Daleks-Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. is directed by Gordon Flemyng and Milton Subotsky co-adapts the screenplay with Terry Nation and David Whitaker. It stars Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Ray Brooks, Andrew Keir, Jill Curzon and Roberta Tovey. A Technicolor/Techniscope production, with music by Barry Gray and Bill McGuffie and cinematography by John Wilcox.
A sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), plot finds Cushing once again playing the Doctor, who after getting transported to 2150 A.D. finds London ravaged by the Daleks. The Daleks are turning humans into slave Robomen, but an underground human resistance offers hope. Can the Doctor and his companions aid the resistance and save Earth from Dalek damnation? Even though Dr. Who and the Daleks irked the Dr. Who fan base, understandably so since Amicus' version of the good Doctor is some way from the TV series version, it was enough of a success to warrant this sequel. You pretty much get a retread of the first film with the characterisations, Cushing's Doctor is a lovable old eccentric prof, two of his lady female relations are along for the ride (Tovey returning as the same character) and Cribbins has replaced Roy Castle as the light relief companion accidentally thrust into a chaotic world. The Daleks remain a unique and devilish foe, their voices unnerving and their colours vibrant in Technicolor.
Plot follows a familiar trajectory, much running, puffing, capture and escape histrionics, the good versus evil core booming throughout. The sets remain cheap, the effects basic but quaint, and the acting just about passes the test because everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and therefore performing it to the required standard. The music score is truly out of sync with the picture, at times it sounds like it belongs in a Carry On movie, at others an episode of The Avengers; in fact John Steed would have been a good addition to the plotting! But there is some darkness in the story, making it more potent than its prequel.
This wasn't as successful as the studio hoped, so a third film was shelved. If you aren't a hardcore Dr. Who fan and you can accept it on its own daft and fun terms? Then Daleks-Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. is an enjoyable enough time filler. 6/10
A sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), plot finds Cushing once again playing the Doctor, who after getting transported to 2150 A.D. finds London ravaged by the Daleks. The Daleks are turning humans into slave Robomen, but an underground human resistance offers hope. Can the Doctor and his companions aid the resistance and save Earth from Dalek damnation? Even though Dr. Who and the Daleks irked the Dr. Who fan base, understandably so since Amicus' version of the good Doctor is some way from the TV series version, it was enough of a success to warrant this sequel. You pretty much get a retread of the first film with the characterisations, Cushing's Doctor is a lovable old eccentric prof, two of his lady female relations are along for the ride (Tovey returning as the same character) and Cribbins has replaced Roy Castle as the light relief companion accidentally thrust into a chaotic world. The Daleks remain a unique and devilish foe, their voices unnerving and their colours vibrant in Technicolor.
Plot follows a familiar trajectory, much running, puffing, capture and escape histrionics, the good versus evil core booming throughout. The sets remain cheap, the effects basic but quaint, and the acting just about passes the test because everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and therefore performing it to the required standard. The music score is truly out of sync with the picture, at times it sounds like it belongs in a Carry On movie, at others an episode of The Avengers; in fact John Steed would have been a good addition to the plotting! But there is some darkness in the story, making it more potent than its prequel.
This wasn't as successful as the studio hoped, so a third film was shelved. If you aren't a hardcore Dr. Who fan and you can accept it on its own daft and fun terms? Then Daleks-Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. is an enjoyable enough time filler. 6/10