations being a big Time Lord no-no.) Confused? Fear not. Aside from trying to work out the ins and outs of Day's timey wimey, the 50th Anniversary special is surprisingly easy to follow. It doesn't pander to newcomers, mind you, but it also doesn't alienate them; a balance longtime fans and the less studied among you will be happy to see at play.

The story itself finds the War Doctor on Gallifrey, stealing the one weapon the Time Lords fear: the Moment, a sentient device that stands in judgment over anyone who attempts to use it. Appearing to the War Doctor in the guise of future companion Rose Tyler (Piper), the Moment soon creates a time bridge that unites Hurt, Tennant and Smith's Doctors. (Eccleston's Doctor was apparently as uninterested in joining the fun as the actor was in returning.) The Moment shows the War Doctor his future selves in the hope that he will alter history and not engage the weapon. There's also a small adventure involving Elizabeth I, a shape-shifting Zygon invasion and a collection of Time Lord paintings, but it's secondary to the real stakes: will the War Doctor push the big red button on his own people and his mortal enemies? Or will he count the cost and choose another path? Day of the Doctor manages another balance in that regard, between light and darkness and hope and despair. Needless to say, plot holes are few and far between by the time the special draws to a close, and while the series proper is given an exciting new direction to pursue, it doesn't erase or undermine anything that's come before.

Balance, balance, balance. For fifty years, Who has hinged on change, ingenuity and balance, but Day of the Doctor is something of a series masterclass. Watching it a third, fourth, even fifth time over the last few weeks, I continue to marvel at the effortlessness of it all. As complex as it is, it exudes streamlined simplicity. As solemn as it can be, it remains light on its feet. As much as it toys with revisionism, it actually revises very, very little. (Perception is paramount.) It even, at long last, reveals the exact evolution of the Doctor, from Hurt's detached warrior to Smith's puckish hero and, more importantly, from Davies' run to Moffat's. Best of all, it honors what's come before while looking ahead to all the possibilities on the horizon. If the 50th Anniversary special is any indication, the upcoming eighth season will be as unpredictable and gripping as any, if not more so. Will everyone be as sold on Day of the Doctor as I am? Not a chance. Debate will continue to rage, at least once Who fandom decides whether to officially renumber Eccleston, Tennant and Smith's Doctors. I only had a few minor quibbles. The first five minutes or so are a bit rough, the special's editing is rather choppy every now and then and -- slight spoiler alert -- I'm not sure why the Doctors didn't just deal with the Time Lord paintings in Elizabeth's era after the Zygons were situated. No matter, though. I so thoroughly enjoyed the 50th Anniversary special that I'm chomping at the bit to see where Doctor Who goes next.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Day of the Doctor follows the Doctor Who: Series 1-7 remastered collection with a first rate 1080p/MVC-encoded video presentation that can be viewed in 3D or 2D, both of which impress. Briefly released in theaters and sporting more cinematic flair and a bigger budget than a typical Doctor Who episode, the 50th Anniversary special doesn't drift too far off the series path. Colors are a bit washed out and contrast a touch stark, but fans won't flinch. Primaries nevertheless pop, skintones are lifelike and nicely saturated, black levels are deep and sinister, and delineation is suitably revealing. Detail is crisp and refined too, with exacting edges (free of any ringing) and exceedingly well-resolved textures. Closeups are particularly striking, without falling prey to anything that might hinder the integrity of the image. Significant artifacting, banding and aliasing are nowhere to be found, any noise is inherent to the photography, and Zygon transformations and other visual effects shots are the only source of anomalies of any sort. The same high praise extends to the 3D experience. Filmed in native 3D, the special boasts notable depth and dimensionality, with a number of sequences and elements that are quite convincing. (The three-dimensional Gallifreyan art and the various interiors of the TARDIS spring to mind.) For those whose displays are prone to crosstalk, ghosting is minimized, and there aren't any real distractions to speak of. Short version? 3D, 2D... Day of the Doctor offers one of the best high definition Who presentations on the market.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Day of the Doctor's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track doesn't disappoint either. Dialogue is carefully centered, neatly grounded in the mix and precisely prioritized, and every TARDIS groan, sonic screwdriver chirp, Zygon snarl, time vortex wheen and Dalek "Exterminate!" is as clean, clear or chilling as a fan could hope for. LFE output is robust and rewarding, lending weight and presence to the Doctors' journey, while rear speaker activity is assertive and engaging, creating an immersive soundfield that delivers from start to finish. The special's whiz-bang directionality delivers too, as do its slick pans, excellent dynamics, and rousing score. Series fans will be most pleased.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Mini Episodes (HD, 11 minutes): First up, two Day of the Doctor prequel minisodes: "The Last Day" and the far more essential "Night of the Doctor," a must-see short in every regard. Fans of previous regenerations of everyone's favorite Time Lord will not only be overjoyed to see the Doctor who headlines "Night," they'll learn where John Hurt's War Doctor falls on the timeline of the Doctors. Do not, under any circumstances, watch Day without first watching "Night." It's so good in fact, so crucial to the tale and mythos, I can't understand why it wasn't the first scene in the 50th Anniversary special.
• Behind the Scenes (HD, 14 minutes): A much-too-brief glimpse behind the scenes of Day of the Doctor. Not nearly as extensive as an episode of Doctor Who Confidential, this is more post-broadcast wrap-up than a full and proper behind-the-scenes documentary. It's still worth watching of course, so take all that for what it's worth.
• Doctor Who Explained (HD, 47 minutes): Fifty years of Doctor Who condensed to forty-seven minutes, this craftily edited overview of the Doctor's history would have been better suited to the Complete Series set's exclusive bonus disc, but who's complaining? Packed with interviews with a lineup of Doctors, cast members, writers and showrunners past and present, it will prove to be a fun refresher for those familiar with all things Who and a helpful guide to those who are newer to the saga.
• Trailers (HD, 3 minutes): Two trailers round out the supplemental package: the infamous ComicCon trailer BBC insisted on pulling from the internet every time it found its way online, and a more recent teaser. As trailers go, both are fantastic.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Day of the Doctor is Who at its best, with Smith, Tennant, Piper, Coleman and Hurt in the finest of forms. As a 50th Anniversary celebration, it honors the long-running show's past while hurtling ahead toward a most intriguing future. Where the series goes from here is anyone's guess (save Moffat's), but Doctor Who has always embraced reinvention. Those complaining the loudest seem to have forgotten that the series' regenerations are as dramatic and divisive as the Doctor's. As for the Blu-ray release of Day of the Doctor, BBC Home Entertainment serves up another high-scoring disc. I would have liked to dig through more special features -- an audio commentary or lengthy behind-the-scenes documentary especially -- but with an excellent video presentation, 3D experience and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, there's little to complain about. Between the Doctor Who: Series 1-7 box set, Day of the Doctor and the upcoming Christmas special, Matt Smith regeneration and looming eighth season, it's a great time to be a Doctor Who fan.