Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars: DVD Review

Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars: DVD Review\

Doctor Who - The Waters of Mars
Cast: David Tennant, Lindsay Duncan
Released by Roadshow Entertainment/ BBC
Rating: M
With David Tennant, arguably one of the most popular Doctors, handing over the keys to the TARDIS, there was always going to be a lot of attention on his tenth Doctor's final tales.
And given that his last year was going to consist of only 4 hour long specials, there was infinitely more scrutiny on this quartet of stories.
After the relative disappointment of Planet of The Dead, The Waters of Mars arrives with the heavy weight of expectation on its shoulders - and it doesn't disappoint.
The Doctor lands on Mars on Bowie Base One in the year 2059 - a space base run by Lindsay Duncan's Adelaide Brooke, and one of the first human colonies in space. Within moments of arriving two of the base's inhabitants are turned into zombie like creatures.
But that's not the half of it - the Doc soon realizes he's at a fixed point in time (one which can't be changed without dramatic implications for the future of the earth) and is faced with the reality he can't save one life without irrevocably dismantling the future.
The Waters of Mars is a spooky lead in to the end of Ten's time - it's there simply to showcase the brilliant acting of David Tennant and give the loyal fans a side of the Doctor they've never seen before.
Lindsay Duncan's Adelaide is a strong foil to the Doctor as she grapples with the reality of what happens to all of her staff, her own life and the base itself. The supporting cast do well (aside from irritating robot Gadget which simply grates) and the zombie like creatures which attack do a good job of frightening all and sundry. Sure, there's an argument that there's a little too much running around in corridors but when both Tennant and Duncan turn it on (notably in the electrifying finale), it's edge of the seat viewing.
The extras are the Dr Who confidential behind the scenes look at the making of this episode - an hour long doco which takes you into the world - although after some five years of these now they're starting to run out of ground to cover.
With the final two part epic The End Of Time on its way, The Waters of Mars is a good jumping off point to appreciate what exactly the show will have lost when this Tennant hands over the TARDIS keys.

Rating: 7/10