Toby Haynes

A spaceship will crash if a rich old man doesn't become a good person overnight.

Too rushed and overstuffed with timey-wimey cuteness for there to be time for the character stuff (which the story is supposed to be about) to work. Also, there are plot holes and crimes against science (does Moffat even know what the word "frequency" means?). But it is nice that they at least tried to do something more low key in a special for a change. And its faults are made up for with some first rate Doctor show more Blathering.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: A
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: D

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.6/4 show less

A mysterious alien travels through space and time with a human girl.

They had a great opportunity to re-invent the series, to make Steven Moffat's Doctor Who as different from Russel T. Davies' Doctor Who as Davies' was different from the classic show. I mean, they've got a completely new cast, new producers and a new head writer. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't ever such a complete, simultaneous change-over in key Doctor Who personnel throughout the classic show's entire show more history. But at the same time, I don't think a change in Doctor Who personnel has ever had less impact on the feel of the show. I mean, apart from the new Doctor, the occasional nod and wink to William Hartnell, and the lack of obligatory gay characters, nothing's really changed. It's still as great as it ever was, and the quality of individual episodes might be a bit higher than before, on average (but it's hard to say - the Silurian story brings it down quite a bit). Perhaps, with the ridiculous success of the show, they felt obligated to carry on with the old formula. But the beauty of Doctor Who is that it changes; not just The Doctor, but the entire show. So where's my new era?

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: C

Enjoyment: A plus

GPA: 3.4/4 show less

We thoroughly enjoyed re-watching this series, which opens with the newly-regenerated Doctor (Matt Smith) emerging from a burnt-out tardis and meeting a small girl...

There are some excellent episodes in this series; some futuristic, some historical. I particularly liked the episodes where the Doctor meets Winston Churchill, and (in a separate one) Vincent van Gogh. I liked the blend of humour and fast action, and that the more exciting, stressful episodes were balanced with lower-key ones show more with some clever dialogue.

And I also liked the ongoing 'story arc' involving a large crack in a wall - and elsewhere - indicating a crack in space and time.

Matt Smith is a very different Doctor than David Tennant, but we like the energy he gives to the role, and the rather eccentric style he portrays. Karen Gillan as Amy Pond is an excellent companion, too. And the two-part finale is extremely powerful.

Definitely recommended, if you like this kind of TV show.

Latest longer review: https://suesdvdreviews.blogspot.com/2025/12/doctor-who-series-five-matt-smith.ht... show less

An alien travels through space and time with a human couple expecting a time-baby.

Meh. Matt Smith's Doctor is turning out to be a lot of fun. But there sure is a lot wrong with this season so far. Still good, though, thanks mostly to Neil Gaiman for sticking something great into the middle of this mess. What was wrong with adventures? I liked when they went on adventures. Not happy to see the show turning into Lost. There are so many unanswered questions set up in the beginning that I don't show more even know what hasn't been resolved yet. And I don't care. They mean to be creating suspense, but instead they're just ensuring that none of the stories have effective conclusions. And this season is on crack a little, kind of like we're watching it in fast forward. Which makes the "emotional" parts hilarious.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: A
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: D

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.3/4 show less