Director – Gordon Flemyng (Shades of Darkness, Flight into Hell)
Starring – Peter Cushing (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Horror of Dracula), Roy Castle (Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Legend of the Werewolf), and Jennie Linden (Tales of the Unexpected, A Deadly Game)
Release Date – 1965
Rating – 3.5/5
UHD Release – 3/5
I learned a lot in college and I don’t mean in my studies. I started my college career when I turned 21 and then found myself opening up to a lot of things that I normally wouldn’t. I never gave Ronnie James Dio a chance because of my dedication to Ozzy and the original Black Sabbath line up but a friend in college hooked me up with some songs and I fell in love. I was also introduced to sci-fi shows I had never seen before. I was familiar with shows like Star Trek, Lexx, Battlestar Galactica, and so on thanks to my grandmother but this friend sent me in a whole new direction.
He recommended shows like Red Dwarf and the iconic Doctor Who. The Doctor Who revival was just a few seasons into it and I binged those seasons over and over again that summer. I was hooked. I watched it often up until Robert Capaldi became the doctor. Not because I disliked him but because time just got away from him. Over the years since then I’ve watched some of the original serious with the original doctors along with the two Amicus films starring Peter Cushing. A few months back Severin Films announced that they would be releasing those two films on UHD. I quickly preordered these films and when they arrived I quickly added them to my watch list and started with the first film, Dr. Who and the Daleks.
**Spoiler Alert** The films follows Dr. Who (Cushing) who has a created a machine that can travel through space and time that he has named TARDIS. However, a man who visited his home to pick his granddaughter up for a date accidentally turns it on and sends them to a distant world ravaged by atomic war. A group of creatures seeking refuge from the atomic radiation has created machines to live in called Daleks. After all these years they are still waging war with a human like race that has created a solution to the radiation problem. The Daleks, after realizing how smart the Dr. is, tries to use him as a pawn to trick the others into giving them their secrets. The Dr., seeing through their plan, helps the others while stopping the Daleks. **Spoiler Alert**
Dr. Who and the Daleks was a new spin on the Doctor Who serials that were popular of the time. While it did offer up a lot of differences from the show, it still delivered on the whimsical side of sci-fi that wasn’t explored a lot before then.
The acting in this is great. Peter Cushing, along with Christopher Lee, is one of the bests to ever do it and this is no exception. He brings on a new spin to the doctor and is brilliant in it. The same can be said about his supporting cast. The characters are all likeable and the acting is phenomenal. The story for this one has similarities to the show along with some major differences. The TARDIS and Daleks are here in the same form they can be found in the show along with the companions that usually accompany the doctor. In this adaptation, the companions are his grandchildren while the doctor, who is an an alien from Gallifrey, is human in this film. We get some family friendly humor, some sci-fi action, and a huge scope for such a small film.
Finally, the effects are very dated which adds to the charm of the film. It’s not a bloody flick, but we do have some gorgeous sets, make-up effects, and the look of the daleks are iconic. Fans of 60s science fiction will truly appreciate the effects in this film. Overall, Dr. Who and the Daleks doesn’t follow the show that closely but does borrow the important parts while making it’s own path. It’s a lot of fun and Severin did a wonderful job with this release. I highly recommend it.
Special Features:
Disc 1: UHD (Film + Special Features):
– Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim
Newman
– Audio Commentary With Stars Jennie Linden And Roberta Tovey, Moderated By
Journalist Jonathan Sothcott
– Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/Writer Robert Shearman And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss
– Trailer (3:13) 1
Disc 2: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features):
– Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim
Newman
– Audio Commentary With Stars Jennie Linden And Roberta Tovey, Moderated By
Journalist Jonathan Sothcott
– Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/Writer Robert Shearman
And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss
– 1992 Audio Interview With Director Gordon Flemyng By Author/Journalist Tony
Earnshaw
– Subotsky And The Daleks: Part 1 – Interview With Producer Milton Subotsky (10:13)
– Kara And The Daleks – Interview With Doctor Who Expert Kara Dennison (15:26)
– DALEKMANIA – 1995 Documentary (59:57)
– Interview With Gareth Owen, Author Of The Shepperton Story
– The Dalek Legacy: Destination Skaro – With Nicholas Briggs (Voice Of The Daleks), Screenwriter Robert Shearman, Visual Effects Designer Mike Tucker (Doctor Who), Editorial Assistant Emily Cook (Doctor Who Magazine) And Writer/3D Artist Gavin Rymill (Doctor Who Magazine)
– Trailer
– Still Gallery
