Dr. Who and the Daleks

One night in 1968 in Los Angeles as I remember, I went to a theater in East Los Angeles because I wanted to watch a movie called "Night of the Living Dead." In those days, two movies were shown. The second feature was some film about an old man that traveled to another planet and battled against some metal creatures. It was low budget, much like the first feature but did have someone that I recognized, Peter Cushing. I had no idea that there was a TV Serial in England by the name of "Doctor Who." It was slow at times but an interesting concept of travel in time and space, a telephone box call the TARDIS. The metal beings were rather primitive because they had what look like a plunger on them and always wanted to kill and exterminate living beings. There was a sequel the next year but little did I know that this film would be my first experience into the world of Doctor Who. In Los Angeles, California 1977 on a local TV station, I would be able to watch that TV Serial and would remain a Dr. Who fan even after the series ended in 1989. It was this movie that started it all, just a quiet night, after watching zombies eating people. Who would know what the future would bring!

When visiting his girlfriend Barbara, Ian is given a tour of the TARDIS by Dr Who. However he accidentally activates it and sends them to an unknown planet. Keen to explore they find themselves prisoners in a city controlled by the Daleks. The Daleks seek to rule the whole planet and get rid of the peace loving natives. When Dr Who et al accidentally help the Daleks to achieve this, they have no choice but to work with the natives to stop the Daleks.

Made to cash in on the huge popularity mid-sixties of both Dr Who and the Daleks, this film version has much higher values than the TV show, but doesn't mean it's better. The story is weak – like an introduction to the Doctor. It's very basic and provides little opportunity for thrills – right up until the final battle. It's not that bad, but for a film you'd expect more.

The Daleks themselves are good but the film uses them badly – we see them as things trapped in a city with little power outside of their own walls. To make matters worse them seem very vulnerable and easy to beat – all you have to do is push them very hard! They also don't `do' dialogue very well – they are used several times for long scenes where they talk to each other and explain the plot to the audience, these scenes are poor as their delivery mixed with the dialogue is terrible!

Cushing makes a good doctor and is better than many of the TV incarnations. Record breaking Roy Castle is quite good as Ian, but his comedy clowning doesn't really fit in with the tone of the film. The female lead is vapid but Susan (played by Tovey) is actually pretty good.

Overall this is TV standard – fans will enjoy it but anyone looking for thrills or good plotting will be disappointed. Check out Dalek Invasion Earth – that is a much better use of these tin-can bad guys.

The eccentric doctor Who (the always watchable Peter Cushing) takes his familiars , a little girl (Tovey) and a young woman (Jennie Linden , Women in love) along with her fiancé (Roy Castle) on a trip throughout space and time . They're transported to another world and end up on a planet inhabited by strange and peace-loving people fighting the mutants named Daleks . These are robot-like and belong to kind of war-mongering mutant creatures who have hidden their brittle bodies in armour shells . The planet has been devastated by an atomic war and they must help the humans facing the Daleks , living various adventures with creepy landscapes , spooky monsters and deep cliffs . Finally , they're wrongfully transported to Roman empire .

This is an enjoyable cinematic adaptation about the interminable British television series . The ever popular Peter Cushing is magnificent reviving his classic interpretation as Dr. Who , furthermore a beautiful Jennie Linden and a sympathetic Roy Castle . The film displays a a rare electronic music and colorful and glimmer cinematography by John Wilcox , Hammer's usual . It's followed by ¨Daleks , invasion Earth 2150 AD¨ about title mutants who are trying to take over Earth . Others Dr. Who for television in the long-running serial are Tom Baker , Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston . The motion picture is professionally directed by Gordon Fleming . He's a fine director such as ¨The split¨ about a blaxploitation heist and ¨Philby , Burgues and McLean , spy scandal of the century¨ , a chilling tale about tree of Britain's most notorious spies and ¨Daleks 2150¨ . The flick will appeal to Sci-Fi fans and juvenile public.

When Dr. Who (Peter Cushing) shows his time machine TARDIS to the clumsy Ian (Roy Castle), who is boyfriend of his granddaughter Barbara (Jennie Linden), he accidentally transport them and Dr. Who´s granddaughter Susan (Roberta Tovey) to somewhere in space and time. They explore the spot and see a city; Dr. Who fakes a leak in the fluid and they go to the city to seek mercury to refill the component. They are captured by the Daleks and soon they learn that a war between Daleks and Thals has destroyed the planet. Further they are exposed to radiation and only the Thals have the antidote. The Daleks send Susan to find the cure and she meets the Thal Alydon (Barrie Ingham) that has the antidote and wants to negotiate with the Daleks to exchange for food. But the cruel Daleks want to destroy the Thals to rule the world.

The naïve "Dr. Who and the Daleks" is a funny entertainment for children and for adults in a Saturday afternoon. The art direction is very poor, the plot is silly but in the 60´s we had "National Kid", "Lost in Space" among other films and "Dr. Who and the Daleks" is in the same level. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Dr. Who e a Guerra dos Daleks" ("Dr. Who and the War of the Daleks")

I have fond memories of seeing this at the cinema (a treat on a friend's birthday) when it first came out. I was a big Dr Who fan anyway as a 12 year old, and this big screen colour adaptation of the 2nd Dr Who serial and first Dalek story was just what the Doctor ordered.

It never occurred to me, as a 12 year old in 1965, that the Doctor was a mere human and not a Time Lord from Gallifrey, and that was because, at the time, he was a mere human and not a Time Lord from Gallifrey on TV, too. That particular wrinkle wasn't introduced until long after the first couple of Dalek TV series and the two movies.

That said, while the film brings back fond memories, and is particularly good to see in widescreen, it is very much a product of its time, and specifically targetted at its market - youngsters who were mad keen on Daleks. That market is not there any more. The movie shows its age, and doesn't stand up that well to today's demands. For all that, there's still a genuine sense of jeopardy involved, the principals play well, the production values are (for the time and the UK cinema industry) very high, and it remains good, colourful innocent fun.