Doctor Who - Dalek Invasion Of Earth Reviews

A Classic Rarely Matched

First up, the remaster is very good. Compared to my often watched VHS tapes, it's miles ahead, almost as if it was made recently but in black and white.

For some reason I always prefer the black and white Dalek stories to the colour ones - the Daleks seem to be more evil and scheming. The Dalek saying 'We are the masters of Earth, we are the masters of Earth' is so much scarier than the colour wobblers which appeared in later years.

The story is a true classic, one we can relate to because we know London. Strong performances from Hartnell, Russell and Wright all hit the mark while the secondary characters are also well written. The additional text commentary shows several interesting ideas which Terry Nation was thinking of putting into the script.

The all round package is superb. Credit to the BBC and the Restoration Team for a fantastic job - the best DVD release of 2003.

No Episodes on this DVD.

Beware! This disc is the 'Extras' such as interviews with cast members etc. There is not an episode of Doctor Who on the Disc.

In defence of the Slyther

Before i go any further I think i should point out that Bernard Cribbins does not

feature on this DVD.It's not the movie

it's the original Terry Nation TV story

starring William Hartnell,Jacqueline Hill and William Russell ( not the cast

currently listed on this site )Hurray!

Anyone who harps on about Dr Who's wobbly

sets obviously hasn't seen this production

dating from the days when they used imagination instead of money.Okay the Slyther has the DT's and the baby crocodile didn't convince but the dalek emerging from the Thames and the incidental music were excellent.The sliding doors on the dalek ship were superb examples of set design.

The satellite dishes on the daleks backs

look a bit naff today but the designers weren't at fault for not forseeing the lamentable effect of sky dishes 20 years later!

I have a low opinion of CGI but the flying saucers could definately have been improved simply by giving them 4 supporting strings instead of 1

( yes,yes flying a saucer really isn't rocket science hmmm )

The second CD is extras only so is non-essential, unless your an obsessive.

Interesting info on locations and set design and a double exposure film of Jacqueline's family playing golf with the black dalek.

Careful...

The title 'Doctor Who - Dalek Invasion Of Earth - Disc 2' might make you think that this disc contains part two of Dr Who - The Dalek Invasion of Earth, it doesn't. All six (fantastic) episodes are on Disc 1, this is a special features disc.

Having said that, the old Blue Peter footage that teaches you how to make no less than three kinds of edible Dalek (cake, sandwhich, walnut whip) is a must see!

Don't mention the Slither....

Full marks to the BBC?s Restoration Team for this top-notch presentation of the classic six-part story from 1964. I would not normally condone altering vintage television material through the addition of modern CGI wizardry. However, here it is done so sympathetically that you just have to applaud the invention of those responsible. The genuine ?retro? feel to these new state-of-the-art shots allow them slip seamlessly into the original footage, and one is left wondering whether some performances could be similarly enhanced through the application of modern technologies.

The story itself, although rather thin for two and a half hours, is good, solid stuff. There is also a mildly interesting commentary track running throughout the disc which is worth a listen. As for the Slither (I never new the Black Dalek kept pets), why on Earth the DVD compilers had to feature a vignette of this monstrosity?s life beyond Doctor Who is quite beyond me. It merely detracts from an otherwise quality product, enforcing the view that Doctor Who is cheap, nasty and a soft target for ridicule.

I think that the BBC should concentrate on restoring and releasing black and white Doctor Who material, and leave the colour stuff alone for a while.

The ultimate Dalek invasion of earth

Another great release & job done by the restoration team. For this 1964 recorded story looks superior now it's on dvd. A story that has aged well & can find little fault with.

I like the way we have the option to view the CGI bits over the dodgy (even for 1964 tv)string & background photo.

What makes this a great story for me is the clever chance the BBC had to film Daleks roaming in central London round world famous locations while it was closed down for a short while.

This is something that can never be done again & the BBC must have been very lucky to have been able to do so while the filming of this story was planned. Had this been mainly studio based with the same filming scenes planned it would have been a bit of a flop I'd have said.

This is another classic example of great early Dr Who storys. I suggest anyone wanting to view early Who & Daleks to get this title first.

41 years old, and still wonderful

One of the best Dr. Who stories I have watched so far, despite its age. DVD restoration is excellent, and a bumper 2nd disk of extra's - well done to the restoration team.

The story shoots along at a terrific pace, without getting confusing (often a problem with Dr. Who stories). The scenes are shot beautifully - seeing the Daleks rumble round London is breathtaking. Such a shame so many stories from the Hartnell and Troughton era are lost - in my opinion they are amongst the best Dr Who stories ever made.

One of the best ever

Fantasic Who story, with some very cool ideas. And Barbara rocks, she must have been a great role model for sixties girls. She doesn't scream once.

Much Better Than The Movie

Dodgy effects, some laughable hammy acting (the Robomen!) and black and white, but I loved every minute of this. Too young to have seen the William Hartnell series first time round it was a pleasure to watch this which I did in one sitting! Same story as the later big budget Peter Cushing 'Daleks Invade Earth' movie but, certainly in my opinion many times better if not as slick.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Fantastic story

This is a great Doctor Who story with very good scriptwriting and acting. The special effects are typical of low budget 1960s BBC (i.e. pretty useless at times), but if you overlook that and concentrate on the story and the plot you will find it enjoyable. We also get to find out what happened to the Doctor's granddaughter Susan in a radio interview on the second DVD, which is worth listening to.

If you are a fan of Doctor Who I would thoroughly recommend renting this DVD.