Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD (Dr. Who)

• Title:  Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD (Dr. Who)
• Director:  Gordon Flemyng
• Date:  1966
• Studio:  AARU Productions LTD, British Lion Films LTD
• Genre:  Science Fiction
• Cast:  Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Roberta Tovey, Ray Brooks, Jill Curzon, Andrew Keir
• Format:  Technicolor, Techniscope (early widescreen process)
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC, Widescreen

This time Dr. Who (Peter Cushing), as he is called in these films, is traveling with his grand-daughter Susan, and his niece, Louise, when a policeman named Tom Campbell mistakes the TARDIS for a real Police Call Box and stumbles inside.  The Doctor travels to 2150 AD anyway, and discovers that London has been destroyed in an Dalek invasion.  The film's first half hour or so actually works pretty well, as the Doctor and his companions are split up and manage to meet up with the local rebel / resistance group.  The iconic scene of a Dalek coming out of  the waters of  the Thames River is repeated in this movie.  However, the equally iconic shot of the Daleks crossing the Tower Bridge, waving their plungers, isn't present.

The Dalek spaceship is actually a very nice model, and it has Thunderbird Two -like jets on the back.  Why, I have no idea, as jets would be rather useless in space.  But I digress.  The majority of  the Daleks are grey in this film, but with silver and periwinkle accents.  Yes, you read that right, periwinkle.  And yes, it's hard to take light purple Daleks seriously.  Leader Daleks are red, black or gold.  So, overall, the Daleks aren't the really awful technicolor variety of  the previous film.

However, after a promising start, the film wanders as various members of  the Doctor's group get lost, reunite, get captured, reunite again, etc.  Plot involves first a rebel attack on the Dalek spaceship, which seems to go well, but ends a dismal failure.  (And yes, that was an effective portion of  the film.  The TV Series Doctor Who, which is much better than these films, is often at it's best when the Doctor doesn't completely win).  After the failed attack, each of the survivors separately makes their way to Bedfordshire and the Daleks' mine, either as prisoners or in hopes of rescuing the prisoners.  Finally at the end, Dr. Who, foils the plot of the Daleks to drop a bomb to the core of the Earth in an attempt to crack the Earth in some sort of plan to re-fuel their spaceship.

I will say the acting is a bit better than the previous film.  However, Susan's been dumbed down considerably, and she even manages to "twist" her ankle.

Again, I only have this because I got it in a set, for free, from a friend.  And I have it as a collectible.  But it's really not a good movie.  BTW -- bit of trivia, Bernard Cribbins, who plays Tom Campbell, more recently played companion Donna Noble's grandfather in the recent television series of  Doctor Who.

Recommendation:  Don't Bother.
Rating:  2 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Double Indemnity