Doctor Who - Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD

Starring:Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Ray Brooks (II), Andrew Keir, Roberta Tovey, Jill Curzon, Roger Avon, Geoffrey Cheshire, Keith Marsh, Philip Madoc, Steve Peters, Eddie Powell, Godfrey Quigley, Peter Reynolds, Bernard Spear, Sheila Steafel, Eileen Way, Kenneth Watson, John Wreford, Robert Jewell
Director: Gordon Flemyng
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

In the mid-1960s, with Dalekmania sweeping Britain, BBC TV's Doctor Who materialized on the silver screen. Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. remakes the second Dalek TV serial and finds the Doctor and companions in a ravaged future London where a resistance movement has literally gone underground to fight the Nazi-like alien invaders. Peter Cushing once more makes a kindly, dependable Doctor, though Bernard Cribbins is given a cringe-making comedy routine impersonating a "roboman," and the jazzy soundtrack is wildly out of place. Nevertheless this is a superior sequel, offering lavish production values, better action set pieces, and a higher suspense and fear factor than its predecessor. The best moments remain surprisingly chilling even today. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews:

Destroy the Doctor!.......2006-05-09

I watched this with a Dr. Who fan who put it into perspective for me. What's great is that this film, an early cinematic remake of the second Daleks serial series, is finally on DVD. I've gotten used to the very low budget sets in the old Dr. Who shows, which are soon forgotten as one gets engrossed in the great stories. I just watched The Robots of Death on DVD, which has to have the all-time worst robot costumes but is nevertheless bone-chillingly suspenseful as the plot thickens.

One can't get too much of the Daleks, and this film is chock full of them-- lifesize and in full color. The spaceships are also well done. The thing I felt was that Peter Cushing could do more than stand around as a kind, grandfatherly Time Lord. Of course when he uses the gray matter he comes up with the day-saving plan. He simply doesn't seem very alien, whereas Tom Baker exuded weirdness in everything he did. Regardless, Dr. Who fans will welcome this release on DVD, and the chance to (re)visit the continuing saga of the Daleks.

Saturday afternoon fun.......2003-03-09

Great stuff to watch with the kids! This is not really "hard core" science fiction or even up to par with later Doctor Who TV episodes but its got enough action and a little sillyness to keep even todays kids interested and give the adults a satisfying smile.
The disc has good chapter navigation and the extras are acceptable - the product placement/ad campaign info provided in the extras show were interesting.

Stick with the TV series.......2003-02-25

I was always fascinated with the original Dr. Who TV show, which had a lot of surprisingly interesting, thought-provoking ideas underlying its low-budget sets and costumes. But this movie doesn't match the TV series' depth. It's clear that this movie was made "just for kids." The exaggerated acting, slapstick humor, and tweedle-dee soundtrack make this a big disappointment if you watch it in the wrong mindset. As a movie for kids, it's colorful and fun. But if you go into it expecting the same quality as the show, you'll find it very disappointing and more than a little cheesy. Save your money.

Pure sci-fi fun and entertainment........2002-10-03

This movie is good, simple to follow and adventurous. It has in it time travel, aliens, robots, spaceships, humor and action. It does look cheesy but that is another good thing in this movie, don't ask me why. Overall: VERY GOOD.

Second Aaru film a worthy spin-off of TV series.......2001-12-28

The second and last of the Aaru Doctor Who films, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD, is basically the film version of the second Dalek story, The Dalek Invasion Of Earth, and outdoes the previous Aaru film. Instead of Ian and Barbara, we have Louise, the Doctor's niece, and Tom Campbell, a constable who after being coshed on the head by some robbers, stumbles into the TARDIS just as its course has been set.

The point in making a film rendition of a TV series is to improve on the original, right? Well, this film does do that in many areas, which is what bigger budgets are for. The scene of London in ruins is realized more effectively. Considering how the original serial for this was 150 minutes long, condensing it to 80 minutes and still getting the cream of the plot is quite a feat.

The brass march of the Robomen is snazzy and snappy. The Robomen themselves are dressed in glossy black fetish suits with whips and have goggles over their eyes. I know this wasn't a BBC production, but I'm surprised why they didn't consider that kinky and they backtracked on having a villainess in jackboots too risque in Colony In Space.

The most notable improvement are the Dalek flying saucers, whose two windowed section rotate in opposite directions. They are the most effective in aerial shots, but are done right to scale in ground shots, as when the prisoners are escorted to the landing strip where it is parked.

There is a funny scene involving Tom, disguised as a Roboman. He has trouble marching in sync with the other Robomen, and this includes eating, as they all eat in unison.

The claw-arm Daleks outnumber the standard sink-plunger arm Daleks, and these Daleks have a sharp paint job, enhanced by the fact that they are in colour.

Peter Cushing makes a good Doctor, the gentle archetypal absent-minded professor. Roberta Tovey reappears as Susan. Other notables include Bernard Cribbins as Tom Campbell, Ray Brook as David, who made his mark in Pete Walker films (House Of Whipcord, The Flesh And Blood Show, The Tale Of Tiffany Jones), and Phil Madoc as Brockley the black marketeer. Madoc appeared in a number of stories: The Krotons, The Brain Of Morbius, and The Power Of Kroll. And Jill Curzon shines the screen as the lovely Louise.

In the end, nothing compares to the original series, but this spin-off does have a charm of its own.

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