I went to see The Day of the Doctor on November 23, 2013 in 3-D in theaters. I’ve found myself unable to write a review about it, though. I really enjoyed it and I loved the experience of seeing it with a bunch of fellow fans. But recent spoilers have made my canon-loving and change-hating brain hurt. And I don’t yet know how events in The Day of the Doctor will influence the Whoverse.
So instead of some review that I may or may not regret one day, I figured I’d turn it into a top ten list.
Spoilers below! Beware!
Top Ten Things I Loved About The Day of the Doctor
- Sharing a Moment with Fellow Fans– It was wonderful to have so many fans in so many countries united in our love of fandom at the same moment in time. I loved seeing it in theaters
- They’re Not Sandshoes!– Ten and Eleven had great chemistry on screen. Their banter was to die for. But they also teamed up to accomplish a lot and the serious moments were fantastic.
- The War Doctor– John Hurt has always attracted my attention in movies and his doctor was angry, hurt, and desperate. He was also an incredibly sympathetic character.
- The Time War– Finally understanding a little more about what it was, how it played out, and what it had done to the Doctor
- Rose!– Even though she wasn’t exactly Rose, it was still such a treat to see a bit of Rose back in the Whoverse, still looking after her Doctor(s).
- More Timelords?– The possibility of more Time Lords coming into the picture and Gallifrey surviving. The Doctor isn’t the last of his kind after all
- New Sides to an Old Character– I feel like every episode of Doctor Who both has to work with a character with extreme depth AND has to advance the character in some way. Sometimes there’s more new content than other times. But this was a great example of getting to see a character that is so familiar grow and change in front of our eyes with new experiences, insights, and backstory.
- The Lineup– Even though not all the doctors were able to be a part of the special, they were all honored and represented
- Room for the Future– Fifty years is a whole lot of canon. After so much time, it’s hard to imagine a show being able to continue for another fifty. But I definitely came out of this feeling that there was hope and plenty of room to expand in the future. I hope to be around and able to see the 100th Anniversary!
- Fantastic Bonuses– The anniversary came with lots of new merch, excitement, and additional new content like The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
I’ve watched this episode so many times! And I too saw it in theatre in 3d and what an evening! We had audio problems and they stopped the film three times. Then they gave up and offered us refunds and the chance to wait about 90 minutes to see it in another theatre all by ourselves. It was an adventure within an adventure.
I really truly loved the Moment/Bad Wolf/Rose: absolutely perfect. And seeing Ten and Eleven. Divine. The War Doctor: can he come back and maybe Eight too? And the possibility of Gallifrey rising/returning! The story continues. Hope I’m around for the 70th Anniversary!!