One the best British sci-fi films (Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (DVD))

Member Name: lordsnooty

Product:	Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (DVD)
Date:	30/09/02 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great acting, A classic story, Excellent music

Disadvantages: Blatant product placement (for Sugar Puffs)

I have never been able to fully understand why this title is so often overlooked. It seems to come together so beautifully that I'm amazed it's not widely considered to be a classic. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that it doesn't fit into Doctor Who continuity, so many fans shun it. On the other hand, 'proper' sci-fi buffs probably reject it on the basis that it was essentially aimed at kids when it was released. But delve closer and you'll find that it's really not as childish as you might assume.

The story is based quite closely on the 1964 Doctor Who story, The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It's been condensed and simplified considerably from the massive six-episode TV version, but it doesn't really suffer much as a result. The plot is straightforward - Daleks have invaded the earth, and destroyed most of the population. The survivors are forced into slave labour, whilst a small but determined resistance movement wages a futile war against the tin-plated invaders.

In many ways it's a homage to the WW2 resistance movies. The resistance is characterised primarily by three characters - Wyler (Andrew 'Quatermass' Keir) is the older, more sensible cloth-cap-wearing cynic, David (Ray 'Cathy Come Home' Brooks) is the young, gum-chewing, headstrong heart-throb, and Dortmunn (Godfrey Quigley) is the wheelchair bound scientist who refuses to give up. The actors are almost universally brilliant. Peter Cushing is The Doctor, and the exceptional talents of Philip Madoc are used to great effect in his casting as Brockley.

The Doctor, along with his granddaughter Susan, neice Louise and policeman Tom (an accidental stowaway on the TARDIS, played by Bernard Cribbins) land on Earth in the year 2150AD. They find London deserted, but Susan and Louise soon meet up with the resistance. Soon after, the Doctor and Tom get captured by the Daleks in a memorable scene in which a Dalek slowly emer
ges from the dark depths of the Themes.

The expected set-pieces are here - a wonderfully choreographed attack on the Dalek saucer, a van smashing through a Dalek patrol in the deserted steets of post-apocalyptic London, a large mine-working and the inevitable showdown inside the Dalek HQ (decorated, as one would expect, with a wealth of colourful flashing buttons).

It's quite gritty in many ways. Despite being essentially colourful and loud, it does have quieter, menacing moments and some fairly horrible death sequences, including stabbings and shootings. It's nowhere near as dark as the TV original, but it's not all loud bangs and fast-moving action sequences.

The Robomen are pretty decent too. The brain-dead slaves of the Daleks, the Robomen are not presented as machine-gun toting zombies like they were in the TV serial. Instead, they are bin-liner clad troops, with futuristic laser weapons and motorcycle helmets with built in radio recievers.

The special effects are mostly excellent. The Dalek saucer is a masterpiece of model work, far surpassing anything seen in the 26 year history of the TV series. It stands up even today as a wonderfully realistic model, filmed in a way that gives it a real sense of scale. The explosions are suitably big, and the stunts are incredible. Watch out for the amazing stunt near the beginning, where an unfortunate character falls from a roof, down several stories, through an awning and onto a pile of bricks. The stuntman (also, coincidentally, the man who was inside the alien suit in Ridley Scott's 'Alien') broke his ankle during that stunt, but his professionalism is evident from the fact that he continues acting regardless!

I couldn't write a review of this film without mentioning the music. Bill McGuffie produced an astonishing soundtrack, with plenty of really fantastic tunes. The most memorable, 'Fugue for Thought' (played during the opening scene,
where Tom is on his beat) was released as a single. All the way through, McGuffie's rich music complements the action perfectly.

British cinema produced a lot of classic Sci-fi in the 50s and 60s, but this film must surely stand out as one of the most impressive. A vision of post-apocalyptic England that stands the test of time. My only real gripe is that the film is supposedly set in 2150AD, when to all intents and purposes, the setting is 1965. If you can suspend disbelief - or somehow force yourself to believe that 1965 'old man' fashions suddenly become stylish in 2150AD, then this is a film you can't afford to miss.

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