Dr Who Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray

To celebrate the centenary of film and TV legend Peter Cushing, as well as the 50th Anniversary of the Timelord’s first TV appearance, Studiocanal offers this marvellous 2-disc set containing two movies.

Digitally re-mastered and for the first time in HD, the first film is Dr. Who And The Daleks from 1965, featuring Cushing as the traveling Timelord. In fact, the film was the big screen debut for the (slightly re-designed) Daleks, too, and it was the first Dr. Who outing in colour and widescreen.

Made by the famous Amicus Studio, and co-written by Amicus regular Milton Subotsky, the film is based on the second Doctor Who TV program (which continued to be shot in b/w for another few years).
In the opening scene, all looks rather cosy when Dr. Who (Cushing) and his young granddaughter Susan (Roberta Tovey) as well as his older granddaughter Barbara (Jennie Linden) cosily sit in the living room, each reading Sci-fi related books while the Doctor in fact reads a comic! A little later, they are joined by Barbara’s bumbling boyfriend, Ian (Roy Castle), who provides some goofy moments throughout the film – quite why the script required him to act goofy is anyone’s guess. When Dr. Who proudly shows them his latest invention, a time machine called the TARDIS which looks like a police phone box, Ian accidentally activates it.
The four get transported to a strange planet with even stranger looking flora and fauna, a place that has been devastated by an ancient nuclear war. The only inhabitants are the Daleks – heavily mutated creatures encased in protective metal machines, and humanoids called the Thals.

Investigating the seemingly deserted city, Dr. Who and his friends are made captives by the Daleks, who are aware of the Thal drug. The drug fluid would immunise them against their vulnerability against outside radiation. They want to reproduce it in large quantities so that they can leave the city and exterminate the rival Thals, thus completely dominate the planet. Well, seeing how the Thals are the only other life form, there wouldn’t be anyone left to dominate anyway…
The Daleks offer to let Dr. Who and his companions use some of the fluid to cure their sickness, if the vials left outside the time machine are brought to the city. They send little Susan to carry out the mission, during which she encounters Thal leader Alydon (Barry Ingham). Upon her return to the City quarters, Dr. Who and his three companions hatch a plan to escape and – with the help of the Thals – destroy the Daleks and their control rooms for good…
There isn’t much action going on in the first half of the movie, instead, the emphasis is on exploring the strange planet and running from Daleks. It’s once the Thals come into the picture that action and pace pick up considerably. The bizarre and often surreal looking alien landscapes are particularly effective in their re-mastered glory, and the bright and poppy 60’s colours appear to be brighter still.
Compared to contemporary ‘Dr. Who’ outings, this adventure is rather tame indeed, but kids (and grown-up ‘Dr. Who’ geeks) will still enjoy it no doubt.

The second film, Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD was made one year later, and once again with a screeplay by Milton Subotsky. Not only does it bear a more elaborate title but contains more elaborate special effects. Also, it is quite heavy on the action. Despite the apparent improvement, this sequel to the first film underperformed at the box office, and maybe the fault here lies in the fact that too many loose ends don’t quite fit together.

It starts with dorky copper Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins) trying to chase a bunch of robbers who just burgled a jewellery shop. Instead, he’s knocked down but up on his feet within a few seconds, running towards a police phone box to call for help. You know what’s coming, right? Right. The phone box in question is of course a TARDIS, and upon entering it our hapless copper not only makes the acquaintance of the Time Lord but finds himself catapulted into the future… into the year 2150 AD to be precise. And what a place it is! London, for one, resembles an empty landscape with demolished buildings. No, it wasn’t the Germans again with another Blitzkrieg, but the Daleks, who have invaded Earth and destroyed whole continents in the process. Some humans have been turned into brainless Robomen, that’s basically cyber zombies. Most humans, however, have been taken to a Dalek mining complex in the countryside.
Still, some fearless resistance fighters, whose leaders are Wyler (Andrew Keir), Davoid (Ray Brooks) and Dortmun (Godfrey Quigley), operate in the London Underground. Once again, the Doctor (Peter Cushing) is joined by his little granddaughter Susan, and also by his niece Louise (Jill Curzon). They would love to support the resistance movement of course, but nasty Robomen cross their plans and capture copper Campbell and Dr. Who. Instead of schlepping them to the mines, they take them aboard a Dalek spaceship! Yep, one of those flying saucers is hovering about the film, and it looks quite impressive (by 1966 standards).

The stage is set for all sorts of action, from battling Robomen and Daleks to fighting rebels, from explosions to truck and car chases to utter extermination.
Although obviously aimed at a young audience (not to mention anoraks), this second ‘Dr. Who’ outing provides a fun watch for adults, too.

Bonus features (on two discs combined) include:

• Audio commentary woth Roberta Tovey and Jenny Linden
• Dalekmania
• Restoring Dr. Who And The Daleks
• Restoring Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD
• Interview with Gareth Owen
• Interview with Bernard Cribbins
• Stills Galleries
• Trailers

Please note that both films can be purchased individually on DVD and also Blu-ray, and with bonus material as above (relating to each title).