Oh, come on, Tom - it's never been about the science (it's sci-fantasy, not sci-fi), and it's always been about the characters (particularly the Doctor's) and the monsters. There certainly seems to be more characters than ever before (although I'm told this one was a 'special' which brought together loads of past characters), but what with the attempted destruction of the Universe, countered by the actual destruction of the entire Dalek race, I didn't notice a lack of action or special effects.
Donna was surprisingly good though, I agree.
