Author: Robert Greenberger

Not only did we get a brand new Doctor for the fifth season of the BBC revival of [[[Doctor Who]]] but we also were treated to a changing of the creative guard as Russell T. Davies gave way to Steven Moffat. Obviously, any sort of substantive change means the finished product will have a different look and feel and this new season feels exactly like that.

The fifth season, out on DVD this week from Warner Home Video/BBC Video, looked a little spiffier with a revamped TARDIS interior and exterior along with reimagined DALEKS and Silurian’s. But it all works or fails with the Doctor and Matt Smith, the youngest to play the part, nicely grew into the role. Tall and a little gangly with an unruly shock of hair, Smith’s Doctor is a little more flustered and a little slower to grasp the depth of the problem but once he’s found the problem, he finds the solution as quickly as his previous incarnations.

In Moffat’s hands, the stories were epic and in addition to the enigmatic crack in reality that haunted the Time Lord, there was also the matter of Amy Pond. The latest in his long line of companions, Amy was equally overwhelmed and delighted to find the Doctor was not the figment of her earlier self’s imagination. His very existence would send her life in new and unimagined ways and watching her journey proved incredibly satisfying. Much as David Tenant’s Doctor was all about his relationship with Rose Tyler, this season it was Amy and her fiancé Rory’s romance that carried us along.

Karen Gillan is fresh-faced and adorable as Amy, well matched with Smith’s Doctor and they make an appealing duo. The recurring presence of Dr. River Song (Alex Kingston),who will one day marry the Doctor, added layers of complications that enriched the status quo.

Where Moffat seemed to struggle, though, was coming up with stories that honored the past and presented us with fresh worlds and problems. Obviously, the new producer and actor had to deal with the Daleks and this time we got them in rainbow colors, although setting them up in Churchill’s England was interesting. We also saw the Weeping Angels, the creepiest villains in the Doctor’s rich history, but the two-parter fell flat, spoiling their impact from “Blink”. The Silurians’ return, though, was most welcome with great makeup and performances. Instead, Moffat should have given us more stories such as Amy’s encounter with Vincent Van Gogh (Tony Curran) or when the Doctor was “The Lodger”.

The show improved with each installment so the two-part finale was especially satisfying leaving us eagerly awaiting the forthcoming Christmas special.

One the most pleasant developments with Warner Premiere’s line of animated movies featuring DC Comics’ heroes has been the addition of [[[Showcase]]], shorts based on the lesser known characters from the countless characters lingering in the library. To date, we’ve been treated to [[[The Spectre]]],[[[ Jonah Hex]]], and[[[Green Arrow]]] with two of them proving more satisfying than the main features. Now, the three have been collected, along with a fourth, all-new feature in the just released [[[Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam]]].

Michael Jelenic, the mastermind behind [[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]], writes the screenplay and since this is based on now source material, it only vaguely resembles any of the origins for the World’s Mightiest Mortal. Yes, orphan Billy Batson is summoned by magical subway to stand before the wizard Shazam and be given the power of six gods to be a champion of justice. However, this is adjusted as a reaction to the return of Black Adam, the first such champion who was corrupted by absolute power and was banished from Earth to travel through the stars. His return brings him to Earth and directly to Billy, who he somehow sees as Shazam’s designee. And it just so happens this all happens when Metropolis reporter Clark Kent is interviewing Billy about being a child of the streets. The remainder of the 20 minute short is a slug fest and is way too short on characterization or rationale for why the story was told this way.

The character designs, other than Black Adam, seem slight and a little too Asian in influence. The vocal casting choices are adequate although James Garner’s Shazam is almost unrecognizable. Overall, it was entertaining but wastes its length and leaves me wishing for more.

On the other hand, more is not always better. The three previous shorts are here in “extended” form and you’re hard-pressed to find what’s been added. The good ones remain good and the weak offering, Green Arrow, remains wretched.

The disc is complemented with four episodes of various series featuring the spotlighted characters which show other approaches to interpreting the comic books. As a result, this is a solid collection but only if you do not have any of these in other form. The lead feature just isn’t strong enough to make it worth buying.