freakboy on film: DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. (The 2nd Great Hammer & Amicus Blogathon Edition)

Thank you to... 

Barry of Cinematic Catharsis 

http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/ 

and 

Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews 

https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/ 

...for bending their rules of time & space and allowing me to participate in The Second Great Hammer And Amicus Blogathon! 

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Outside TARDIS makes me geek out.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY PERSONAL TIME & SPACE WITH DOCTOR WHO...

I am a longtime Whovian.  My first Doctor was the Fourth Doctor.  My favorite classic Doctor is the Second Doctor.  My favorite contemporary Doctor is the Ninth Doctor.  My favorite classic companion is Sarah Jane Smith.  My favorite contemporary companion is Donna Noble.  My favorite baddie is the vicious, violent race of mutants called the Daleks, which is why I'm blogging about...

DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. 

                                    1966

                Screenplay by Milton Subotsky  

                   Directed by Gordon Flemyng 

My initial viewing of this big screen version of DOCTOR WHO was in the middle of the night on Turner Classic Movies.  I was entertained, but found the whole experience very bizarre.  That might be because I was watching in a hazy landscape of reality and sleep.  Subsequent, more awake viewings have acclimatized me to this non-canonical take on the classic British television series. 

Inside TARDIS is a bit cluttered.

The plot is a variation of a six-episode First Doctor story.  Dr. Who and his companions travel to Earth's bleak future and discover the humans, at least the ones who haven't been exterminated, have been enslaved by the Daleks.  Now it's up to our intrepid heroes, along with a band of resistance fighters, to figure out the Daleks' nefarious plan and stop them.  

Donna Noble's future grandfather and a non-canonical Doctor.

Peter Cushing makes for a decent Doctor and he seems to be having a jolly good time.  Maybe he was happy to take a break from Hammer horror.  Jill Curzon as Louise doesn't seem to have much to do other than going where the men go, but at least she isn't screaming at the sight of every Dalek.  I guess that's 1960's style progression for you.  Roberta Tovey plays Susan, Dr. Who's granddaughter, as a curious, precocious sweet kid.  Her biggest contribution to the plot is causing a pile of rubble to bury TARDIS, their space-time vessel, preventing their immediate escape from 2150 A.D. 

                            Nice going. Susan!

I must give special mention to Bernard Cribbins as policeman Tom Campbell.  His character, an accidental passenger aboard TARDIS, provides comic relief among the death the Daleks are raining down upon humanity, but it's what the actor would do in the future that I must note.  Over 40 years later, Bernard Cribbins returned to the WHO universe, this time very canonical, as Donna Noble's grandfather Wilfred Mott.  This filmic-television connection is why I enjoy DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. so much.  

Bathtime for Dalek is always a struggle.

In my mind, Tom Campbell becomes susceptible to time and space anomalies after his adventure with Dr. Who and company.  He eventually slides into our dimension, changes his name, gets married and eventually has a granddaughter named Donna.  Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but it helps me overlook the differences between the series and this film, along with the preceding film, DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS, also starring Peter Cushing.  (Look for a post from a fellow participant in this blogathon for more on the first film and televised differences.) 

The Daleks EXTERMINATE my alternate dimension theory.

In conclusion, DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. may not be the best example in the long, iconic history of DOCTOR WHO, but it's a fun, occasionally silly sci-fi romp for all ages.  Plus, one can never have enough Daleks, right? 

Dr. Who, Louise and Susan wave farewell to the Doctor Who film franchise.

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  I'm blogging about other films based on television series this month.

Here's a story...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2019/06/freakboy-on-film-brady-bunch-movie.html 

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My books & blogs...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html