Leofwine_draca I sat through, and was utterly bored by, the first of the Peter Cushing/Dr Who movies, DR WHO AND THE DALEKS. It was a chore to sit through in places, a resolutely twee attempt to transfer the TV series to the big screen for children to enjoy. The good news is that this sequel is a different beast entirely, even though it brings back much of the same cast and crew (including the director).Put simply, DALEKS INVASION EARTH: 2150 AD is an action-packed romp. If you think that scenes of Dalek war-bands patrolling the streets of a post-apocalyptic London sounds like a good time, then you'd be right. This is a film that sacrifices character set-up in favour of all out action, and it works a treat.Cushing plays the crusty old buffoon once more, and the only reason he's not as irritating is because he's given far less screen time here. For most of the time his character is a mere observer, watching a guerrilla war between Ray Brooks (THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW) and his rebels and the Daleks and their goons. Bernard Cribbins contributes some comedy schtick, but he's nowhere near as irritating as Roy Castle was in the last one.The technical effects are surprisingly decent, from the Dalek spaceships to the explosions, firefights, and large-scale destruction. Scenes of buildings collapsing are vivid and exciting and the Daleks are more of a menace here (and thankfully their voices aren't irritating anymore). There are lots of great visual moments, like the solitary Dalek rising out of the Thames or the humans vs. Dalek fight scenes. A rousing score and decent supporting cast serve as the icing on the cake here.

boblipton I am a fan of the Doctor Who TV show, both in its original incarnation and in modern dress. I've also seen the two earlier movies and thought them odd and sad. I was therefore shocked and pleased to find this movie version of "The Dalek Invasion of the Earth" serial to be excellent. The pacing is better, the color photography by John Wilcox has its moments of beauty -- even the Technicolor Daleks have a peculiar beauty.Working with only minor variations from the television serial, this demonstrates something I have long maintained: the writing on the TV DOCTOR WHO was often first rate. It was the cripplingly tiny budgets that often made it seem ridiculous, with its impossible shooting schedules, cardboard sets and monsters that frequently seemed to be a man lurking under a cast-off shag rug.The memories of children often play them false in later years. People report on seeing a particular favorite DOCTOR WHO serial from childhood and being shocked at how much better it is in memory than looking at it as adults. Children assume the lovely details that the adult mind demands. How very pleasant for this adult to see them filled in here!

Paul Andrews Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. starts late one night in London as constable Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins) witnesses a theft at a jewellery store, he rushes to find help & stumbles across a police box. He ventures inside & finds it much bigger on the inside than the outside, inside he is greeted by an old scientist named Dr. Who (Peter Cushing), his niece Lousie (Jill Curzon) & his young granddaughter Susan (Roberta Tovey). The police box turns out to be a machine which can travel through time & space & Dr. Who decides to take Tom with them as they travel to the year 2150, just because they can I suppose. Once there they find London in ruins, they quickly discover that the evil Daleks have invaded Earth & plan to turn it into a giant Dalek spaceship. Dr. Who & his companions join a resistance group on Earth in an effort to defeat the Daleks & save the planet...This British production was directed by Gordon Flemyng & is an improvement on it's predecessor Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) if nothing else. The script is credited to producer & Amicus founder Milton Subotsky with an 'additional material' credit to David Whitaker & is a pretty fun sci-fi adventure that is both different & similar enough to the BBC TV series to be enjoyable, this was actually a remake of the black and white six part Doctor Who story The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964) staring William Hartnell. First off I have to say the comedy sequence where Tom tries to impersonate some Robomen is just plain embarrassing & frankly stupid although I'm glad the makers decided to have everyone call the Doctor simply 'Doctor' rather than the annoying 'Dr. Who' as in the first film, the film certainly moves along at a nice pace & is never boring, the Daleks themselves make for very colourful villains although there are several plot holes. First if the Daleks can control people's minds & make them into guards why couldn't they control the miners minds? Surely that would have been safer than trying to force them to do their bidding? Then there's the notion that they want to take control of Earth & fly it across the galaxy to their home planet so they can occupy it, right well why don't they just occupy Earth where it is at the moment? If this is indeed set during the year 2150 why does a rebel have to try & escape London in what looks like a van from the 1940's? Wouldn't have technology moved on in 200 odd years? Having said that the plot holes don't really matter that much as this is a fun romp that makes for perfect Saturday afternoon viewing with the kids of all ages...Having directed the original Dr. Who and the Daleks the previous year returning director Flemyng does OK here although I'd have liked him to have tried to make the Daleks themselves a bit more menacing, they are OK & no worse than their TV incarnations but they are a little slow & cumbersome looking. The special effects are OK actually, the shots of a half destroyed London are very effective, the Dalek spaceship looks a bit naff though. The sets are very colourful in the Irwin Allen tradition of banks of flashing lights & computer equipment with huge dials & buttons that look horribly dated these days, personally I think they give the film some charm & add to the fun. There are some decent action scenes as well. This film was apparently part financed by a British company who made a breakfast cereal named 'Sugar Puffs' (yeah, I remember the adverts with the Honey Monster! I never liked the actual cereal though, I was more of a Coco-Pops man...) & as such there is a long lingering shot of a poster advertising them in what must be one of the earliest examples of product placement!Technically the film is fine, it has brightly coloured garish sets which look dated but are fun to look at. Shot at Shepperton Studios in Surrey here in England & on location. The acting is OK, Cushing is always watchable, Cribbins is better known for his roles in the Carry On films while Tovey as Susan isn't as annoying as I'd thought she would be.Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. is a fun 60's sci-fi romp which isn't the best film ever made but is entertaining none the less. I've certainly seen worse, worth watching if you like the TV series or just want some light hearted sci-fi fun. A third film in the series based on the six part Doctor Who story The Chase (1965) was planned but never got made.

eusuf987 With Peter Cushing at the helm, the movie succeeds on every level. The post-apocalyptic look and feel is perfect. The Daleks are fantastic, look the part as evil conquerors. The flying saucer is perfect. Louise is perfect. The premise of the story becomes real with the setting of it in the commonplace. The four travelers are split up into pairs that then become trios in their trip to Bedford losing nothing in the process. The pairing and the de-pairing are nicely done. The Tom-Louise pair-up has great humor. The scene where Louise accidentally turns on the food dispenser and the subsequent scenes involving the disposal chute are from humor heaven, not to mention the scene where Tom acts as one of the robo-men. Subsequently they are joined by the worker at the mine and the three together play a moment to remember. Basically not one character in the movie is without its share of memorable moments. Tom carrying a comb and the Doctor using it to escape is another gift of the gods not to mention his 'back in the cell' question when stopped by the Daleks. Susan's encounter with the two women at the cottage is a special segment in the movie as it adds a fairy-tale feel to it for a moment. When they are betrayed, it is a huge relief not to have to listen to a lecture on morals. The pace throughout the movie is spontaneous. The Doctor putting on the hand gloves is a nice touch, as is Susan's large-print message right in front their eyes all the time they are arguing about where she is. The wheel-chair-bound leader knows exactly what he is doing and is immune to the self-righteous syndrome. His final scene is the closing of a chapter. The mercenary is a cameo. There are no heroes. The action sequences are absorbing, particularly those involving the van and the Daleks closing ranks to spray explosive gases. The scene where the Doctor walks out of the cottage to find himself surrounded by Daleks is gorgeous as is the Doctor's speech to the Daleks towards the end. In this movie it is easy to believe that the Daleks are anything but motorized dustbins. There is chemistry whenever the Doctor and the Daleks meet. The Daleks' first appearance in the movie, slowly rising out of the water, is another gorgeous touch. Susan being pulled both by the Doctor and the resistance fighter with a Dalek hurtling towards them is a delightful touch. Daleks helplessly hurtling to their doom is surprisingly poignant. The sets and the lighting are as good as anything today. Inside the Dalek stronghold, the colors of the Daleks and the bomb and the consoles are mixed and matched to perfection. Returning full circle to the stick-up in London as if nothing had happened in the interim was wonderful.