The Doctor is back! David Tennant returns as the 10th Doctor in Planet of the Dead, the newest story in the Doctor Who universe, which is now available on Blu-ray! This stand alone special features the Doctor at his best when a bus and its passengers are accidentally transported through a wormhole to an alien world, the Doctor must act quickly or everyone is doomed… Luckily for him, he has the lovely Lady Christina (played by Bionic Woman's Michelle Ryan) to help with this tricky situation.
Story
As the episode opens, the audience learns that Christina is a very good thief as she successfully robs a London Museum. As she attempts to make her escape she encounters several police officers hot on her tracks and she makes quick decision to board a double-decker bus. Who else happens to get on that bus? The Doctor! Moments after the two board, the bus is spirited off to a desert planet. Christina takes charge of the passengers and rallies them together. While trying to figure out the situation, The Doctor enlists the aid of U.N.I.T. and is connected with Professor Malcom. With his help, the Doctor is able to determine a little more about the planet they are on. The Doctor and Christina then take a look around the desert world only to find that they are not alone. The two encounter the Tritovores, a fly-like alien race that crashed on the planet. Using the Tritovores ship, the Doctor learns that there is a bigger danger awaiting them on the planet, a swarm of flying metal shark-like creatures are quickly approaching their location and if they don't act fast, the creatures will travel back to Earth!
Highlights
-David Tennant as always is spectacular in the role of The Doctor. His dorky charm causes him to steal every scene.
-Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina- Michelle turned out to be a great choice for this role and really made it her own. It was great to see a female companion that was totally different than everyone we had encountered before. As the audience finds out, she is someone who is prepared for any situation and it was very entertaining to see her and the Doctor compare notes.
-Lee Evans as Professor Malcom Taylor- This man was the biggest surprise of the movie. He could easily be described as a genius who works for U.N.I.T. and may possibly be The Doctor's biggest fan. Some great moments come from his fanboy reactions.
Special Features
-Doctor Who Confidential- This indepth special gives great insight into what it took to film this story. You would be amazed at how much effort it takes to get a double-decker bus to Dubai, which is where the majority of this story was filmed. It was also interesting to learn that the state of the bus was not originally intended! This is one of those stories that you need to see to believe.
-1080p Video
-5.1 DTS Audio
Overall
It is important to note that this is the FIRST Doctor Who story to be released on Blu-ray! Planet of the Dead is a fun tale in the Who Universe and it was great to see Tennant have fun with the character since the remaining specials seem to be heading down a dark path…We know that Tennant is stepping down from the role following his remaining three specials and that he will be replaced by Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor. We can only sit back and enjoy the ride (which my friends, it will be quite a ride) as we watch the final installments of the 10th Doctor.
ComicsOnline gives Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead 5 out of 5 times that he will knock.
