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Dr Who and the Daleks / Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. – Review


dr who and the daleks blu rayThis year is the 50th anniversary of the BBC’s classic Science fiction show Dr Who and Studio Canal have released both Dr Who movies released in the 1960’s to Blu Ray. The great Peter Cushing stars as the doctor in both films and in Dr Who And The Dalek’s travels to the Dalek home planet Skaro. Along with his companions, his two grand-daughters, Susan (Roberta Tovey) and Barbara (Jennie Linden) as well as Ian (Roy Castle), Barbara’s boyfriend.

After leaving the Tardis they find that the planet has been almost destroyed by nuclear war but then discover a huge metal city constructed for the Daleks. The Daleks capture Dr Who and his companions to study their immune system. While there the Doctor finds out that the Dalek’s plan to eliminate the other race living on the planet, the Thals. After managing to escape the city he finds the Thal’s leaders but cannot convince them that the Dalek’s are about to destroy them.

daleks invasion earth blu rayIn Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. the doctor travels together with Susan (Roberta Tovey) and Barbara (this time played by Jill Curzon) as well as an unwitting traveller policeman Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins). They travel to London 2150 and find a city half destroyed by the Daleks and most of the human population turned into slaves. After joining the human rebels they stage an attack on the Dalek stronghold and try to prevent the Daleks from unleashing a devastating bomb.

Doctor Who fans should be warned that this is not a faithful adaptation of the TV show, in these films Dr Who is not a humanoid alien, rather he is an intelligent, kindly old grandfather who has managed to build a police box time machine and has the surname of Who. Both films are directed by Gordon Flemyng who does a nice job of keeping the pace brisk but never boring.

The budget was a lot larger on the 2nd movie after the first was a big hit, but unfortunately the sequel under-performed at the box office so any other feature films planned were cancelled. Peter Cushing as always is a joy to watch and although the films have obviously dated they are still great fun and the special effects still hold up reasonably well.

Both films arrive on Blu ray with a fabulous remastered picture. Colours are bold and the picture has great depth on both features. The remastering done is superb and these films probably look even better than when first released all those years ago. Audio is standard English LPCM 2.0 mono but sounds very good, crisp and clear.

Extra features are as follows. On Dr Who And The Daleks, there is an audio commentary by actors Jennie Linden (Barbara) and Roberta Tovey (Susan) who talk about the production history, the director and many other facts involving the production. Dalekmania is a fun documentary on the production history of Dr Who and the Daleks featuring clips from interviews with Marcus Hearn and the creator of the Daleks Terry Nation. The documentary is dedicated to the memories of Peter Cushing and Roy Castle. Rounding it off is a fascinating short feature on the restoration of the film.

dr who and the daleks poster

On Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD we have interviews with co-star Bernard Cribbins and author Gareth Owen. Also another great short film on the restoration process for the movie. Its rounded off with a trailer and stills gallery.

Both films will bring back nostalgic memories for older Doctor Who fans, the remastered picture is superb and the extra features good fun.  Fans of both Dr Who and Peter Cushing will be glad to add these to there collection.

Dr Who And The Daleks

FILM: 6 OUT OF 10

PICTURE: 8 OUT OF 10

AUDIO: 8 OUT OF 10

EXTRAS: 7 OUT OF 10

Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

FILM: 6 OUT OF 10

PICTURE: 8 OUT OF 10

AUDIO: 8 OUT OF 10

EXTRAS: 5 OUT OF 10

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