Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010)

Very Cool!!!

Absolutely Fantastic

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

This was the first full episode of Doctor Who I watched (I had previously caught bits and pieces and enjoyed it, but last Christmas I sat down and watched this one), and it was a beautiful thing. I love Matt Smith as the Doctor (don't love the series quite as much as with Tennant, but he was helped by a wealth of amazing companions, both in the Tardis and back on Earth), and he is at his best in this episode. When he's allowed to act on his own, without Amy constantly harping on him, he is brilliant.A couple reviews have discussed the unfortunate broken rule of time travel, that you can't go back on your own timeline. Thankfully, they have not repeated this error. Also, upon discussing it with some other fans, we decided that this episode shows what happens when you DO violate that rule. Kazran, even after what should have been a happier adolescence, still ends up bitter, unhappy, and basically exactly the same as he started. Going back on your own timeline doesn't work - it wasn't until the Doctor helped him in the present that he became happier.Either way, it is a beautiful, poignant story, with Matt Smith at his best.

I normally don't do reviews, but I couldn't pass this one up. This Christmas special was simply brilliant. For me, it's hands down the best Christmas special to date. It's a truly magical Christmas fairytale-ish story, done in somewhat atypical Who-niverse fashion. I just loved it. I had no issues whatsoever with the characters, the casting, the story... it was all just brilliant. Even the "personal timeline" stuff didn't bother me in the slightest - it made for a compelling and somewhat awe inspiring storyline that I really enjoyed. And besides... yeah, the cardinal rule of not crossing personal timelines... rubbish, really. True Who fans can probably cite off the top of their heads a half dozen examples of when the Doctor blatantly violated that rule, going all the way back to the 3rd or 4th Doctor even. The way I looked at it was that this was not ordinary Doctor Who anyway... this was the Christmas special... and I thoroughly enjoyed the Who crew taking it a bit further than previous norms. It's the unexpected that makes this show so exciting.

I'm sorry, it had all you needed to make a great Dr Who episode, except that it broke THE cardinal rule when it comes to the Dr and time travel; YOU CAN'T GO BACK ON SOMEONE ELSE'S TIME LINE!!! This is known as First Law of Time. Not only did he go back on the time line, but the old man actually hung out with his older self. Whoever was the script editor for this should be fired. I am not usually a stickler for precise detail, but come on, this is ridiculous. The whole premise of the TV show going back all the way to the beginning (and I'm talking about William Hartnell, not Christopher Eccleston) was that the Dr had to solve the problems then and there, and could not go back and 'try again'. I know people will give examples like "The Three Doctors" and "The Five Doctors", however, these episodes were influenced by the Time Lords, and though the Dr is the last Time Lord, I feel by breaking the First Law of Time, it goes against the spirit of the show and sets a bad precedent for future episodes.

I can't say I've been impressed by Mopffat's version of DOCTOR WHO . Season five was easily the weakest season of the resurrected show and gave the impression that the audience were watching cast off scripts from the previous regime of RTD even down to the Tennantesque dialogue of the eleventh Doctor so I expected to see some seasonal fluff with the oxymoronic sub heading of " Christmas special " Premonitions were confirmed in the opening hook where Amy and Rory are aboard an intergalactic cruse liner which instantly reminded me of the STAR TREK movies . Not only does Moffat rip off RTD but he also has to seek inspiration from ST . Things weren't looking good for Amy , Rory and thgis viewer Despite this I became more and more involved as the story continued. It's a sophisticated reworking of A Christmas Carol featuring unrequited love and redemption . What works so well apart from the stunning performances of Gambon and Jenkins is the lightness of touch in Moffat's writing . It's manipulative to a certain degree but we never get the teeth gnashing and tear stained scenes that caused overkill in the RTD finales If there's a slight flaw to the story it borders on being a fantastical fairytale rather than straightforward science fantasy that the show was famous for since its inception in 1963 . But Moffat has described that he thinks of the show as being a dark fairy tale and if he takes the show in this direction he'll certainly get no complaints from me . Especially since Matt Smith seems to improve in every episode he's inAs a footnote however I notice this special has only received an average rating of 6.8 which is on a par with Victory Of The Daleks ! I do hope fans aren't expecting to see old monsters appear adnausuem in season 6