To viewers in the United Kingdom of a certain generation, Dr Who and the Daleks is probably most notable for co-starring Roy Castle, the beloved broadcaster who fronted Record Breakers. The show was a legally-distinguishable TV version of The Guinness Book of World Records, with Castle’s tenure ending with his death in 1994. For kids my age, his passing was akin to that of Jim Henson’s, and I shed an appropriate tear whilst watching this film.
I just thought I’d get that out of the way.
Dr Who and the Daleks is, to the Doctor Who television series, what Never Say Never Again is to the James Bond film series. Not cannon, basically. Meh, I couldn’t give two fucks about that. I grew up with Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor Who, which is regarded as the nadir of the series. While I have nothing but time for Mr McCoy, his entries certainly didn’t inspire me to stick with it. Still, to this day, I can take or leave Doctor Who, the admission of which may very well result in my British citizenship being revoked.
Oh well.
This is a charmingly-harmless little rollercoaster ride, feeling like the Death Star portion of Star Wars (1977) spread out over an entire film’s runtime. Which is no bad thing. Dr Who and the Daleks just keeps coming up with new things to entertain you with. I’d even equate it to puzzle video games, such as Tomb Raider or Uncharted. It appears to be shot entirely on sound stages, which all look just beautiful. Remember when every film looked this great?! There are no damn blue or green or purple screens anywhere!
Peter Cushing once again proves how versatile he was, this time playing a gentle father figure. You know, as opposed to an intimidating genocidal maniac. He could do both with ease. I used to think Star Wars was a low-point in his career, but it really wasn’t. He knew to be the best thing in any piece of crap that dropped onto his agent’s desk. He was a worker. Dr Who and the Daleks was probably just one of twenty or so films he made in 1965, but he still gives it his all.
My new favourite person is the ass-kicking character of “Susan”, for whom no adventure is too dangerous. She totally rocks! I initially thought she was going to be toe-curlingly annoying, but actress Roberta Tovey and the writers proved me dead wrong. I nearly cheered every time she unflinchingly stood up to the Daleks. Where’s her spinoff?!
Released only a few years after Dr No, the cavernous sets and musical score here did actually remind me of the Sean Connery-era James Bond films. I don’t know how faithful to the original novels those films were, but I’m guessing not very. Was that comment apropos of nothing?! Oh who cares. Anyway, there’s an amazing tracking shot in Dr Who and the Daleks, which follows one of the titular robots as it travels through a series of doors to join its coworkers. It’s simple, but effective, and let’s the viewer know that this wasn’t directed by a disinterested hack.
Whilst I’m sure dedicated fans of the Doctor Who television series get together and burn copies of Dr Who and the Daleks at conventions, this movie buff thought it was just delightful.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Exterminate!
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