Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor
2013 · Directed by Jamie Payne
Original language: English
- drama
- science fiction
- tv movie
The story
Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe's deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars. And amongst them, the Doctor. Rescuing Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his best friend must learn what this enigmatic signal means for his own fate and that of the universe.
What it’s like
Snow-dusted English village streets and warm, lamp-lit domestic rooms give way to a bleak, windswept walled town on a frontier planet, all grey stone, falling snow and hard winter light. Murray Gold's swelling orchestral score carries most of the emotion, with fanfares that tip into wistfulness. The mood is bittersweet and grand: a sentimental Christmas-night farewell with a sprawling, enormous battle at its centre. Pacing alternates between tender scenes of family dinners and goodbyes and sweeping, crowded set pieces full of marching armies and explosions. Violence is frequent but bloodless, with rapid-fire weapons, collapsing structures and many characters killed or dying, and the sadness of loss lands heavily. It is not gory or frightening in a graphic way. This suits fans finishing a long-running series, anyone wanting a festive episode with a weighty goodbye, and viewers who enjoy big spectacle balanced with heartfelt, low-key sentiment.
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