A long time ago in an era far far removed from the present-day shenanigans of Dr. Who there were two movies. Two movies that have been long forgotten about despite them starring the mighty Peter Cushing as the Doctor and the feverish devotion you get with modern fanbases.
At first glance I found this hard to believe, I am not a fan of Dr. Who in any way but I was surprised to find out that these two movies were kinda ignored by the fanbase. I just assumed they fit into the lore or timeline at some point back in the early days. Upon further reading I discovered that both movies are actually entirely separate from the TV series and are simply stand-alone remakes (of early series) that are not very popular with the fanbase.
Why are these movies not very popular? Well it seems parts of the Dr. Who canon has been changed. They don't fit into the TV series timeline and unfortunately they aren't seen as being very good. I can understand this as this first adventure is pretty basic. The plot centres around Dr. Who and co accidentally getting transported to another planet somewhere, accidentally getting captured by Daleks, and having to defeat them with the help of friendlier aliens.
Right from the get-go, despite my lack of Whovian knowledge, I could tell this wasn't the same as the famous BBC show. As already mentioned Peter Cushing is the Doctor here, which is inspired casting no doubt, but you don't really get the quirky eccentric Doctor we are all used to. What we get is essentially Peter Cushing doing his usual polite and charming kooky scientist/inventor routine which doesn't really fit the bill and plays out more like a Doug McClure adventure. The plot also puts the Doctor at a point where he's just invented the Tardis so everything, again, feels closer to any manner of classic adventure flicks involving crazy machines going to outlandish places like the moon, centre of the Earth, bottom of the sea etc...Loved the huge red lever to activate the Tardis.
Another huge problem for this movie is the lack of scope (probably down to budget). I'm sure back in the day this may have looked impressive but looking back...not so much. The main issue being the sets, the obvious sets. Everything looks so confined with no depth or scale. This feels like a very small planet and limited adventure. All the props look flimsy and horribly fake. The costumes are typically dated and very drab-looking. The action is hokey as hell, and the Humanoid alien race known as 'Thals' look like the worst type of original Star Trek alien ever. And what was that big frozen dinosaur type thing that appeared to be frozen in place? That went nowhere.
The highlight (other than Roy Castle's hilariously cringeworthy performance) is of course the Daleks themselves. These extremely popular robotic trolleys have somehow become feared and loved by children and adults for as far back as I can remember, and I just don't know why. I can't deny they are a unique and original design and I have always liked the idea of a small alien creature having to exist inside its own little tank, but in this they are bad (not in a good way). What we really have are ropey-looking bumper cars trundling around very slowly firing bursts of fire extinguisher foam at actors that are trying to escape slowly to give the Daleks an impression of some speed, aggression, and intimidation. The result is often a giggle-inducing scene where a Dalek will attack and go after someone very very slowly whilst trying not to bump into props and scenery.
I think the real crime here is the movie is boring, nothing really exciting happens, nothing keeps you on the edge of your seat. Another glaring crime is the fact the Daleks aren't threatening at all. Sure they may have been back in the day but now? Forget about it. There is never any real peril because everything looks like a Blue Peter set with the odd nice prop and one nice matte painting. Heck they even chuck in some lava lamps as set decor for flip's sake. And lastly, the main man, the Doctor, doesn't really do anything either. Cushing certainly looks the part but they give him nothing to do! Criminal! I think anyone who is unaware of Dr. Who and likes old hammy sci-fi will get a kick outta this, but in all honesty, who is in that boat being unaware of Dr. Who?
4/10
