Director – Gordon Flemyng (Lovejoy, The Bill)
Starring – Peter Cushing (The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer House of Horror), Bernard Cribbins (Doctor Who, A Fantastic Fear of Everything), and Ray Brooks (Late Night Theatre, House of Whipcord)
Release Date – 1966
Rating – 3.5/5
UHD Release – 4/5
Peter Cushing really was a wonderful actor. I’ve seen his performances in television, horror, sci-fi and many other genres that I’m forgetting about but they all have one thing in common, they were all unforgettable. I’ve been a huge fan of his for sometime now, along with Doctor Who, so when I saw that Severin Films was releasing both Dr. Who films from the 60s starring Cushing I had to jump on them. I ordered them as soon as I could and when they arrived I quickly made time for them. After watching Dr. Who and the Daleks, I quickly tossed in the sequel, Dalek’s Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a constable who finds himself in the middle of a burglary. He rushes to a police call box and discovers the inside is bigger than the outside. Unbeknownst to him, he has just entered the TARDIS, a space and time traveling machine created by Dr. Who (Cushing). They then find themselves transported to Earth in the year 2150 and the Daleks have taken over. They are mind controlling the people they believe to be intelligent while forcing everyone else to mine. The Dr., constable, and the Dr.’s niece and granddaughter join a group fighting for their freedom to stop the Daleks. **Spoiler Alert**
I really liked Dr. Who and the Daleks but it wasn’t as enjoyable as the Doctor Who series. However, it made me want to see Cushing star in his own series of Doctor Who. He would have done a phenomenal job. This brings me to the acting. The film has a great cast. Cushing, like always, delivers a fantastic performance. It truly is a damn shame we never got a series with him as the Doctor. These two films are as close to it that we will get. The supporting cast is just as great. We even get to see a young Bernard Cribbins who would appear in the Doctor Who show as Donna’s grandfather, Wilfred Mott.
The story for this one is a bit more bleak and action forward especially when compared to the previous Dr. Who film. The film focuses more on perspective and progression than it does the characters and their backstories. This is something I really liked especially after watching the first film. This sequel doesn’t take the time to bring the viewer up to speed if they skipped the first film. With that being said, the film does feel a bit repetitive with the fight scenes and the multiple cat and mouse scenes. Also, it doesn’t follow the show as close as I would have liked. We have the Dr., who is a human here, along with the Daleks but that is about the extent of it.
Finally, the film relies on the props and locations to get the film’s look. It’s not a bloody flick but the Daleks have that classic look and I love the look of the Cybermen in this one. Overall, Dalek’s Invasion Earth 2150 is a solid sequel and a fun mid-60s sci-fi flick with the legendary Peter Cushing. I highly recommend checking out the Severin Films’ release.
Special Features:
Disc 1: UHD (Film + Special Features):
Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim Newman
Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/Writer Robert Shearman And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss
Trailer
Disc 2: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features):
Audio Commentary With Whovians Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones And Kim Newman
Audio Commentary With Critic Kim Newman, Screenwriter/Writer Robert Shearman And Actor/Writer Mark Gatiss
Daleks Invasion BBC, 1963 To 1969 A.D. – Interview With Doctor Who Expert Stephen Thrower
Subotsky And The Daleks: Part 2 – Interview With Producer Milton Subotsky
Interview With Actor Bernard Cribbins
Interview With Gareth Owen, Author Of The Shepperton Story
The Dalek Legacy: Invasion Earth – 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)
Restoring Dr. Who In 4K – With Restoration Expert Anthony Badger, Film Prep And Scanning Expert Ray King And Colorist Steve Bearman
Trailer
Still Gallery
