Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009) Movie Review

It’s an awkward time to be a Doctor Who fan in 2009. David Tennant’s departure as the beloved 10th Doctor is bearing down on us like an eighteen wheeler with burned out brakes and a driver smashed on Wild Turkey. Matt Smith’s turn as the 11th Doctor is waiting in the delivery room, ready to hatch. With all this going on, it seems that series minder Russell T. Davies wasn’t paying much attention to the 2nd of only 5 “Doctor Who” episodes this year; as a result the milestone 200th episode is more of a by the numbers effort unworthy of the series’ achievement.

“Planet of the Dead” initially introduces us to Lady Christina, a antiquities thief from the Lara Croft school of raiding. A sexy and confident aristocrat, she’s taken to staging daring heists more for the adrenaline rush than for the needed income. After brazenly stealing a centuries old golden cup, she jumps on a London bus to escape the police inspector hot on her trail. What she and the rest of the passengers never expect is The Doctor to hop on board, cheerily fussing with a strange device that’s a bit unsettling to everyone aboard. That soon is the least of everyone’s problem’s, as we learn The Doctor is tracking an rapidly growing wormhole, that the bus quickly gets sucked into.

They’re transported to a desert planet, with no apparent way home. But there’s more sinister forces afoot on this barren world, as a legion of metallic carnivorous aliens are speeding their way towards the stranded travelers. On the other side of the wormhole, UNIT forces have arrived to contain the situation. But will they help The Doctor, or are they willing to just seal up the anamoly and leave the travelers to their fate?

Obviously, the best part of “Planet of the Dead” is David Tennant as the 10th Doctor. After playing the character for so long and doing it so incredibly well, he could read from the Gallifreyan phone book for 2 hours and thrill everyone. The infectious enthusiasm he instills in The Doctor, as well as his relentless sense of adventure and cheery disposition make for a fantastic lead character. Tennant will truly be missed and newbie Matt Smith has some huge shoes to fill. Michelle Ryan is also appealling as Lady Christina, who manages to overcome her character’s limitations as a Lara Croft clone to become a appealling companion. Lee Evans provides some welcome comic relief as a UNIT scientist with an odd man-crush on The Doctor; luckily, him screaming out “I love you” to The Doctor in front of a crowd full of people did little to harm his professional standing. All three make the show’s running time bearable, a considerable achievement since the episode is as appealling as discussing anal sex with your grandmother.

Writers Gareth Roberts and Russell T. Davies have mentioned that this episode was inspired by “Pitch Black”, but the shades of “Mission Impossible” and the previously mentioned “Tomb Raider” franchise are impossible to ignore. Even “The Fly” movies apparently have an influence, as The Doctor encounters a ridiculous looking race of aliens who look like, well, the Fly without the charm of Vincent Price or Jeff Goldbum. Or even at the very least Eric Stoltz. Barring that indignity, the script seems cobbled together and rushed out, with The Doctor figuring out the mystery with a scant amount of clues and fixing the problem with items that just happen to be lying around. Sherlock Holmes and MacGyver never had it so good. The remainder of the cast is mediocre through no fault of their own, they’re given lines merely to move the story along but nothing to cause them to stand out.

James Strong directs in a servicable fashion, but it seems his heart isn’t in it. It’s as if he knows he’s been given a filler episode, so why bother exerting any effort. Better to pace yourself and save your talent for the memorable next three episodes, than to burn out on something that will excite fandom for a week. He’s at least smart enough to allow Tennant and Ryan free reign, and it’s a wise man to recognize pearls hidden inside a mound of refuse.

At least the end of the year holds massive promise, with “The Waters of Mars” and the epic “The End of Time”. Not only will we see Timothy Dalton as a Time Lord Chancellor, but we’re treated to the ressurection of The Master who’s expected to send The Doctor into his next regeneration. It’ll be a tragedy to see David Tennant depart, but at least it’ll wipe the memory of “Planet of the Dead” from our consciousness.

James Strong (director) / Russell T. Davies, Gareth Roberts (screenplay)
CAST: Michelle Ryan, David Tennant, Lee Evans, Noma Dumezweni, Adam James, Glenn Doherty, Victoria Alcock, David Ames, Ellen Thomas, Reginald Tsiboe