Doctor Who - The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Rating:
Summary: One day...
Review: What is it about "Doctor Who" that inspires such erudition? For years, the fandom rap on "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" was that it was a standard B-movie plot with bad acting, wobbly robot villains, and a wonderful ending. And yet, when you get to the bonus-features disc on the new DVD release, there are two guest actors from the story (Ann Davies and Bernard Kay, who played no-nonsense Earth rebels) expounding at length about their characters' origins and motivations. You would not expect them to even remember their characters' names, let alone reveal such interest in their backstories, all these decades later.

"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" is a curiously dated archival piece. It's no longer living, breathing television. When viewed with the rest of "Doctor Who"'s first ten serials, it's probably not in the top tier. When viewed immediately after "The Daleks", it pales.

And yet, on DVD, it's one terrific viewing experience.

The reason these DVDs work so well is the research that goes into them. When you surround a 40 year-old sci-fi action runaround with genuine affection, everyone benefits. The serial itself is accompanied by a funny, detailed text commentary track. The audio commentary for the first time employs a moderator format, as longtime professional fan Gary Russell guides an aging production team -- producer, director, and the two surviving members of the original cast -- past pointless anecdotes and into coherence. I can think of several previous DW DVD commentaries that could've benefited from a moderator. And never underestimate the power of a crisp transfer of the episodes, digitally rolled back to their original videotape quality, wiped clear of all the distortions caused by film transfer.

The special-features disc may represent a case of information overload. The interview with story designer Spencer Chapman is good. The longer making-of feature is watchable -- we're spared the sight of cast members praising the production team with the same five superlatives, and are instead treated with dissertation-quality thought. There's a clip from a BBC kids' show, teaching you how to make Daleks out of food ("Sara's Secrets" on the Food Network never did that). A bizarre radio play detailing the fictional life of Susan Foreman is worth a listen, but I didn't make it too far. Do, however, hunt for the two Easter eggs, both involving the story's incomprehensible Slyther monster, a short stuntman in amorphous latex who's good for laughs but not much terror.

It ends, as it should, with a muddied Doctor (William Hartnell) gripping his lapels and staring just to the right of the camera, giving his farewell benediction to Susan, just after he's locked her out of the TARDIS. One day, he shall come back. We're still waiting.

Rating:
Summary: One day...
Review: What is it about "Doctor Who" that inspires such erudition? For years, the fandom rap on "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" was that it was a standard B-movie plot with bad acting, wobbly robot villains, and a wonderful ending. And yet, when you get to the bonus-features disc on the new DVD release, there are two guest actors from the story (Ann Davies and Bernard Kay, who played no-nonsense Earth rebels) expounding at length about their characters' origins and motivations. You would not expect them to even remember their characters' names, let alone reveal such interest in their backstories, all these decades later.

"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" is a curiously dated archival piece. It's no longer living, breathing television. When viewed with the rest of "Doctor Who"'s first ten serials, it's probably not in the top tier. When viewed immediately after "The Daleks", it pales.

And yet, on DVD, it's one terrific viewing experience.

The reason these DVDs work so well is the research that goes into them. When you surround a 40 year-old sci-fi action runaround with genuine affection, everyone benefits. The serial itself is accompanied by a funny, detailed text commentary track. The audio commentary for the first time employs a moderator format, as longtime professional fan Gary Russell guides an aging production team -- producer, director, and the two surviving members of the original cast -- past pointless anecdotes and into coherence. I can think of several previous DW DVD commentaries that could've benefited from a moderator. And never underestimate the power of a crisp transfer of the episodes, digitally rolled back to their original videotape quality, wiped clear of all the distortions caused by film transfer.

The special-features disc may represent a case of information overload. The interview with story designer Spencer Chapman is good. The longer making-of feature is watchable -- we're spared the sight of cast members praising the production team with the same five superlatives, and are instead treated with dissertation-quality thought. There's a clip from a BBC kids' show, teaching you how to make Daleks out of food ("Sara's Secrets" on the Food Network never did that). A bizarre radio play detailing the fictional life of Susan Foreman is worth a listen, but I didn't make it too far. Do, however, hunt for the two Easter eggs, both involving the story's incomprehensible Slyther monster, a short stuntman in amorphous latex who's good for laughs but not much terror.

It ends, as it should, with a muddied Doctor (William Hartnell) gripping his lapels and staring just to the right of the camera, giving his farewell benediction to Susan, just after he's locked her out of the TARDIS. One day, he shall come back. We're still waiting.

Rating:
Summary: One day...
Review: What is it about "Doctor Who" that inspires such erudition? For years, the fandom rap on "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" was that it was a standard B-movie plot with bad acting, wobbly robot villains, and a wonderful ending. And yet, when you get to the bonus-features disc on the new DVD release, there are two guest actors from the story (Ann Davies and Bernard Kay, who played no-nonsense Earth rebels) expounding at length about their characters' origins and motivations. You would not expect them to even remember their characters' names, let alone reveal such interest in their backstories, all these decades later.

"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" is a curiously dated archival piece. It's no longer living, breathing television. When viewed with the rest of "Doctor Who"'s first ten serials, it's probably not in the top tier. When viewed immediately after "The Daleks", it pales.

And yet, on DVD, it's one terrific viewing experience.

The reason these DVDs work so well is the research that goes into them. When you surround a 40 year-old sci-fi action runaround with genuine affection, everyone benefits. The serial itself is accompanied by a funny, detailed text commentary track. The audio commentary for the first time employs a moderator format, as longtime professional fan Gary Russell guides an aging production team -- producer, director, and the two surviving members of the original cast -- past pointless anecdotes and into coherence. I can think of several previous DW DVD commentaries that could've benefited from a moderator. And never underestimate the power of a crisp transfer of the episodes, digitally rolled back to their original videotape quality, wiped clear of all the distortions caused by film transfer.

The special-features disc may represent a case of information overload. The interview with story designer Spencer Chapman is good. The longer making-of feature is watchable -- we're spared the sight of cast members praising the production team with the same five superlatives, and are instead treated with dissertation-quality thought. There's a clip from a BBC kids' show, teaching you how to make Daleks out of food ("Sara's Secrets" on the Food Network never did that). A bizarre radio play detailing the fictional life of Susan Foreman is worth a listen, but I didn't make it too far. Do, however, hunt for the two Easter eggs, both involving the story's incomprehensible Slyther monster, a short stuntman in amorphous latex who's good for laughs but not much terror.

It ends, as it should, with a muddied Doctor (William Hartnell) gripping his lapels and staring just to the right of the camera, giving his farewell benediction to Susan, just after he's locked her out of the TARDIS. One day, he shall come back. We're still waiting.

Rating:
Summary: The Daleks Conquer a Post-Apocalyptic Earth
Review: With this being the second Doctor Who adventure to feature the infamous Daleks, I was curious to see just HOW the metallic monsters would be able to return, let alone be able to function without the use of metallic flooring, etc.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the answer upon viewing this extraordinary adventure. the year is 2164, ten years had passed since a cosmic storm hit earth, nearly wiping out mankind on various continents by a mysterious space virus. During that time, Dalek vessels landed on Earth, and quickly take control, forcing mankind into slave labor working in the mines, conversion into RoboMen (early prototype for the CyberMen), or into pockets of resistance which are hellbent on defeating the Daleks, and taking back control the planet. Plus, the terrifying secret as to why the Daleks wish to reach the Earth's core is simply extraordinary as well as horrifying, removing the core and replacing it with a specially designed space engine, thus converting the Earth into a WorldShip.
This was a great adventure, especially witnessing a Dalek rising out of the water, that was truly terrifying as the cliffhanger for episode 1. The way this post-apocalyptic London was conveyed was extraordinary, filming a majority of the exterior shots early Sunday mornings in order to have the deserted streets to work with. everyone was on top form with this adventure, and it also marks a turning point, as Susan, the Doctor's beloved granddaughter would be the first to leave the good Doctor's company. Towards the end, she is left behind to be with the man she loves, David. this is definitely a must have for Doctor Who fans.