Pop Culture Movies and More: Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)

When Dr. Who shows his time machine, the 'TARDIS', to the clumsy Ian, the boyfriend of his granddaughter Barbara, he accidentally transports them and Dr. Who's granddaughter Susan somewhere unknown in space and time. They land on the petrified planet of Skaro where they spot a city. Exploring further, they venture into the city only to find no one there. However, they are captured by the Daleks, deadly mutants living inside metal casings who kill anything and everything that crosses their path. They soon learn that the Daleks have been at war with another race known as the Thals and their nuclear war destroyed the planet, petrifying everything. When the Doctor and friends escape the clutches of the Daleks, they come into contact with the Thals, who are much kinder and help them to fight back against the tyranny of the Daleks. I cannot stress enough how much I adore this film. I grew up watching it, alongside the sequel, repeatedly and they have always held a very special place in my heart. They are still two of my favourite films today and continue to be rewatched in my household. This film is the first of two Dalek stories to introduce Doctor Who to the big screen following the Dalekmania craze of the 1960s. Dr. Who and the Daleks, alongside its sequel's story, follows the first two Dalek stories shown from the BBC show: Doctor Who (TV Series 1963-1989) featuring the first Doctor - William Hartnell in 1963. These two stories were given to Gordon Flemyng who brought them to cinemas, and best of all, in colour, unlike the original serials, which were filmed in black and white. I, personally, have loved the Daleks my whole life, especially from a young age and this film along with its sequel was a big influence on my favouritism of the characters. I was first introduced to them in the revival era of Doctor Who (TV Series 2005-2017) when I was growing up, which fuelled my interest in the menacing creatures and led to my discovery of the two films. Taking the role of the Doctor is Peter Cushing who is one of my favourite actors of all time mainly for his roles in many of the Hammer Horrors movies and his iconic role as Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). This film made many changes to the show's version of the stories like making the Doctor a human scientist rather than an alien called a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey and changing Barbara who was Susan's Teacher alongside Ian in the serials into his granddaughter and her boyfriend. They also made the TARDIS a creation of the Doctor and Susan rather than his alien spaceship. These changes ultimately make this film feel like its own product rather than being a carbon copy of the show whilst keeping most details and plot points the same, condensing the drawn-out stories into one feature-length adventure. Both of the original stories that were given the rights to big-screen adaptations are some of the best in the show's creation and led to two even greater pieces of sci-fi. I think many aspects of the film were greatly improved upon from the show, especially in terms of the scope. For example, the use of matte paintings enhanced the scale of mountains and backdrops to the final confrontation between the Thals and Daleks. That massive battle at the end is simply epic and easily the most exciting sequence and a highlight for me. I loved seeing the Daleks in all their bright and vibrant colours, which wasn't fully felt in the show during its black and white years and allowed for the Daleks to have much more variety of colours like the mainly silver with blue to the more interesting black with gold and red colour schemes. I must also give credit to the music composed by Malcolm Lockyer, which brings so much energy and groovy 60s vibes into every scene. Overall, I adore this film and nothing can ever change that. I will forever remember this film for playing a special part in my childhood. It is so much fun and a phenomenal science fiction adventure. Also, if you are a huge fan of the Daleks and Doctor Who then why not check out these films that were a result of the show and the villain's popularity? Also, check out the follow-up movie, and my favourite, Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966).