Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (theatrical film)

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Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
Doctor: Dr. Who
Companions: Tom Campbell
Louise
Susan
Enemy:

The Daleks

Robomen (controlled)

Setting:
Writer: Terry Nation
Milton Subotsky
David Whitaker
Director: Gordon Flemyng
Producer: Max Rosenberg
Milton Subotsky
Cinematography: John Wilcox
Release Date: 26 July 1966
Format: Cinematic Theatrical Movie
Running Time: 84 minutes
Previous Movie: Dr. Who and the Daleks

Released in 1966, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. was the second and final feature film based on the Doctor Who television series. Adapted from the television serial DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the colour film stars Peter Cushing as a human scientist named "Dr. Who".

Synopsis

Policeman Tom Campbell stumbles into the TARDIS on a normal day and ends up being taken to 2150 A.D. by Dr. Who. The future seems to be deserted, but the group soon finds out that the world is currently being controlled by the evil Daleks. Those who have still survived are in hiding, to prevent them from being turned into Robomen. Dr. Who teams up with the survivors in order to take down the Daleks.

Plot

Tom Campbell, a policeman, is on his usual rounds when he is attacked by a man who has been sitting in his car outside a shop. After he has been beaten up he sees a nearby jewellery shop explode and two men emerge with bundles of stolen goods. They run into the waiting car and escape. In a daze Tom staggers towards a police box and opens it to discover it is Dr. Who's TARDIS. His injuries, combined with the shock of the TARDIS, cause him to faint. Dr. Who uses his scanners to see that there is a kerfuffle outside and leaves with Tom on board before anyone else makes the same mistake as he did.

When Tom awakes he is introduced to Dr. Who, Louise and Susan. He is eager to get out and report the crime – Dr. Who tells him this is impossible as the year is 2150 AD. Tom reacts to this news with scepticism and says he will report Dr. Who for wasting police time. He exits the TARDIS to find himself in a barren and deserted area of London. Tom is initially very confused. As the travellers go off to explore, Susan accidentally loosens some debris which causes part of a building to topple over, trapping the TARDIS in rubble. Dr. Who and Tom go off to find something to help loosen the debris, while Louise stays with Susan who has hurt her ankle. As Dr. Who and Tom explore an abandoned warehouse they see a figure in amongst some boxes, and discover it is a dead man dressed in futuristic clothing and wearing a helmet with a receiver in it.

Back at the TARDIS, Louise returns from getting water to bathe Susan's ankle to find her gone. A man grabs her and tells her that Susan has been taken to safety and that the two women should never have been out there at all. The man takes Louise with him to meet Susan.

Dr. Who and Tom go back to join Louise and Louise, but discover them gone. As Louise and her mysterious friend enter an abandoned Tube station, she is stopped in her tracks by the sight of a spaceship looming over London which Dr. Who and Tom also see.

In the tube station, Susan and Louise are reunited and the man who saved them both reveals himself to be called Wyler. He introduces them to the rest of the underground rebels who are fighting the alien species that are attacking London. A man named David goes out to look for Dr. Who and Tom on the advice of a very distressed Susan.

Back at the TARDIS Dr. Who and Tom are taken siege by the Robomen, who start firing guns at them; as they run they are trapped in by the river. Much to their shock, they see a Dalek emerge from the river. The men are captured and led away to one of the Dalek saucers. Little do they know David has been watching all this and will return to the tube station to share the bad news.

In the underground hideout Susan and Louise are introduced to the leader of the underground rebels, Dortmun – a disabled weapons expert. As they are introduced they are interupted by a radio bulletin from the Daleks urging all rebels to surrender themselves or face the wrath of the Dalek. Dortmun reveals to Louise and Susan that he has constructed a bomb that will bring the Daleks to their knees. He also explains to them how the Daleks took over Earth, through a strategic bout of meteor attacks and segregation. Dortmun expains the strangest act of the Daleks is to start a mining facility in Bedford staffed by human slaves. David returns to the underground network and tells the girls that their friends have been imprisoned and that the saucer is where Robomen are created. Dortmun, David and Wyler discuss how to take the Daleks down. Dortmun suggests dressing as Robomen and getting on to the saucer and then attacking from the inside.

As Dr. Who and Tom are led to the saucer, he explains to Tom that he has encountered the Daleks once before at the end of their civilisation, but that the TARDIS must have put them down much earlier on in their timeline. His story is interrupted by a prisoner named Thompson trying to escape. He is soon cornered and exterminated by the Daleks, who warn the other prisoners that this will be their fate if they try anything similar. Dr. Who, Tom and another prisoner named Craddock are locked in a cell; however Dr. Who soon discovers that the doors are powered through magnetics and uses a comb provided by Tom to break the magnetic attraction. However, as soon as he is free, the Daleks recapture him and say that he has passed the intelligence test and will be robotised along with Tom and Craddock. The men are led away. As they are prepared for the transfer, the rebel faction approach the ship. They are challenged at the top of the ramp by a Dalek which realises the trick. A battle ensues with many casualties on either side; however, this enables David and Wyler to help Dr. Who and Tom escape from the transfer, but they are unable to free Craddock, who ends up becoming robotised. Dr. Who and his companions soon get split up in the melee; Tom hides away inside the saucer, as does Louise who was part of the rebel faction. Dr. Who escapes from the ship with David who are pursued through London by the Daleks, They hide in a sewer network until the Daleks lose them. The bombs proved futile and while they caused damage to some Daleks did not damage their saucer at all. Tom disguises himself as a Roboman and joins a pack of Robomen in order to remain inconspicious on the saucer. Eventually, he is reunited with Louise and they hide away on the saucer together.

Back at the Underground station, Susan and Dortmun wait patiently for news of the siege. A badly injured Wyler returns to say that most of the men have been wiped out as the bomb was ineffective. When Susan asks about Dr. Who, Wyler confirms that he saw him escape with David The trio decide to go to Watford so they can access more weaponry. Susan leaves a message for Dr. Who written in chalk on the door of the station.

The Doctor and David return to the Underground station and find it deserted. Unaware of the message on the door, Dr. Who and David look through Dortmun's plans and incorrectly assume that he and Susan will have gone to Bedfordshire to examine the mining colony. David and Dr. Who decide to join them. As they leave the Underground station, they see the saucer take off unaware that Tom and Louise are still in there.

Dortmun, Wyler and Susan have come across a van which they intend to use to drive to Watford. Dortmun goes out to check if the coast is clear and sees a group of Daleks. On a whim he starts to attack them with his bombs. Frustrated with the futile effect of them, he throws the whole bag at them which cause the building he is standing next to to collapse and kill him. Wyler panics and starts to drive away. The disturbance has drawn a crowd of patrol Daleks which create a roadblock; Wyler accelerates and drives straight through, knocking Daleks aside like skittles. One of the Daleks reports to the saucer that a patrol has been breeched. The saucer redirects itself and fires a ray which blows up the van. Luckily Wyler and Susan have jumped to safety before the explosion.

When the saucer comes to land, Louise and Tom use a waste disposal chute to escape outside.where they find themselves in the mining colony and start to explore. They are befriended by a kindly stranger named Wells. However, when a Roboman starts questioning the group, Tom has to club the robotised man down. As the Roboman's absence will be noticed by the Daleks, Wells helps Louise and Tom to hide the body under a tarpaulin. He directs the pair to a small shed for the couple where they can hide until the trouble has died down.

Wyler and Susan are now forced to carry on with their journey on foot. They come across an old farm cottage where a woman and her mother live. The woman points a gun at the pair asking where they are going. Susan responds they are going to Bedfordshire – much to the confusion of Wyler. Eventually, the family welcome them in. Susan explains to Wyler that she is sure that Dr. Who would have seen all the Daleks in Watford and decided to go to Bedfordshire so they may as well go there too. The daughter of the family leaves her mother to look after the guests as she has errands to do. The mother offers the travellers some soup.

Dr. Who and David have arrived at Bedfordshire. Dr. Who suspects that they are trying to mine the magnetic core out of planet Earth and David says that Dortmun was sure that they were doing so to use the Earth as a massive spaceship that they could pilot around the universe. Dr. Who concurs that this is his view too. They are interrupted by a man named Brockley who threatens Dr. Who with a knife and takes David's gun to hold them hostage. Brockley says he is a black marketeer, who for a price will smuggle them into the camp. They wait in a cave until nightfall to make the move.

Back in the cottage, Wyler and Susan are asleep. However when the daughter returns, Wyler wakes and hears that the daughter has betrayed them to the Daleks in exchange for more food. As the pair try and escape, they come across the Daleks waiting for them outside, and are led away.

In the morning the two men are smuggled into the camp and by chance are led to the same shed where Louise and Tom are hiding out. They are soon joined by a man named Conway who is paying for food that Brockley has smuggled in. Dr. Who sets about using the shed as his HQ. Conway informs Dr. Who that the final stage of the Daleks' plan will take effect tonight. They are dropping a bomb to the very centre of the Earth that will ensure that they will be able to implement their own technology at the centre of the Earth and pilot it at their whim. Brockley says that he will be able to get a plan of the workings of the mine to help Dr. Who take the Daleks down. When Dr. Who gets the plans he realises that the bomb could be deflected which would mean that the explosion would trigger the polarities of the magnetic poles and cause a massive magnetic surge pinpointed at the mineshaft. He asks Tom and see if he can deflect the bomb in the shaft at all. He sends the others to hide elsewhere whilst he finetunes his plans. Soon Brockley returns to Dr. Who saying that he has something to show him. Dr. Who goes outside to find that he has been betrayed and the Daleks surround him. Brockley apologises, but the Doctor says that his betrayal was part of his plan. As Dr. Who is led away, the Daleks turn their weapons on Brockley. He retreats into the shed, but the Daleks open fire, causing the shed to explode and kill its occupant.

Tom has accessed the mine from the bottom and is slowly climbing to the very top where the Daleks' control centre lies. As he nears the top the Daleks are preparing the bomb. However they interupted by the Doctor who has been reunited with Susan and Wyler who have also been taken on the ship. The Doctor is led into the main control panel of the theatre as they think him the leader of the rebels. He tells the Daleks that he knows their weakness and simultaneously tells Tom, who he sees down the shaft, at what angle to place the wooden slats he has found in order to deflect the bomb in just the right way to trigger the strong magnetic force he desires. To further disrupt the Dalek operation as well as give Tom more time Dr. Who utilises the microphone with which the Daleks control the Robomen and orders them to attack the Daleks. This rebellion is soon crushed by the Daleks and the countdown for the bomb is started. The bomb is launched by which time Tom has created the diversion. the bomb goes off which causes the magnetic surge. the Daleks are all pulled into the mine shaft or crushed against walls or caves. The Daleks try to escape in their saucer, but the magnetic force forces the ship to crash. Dr. Who informs Wyler that the Daleks will never return to this planet as this was their warning.

Back on the TARDIS Tom asks to be taken back to a few minutes before the robbery took place. He waves goodbye to Dr. Who before he goes to the car of the getaway driver and knocks him out and takes his place at the driver's seat. When the criminals rush out the building they find a policeman waiting for them who knocks them both out and drives them to the police station anticipating his promotion.

Cast

Crew

Story notes

  • This film has at least two different spellings of its title; Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. which is used in the actual film's title sequence and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. which was used in the original film's trailer.
    Film titles: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
    Trailer titles: Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
  • More than 40 years later, co-star Bernard Cribbins returned to the world of Doctor Who, voicing a character for the 2007 Big Finish Productions audio drama Horror of Glam Rock and, later, making several appearances as Wilfred Mott beginning in DW: Voyage of the Damned.
  • Philip Madoc later appeared in four television stories: The Krotons, The War Games, The Brain of Morbius and The Power of Kroll.
  • Sugar Puffs contributed to the budget of this film, and as a result there is product placement throughout the movie.
  • André Morell was offered the role of Wyler, but could not accept because he had signed to star in the four-part story DW: The Massacre with William Hartnell, which clashed with the filming dates.
  • The film's original trailer had no (direct) references to Doctor Who, TARDIS, or Daleks.

Myths

  • A third film, based on DW: The Chase and titled Daleks vs. Mechons, was filmed but subsequently lost in a fire. A trailer discovered in the basement of a church in northern England in 2009. The supposed "trailer" was fanmade, as the graphics were too advanced for circa 1967. Although a third film was planned as an adaptation of "The Chase", it was shelved with no work done following the second movie's failure at the box office.

Filming Locations

Plot Holes, Errors and Mistakes

  • When the van rams through the ranks of blue/silver Daleks in the street, some of those knocked flying and destroyed are clearly seen to be completely empty casings.
  • Wires are visible on the Dalek saucer in almost all shots of it flying.
  • When the red Dalek falls down the shaft, there is a very clear shot of its base with three small furniture casters (though it must be a dummy, as there is no hole for the operator's feet to protrude).
  • Observing the Dalek saucer, the Doctor notes that it seems to be landing in the vicinity of Sloane Square. There is then a lengthy shot in which it is shown to be continuing in level flight for what must be several miles over London (with no apparent intention of landing) before we finally get a close-up of it descending.
  • The Dalek mine is set in Bedfordshire. We see the encampment with high mountains beyond. Bedfordshire is a county of low rolling hills, with virtually no rock.
  • The Dalek in the Thames does not flash its lights when addressing the Robomen.
  • Why isn't there an explanation for Ian and Barbara's absence? They had appeared in the first film.
  • When Dortman dies he moves his legs, despite the fact that he's disabled.
  • One Dalek sees Dr. Who run to the Roboman controls but then looks up anyway, and why don't they kill him while he's telling the Robomen to attack?
  • When the Black Dalek drops a Roboman into the mine shaft the Roboman is heavy enough to break the Dalek's claw off, yet in a later scene his claw has suddenly reappeared, reatached.
  • When the Black and Red Daleks fall down the mine shaft they are obviously models, because they are now completely out of shape. The necks have gotten taller, the dome lights slimmer, and loads more hemispheres. A silver model dalek is also seen at the controls later, before it blows up.
  • When the Dalek ship crashes into the mine, for a split second the exploding model that does not revolve can be seen.
  • If Tom was taken back to a few minutes before he met the Doctor he would have encountered a previous version of himself - an event that causes time lapses.
  • Their was obviously not enough budget for this film to construct a new TARDIS interior set. If you look closely as Tom enters the TARDIS, their is clearly no wall surrounding the doors. The set's background appears to be a mere two-dimensional cut-out against black studio curtains. This is why the floor can be seen behind the doors (which technically would be outside the TARDIS).
  • In the closing shot of Dr. Who, Susan and Louise waving at Tom, you can see the real TARDIS interior. This is the only disadvantage of the doors opening outwards instead of inwards like they do in the TV series (and of course the windows not being covered up from inside).

Continuity

Timeline

TV to film changes

Here are a few of the notable plot changes made between the TV version of the story and the film (not including the fundamental differences involving the character of Dr. Who himself):

  • Ian and Barbara are replaced by Tom and Louise.
  • The Daleks exterminate their enemies using some sort of gas.
  • The Doctor breaks out of the cell in the Dalek's saucer using a comb rather than Hartnell's more advanced form of intelligence test.
  • In the siege of the Dalek saucer far more Daleks are killed than in Day of Reckoning
  • In this version Dr. Who, Tom, Louise and Susan journey to the mine in different ways. Dr. Who goes with David, Susan travels with Dortmun, and Tom Campbell and Louise use a Dalek ship (in the original, the Doctor and Susan go with David, Barbara travels with Dortmun and Ian uses the Dalek ship.)
  • In the TV version, David and Susan use the sewers to avoid the Daleks - the only time that a sewer is featured in the film is when David and the Doctor briefly hide from the pursuing Daleks in one.
  • In the TV version the black maketeer endeavours to smuggle Ian out of the camp, the same character in the film is smuggling the Doctor and David into the camp.
  • The film doesn't feature the Slyther.
  • In Bedfordshire the Daleks in the film seem to have some kind of building as their HQ rather than using the saucer as was the case in DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
  • The Roboman rebellion is not the undoing of the Daleks in the film version. In fact, it is dealt with swiftly by the Daleks.
  • The resolution is slightly different: in the TV version the bomb is used diverted to the Daleks' ship to destroy them, but in the film it's the Earth's magnetic properties.
  • In DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth, robotising a human was a irreversible process, however in the film Robomen are seen fleeing from the mine as their regular human selves.
  • Since Susan is depicted as a child in the film (rather than a teenager as in the TV version), the original subplot of the character's romance with David and being left behind by the Doctor is eliminated.

DVD, Video and Other Releases

Super 8 Releases

Video Releases

  • Released in the UK in 1982 on VHS and Beta by Thorn EMI.
  • Released in US in 1985 by Thorn EMI.
  • Released in Japan in 1992 on VHS by King Video/Tohokushinsha Film Co.
  • Released in Australia in 1990 by Warner Home Video.
  • Re-released in US in 1994 by Lumiere.
  • Re-released in UK in 1996 by Warner Home Video.

DVD Releases

Region 4 Australian DVD release, 2001
  • Released in Australia in 2001 by Universal / Studio Canal as a double release with Dr. Who and the Daleks. and 1995 Dalekmania documentary in the 'Doctor Who and the Daleks...' boxset.
  • Released in US in 2001 by Anchor Bay as a single disc and as a double release with Dr. Who and the Daleks. and 1995 Dalekmania documentary in 'The Doctor Who Movie Collection' boxset.
  • Released in UK in 2002 by Studio Canal/Warner as a double release with Dr. Who and the Daleks.and 1995 Dalekmania documentary in'The Dr Who Movie Collection' boxset and 'The Dr Who - The Motion Pictures'(Gold Edition) boxset.
  • Released in UK in 2006 by Studio Canal/Optimum as a double release with Dr Who and the Daleks and 1995 Dalekmania documentary in the 'Doctor Who:The Dalek Collection' boxset.
  • Released in France (as 'Les Daleks Envahissent La Terre') in 2001 by Canal+ video. with original French soundtrack. and 1995 Dalekmania documentary.
  • Released in Spain (as 'Los Daleks Invaden la Tierra 2150 AD') in 2009 by Universal Pictures Iberia S.L. with original Spanish soundtrack. (original Spanish title: 'Los Machinos Invaden La Tierra 2150 AD)

Novelisations

No novelisation of the screenplay was ever published, however the original teleplay, The Dalek Invasion of Earth was eventually novelised by Terrance Dicks in 1977 as Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth.

See also

Dr. Who and the Daleks

External links

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