8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Adventure | 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
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
They say that parting is such sweet sorrow, but after having watched Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor, even devoted Whovians may want to add that "parting, when dealing with BBC's now firmly entrenched tradition of "regenerating" the title character of this series, can be milked for all it's worth". That's a joke, hopefully obviously, but this "say goodbye" (to both Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, as the supplements focus on) episode does something rather cheeky with the formula, and in a way it's kind of surprising that the showrunners of Doctor Who had never really thought of doing it before. Without spoiling all of the surprises waiting in store for longtime fans who haven't read anything about this episode (and I purposefully avoided doing so before viewing it), The Power of the Doctor offers cameos for all sorts of characters who will not necessarily be associated with this particular iteration of Doctor Who. It's a really fun, occasionally quite funny, and ultimately heartwarming aspect to an episode that can't help but have a melancholic undertone, despite a once again labyrinthine, time traveling plot that offers everything from so-called bullet trains in outer space to, well, Nicholas and Alexandra.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of BBC with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. This is another really appealing looking presentation that was digital captured and I assume had a 2K DI. The palette is extremely well saturated throughout, and this particular episode tends to ping pong between cooler blues and warmer oranges and yellows, which can probably be gleaned by parsing through the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. While some of the CGI can be on the soft side, especially some of the green screen backgrounds, for the most part everything is really nicely detailed and practical aspects like props, costumes and, you know, actual human performers all feature excellent fine detail levels for the most part. I noticed no compression issues.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor features a fun and immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that really bristles with fulsome surround energy throughout the presentation, but especially in some of the big set pieces, as in the opening bullet train vignette or later when The Doctor and The Master supposedly switch places. Sound effects can ripple through the side and rear channels, and there are frequent rumbly bursts of LFE. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, though per Doctor Who tradition, a number of the villains have kind of robotic electronic sounding "voices". Optional English subtitles are available.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor actually struck me as one of the smarter "goodbye episodes" I've watched, if only because it features so many fantastic characters from this series' almost impossibly long history. Fans of the show will probably be verklempt by the ending of the episode, one way or the other. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements very appealing. Highly recommended.
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
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
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