With the help of Special Effects expert Ted Samuels and fellow Cinematographer John Wilcox (1905 - 1979), who having both worked on the 1965 Dr. Who and the Daleks, have brought us, along with a great Art Department, a futuristic, barren wilderness landscape that is the concrete jungle of a war torn London. This is pure 1960's melodramatic pomp, with its, sometimes colourful but delightful aesthetic workmanship, making this a timeless classic.
From the Production and movie making team, once more, that was Max Rosenberg (1914 - 2004), and Milton Subotsky (1921 - 1991), who released Oliver Stone's first feature length movie Seizure (1974), bought a bigger budget, Aaru Productions, via Amicus, had given the green light for a £286,000 worth of a second sci-fi escapism flick. The money is extremely well spent, particularly for a movie that is classed in the low-budget category, with greatest of detail to the dead City, a derelict City of abandonment with its rubble streets, ghostly dwellings and dangerous alleyways that are patrolled by the dreaded Robomen and Daleks alike.
To advance the gross budget, we see an early example of what is so common for today's movie standards: Product Placing. Here we see posters for the cereal Sugar Puffs. Also, if you do spot it, there is also a banner advertising Castrol Oil, the vehicles couldn't really run on thin air.
Directed, again, by the late Gordon Flemyng (1934 - 1995), he has given the lead role back to Peter Cushing O.B.E. (Officer of the British Empire), who, allegedly, asked for the return of Roberta Tovey, playing the young Susan, as supporting actress, and reprising his role as the lovable and adventurous time travelling grandfather. The support cast differs from the first instalment, with character and comedy actor Bernard Cribbins, as Special Constable Tom Campbell, with a more mature and involving perspective, Tom Campbell is a character that can be relied upon should trouble arise. Retrospectively, there is just one scene that does have our time travelling companion looking rather inept and foolish, put in no doubt to appease to the actors comic appeal, it gives the impression of lampooning slapstick, this is the wrong time and the wrong place for such silliness.
The other trait of the negative persuasion that Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. has, considering the huge budget, is one of worst musical soundtracks ever to stumble across the movie screen, by Barry Grey (1908 - 1984), and Bill McGuffie (1927 - 1987). It gives this movie no atmosphere, the electronic music used here is simply dreadful, be more afraid of hearing this than the cry of the Daleks, "Exterminate".
The late Welch born Terry Nation had conceived the original idea for Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. from the television series from the nineteen sixty-four The Dalek Invasion of Earth series, which, controversially, at times, is known as World's End.
There are differences, of course, between the original television series and the 1966 movie, each works well in their respective genres, where Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. does shine is the magnificent intricacies of the set pieces and their design that give the movie a true concept of realism. The script is passable and the overall story is fine and basic, but as a money-spinner. This one failed to exceed the anticipation of the first movie; maybe the excessive hype from the first movie had taken its toll. This was bigger and bolder, and it shows, it really is a shame that it never triggered of the third movie in the pipeline The Chase, but that's history now, and this is still a great little movie, time again and again and again.
From the Production and movie making team, once more, that was Max Rosenberg (1914 - 2004), and Milton Subotsky (1921 - 1991), who released Oliver Stone's first feature length movie Seizure (1974), bought a bigger budget, Aaru Productions, via Amicus, had given the green light for a £286,000 worth of a second sci-fi escapism flick. The money is extremely well spent, particularly for a movie that is classed in the low-budget category, with greatest of detail to the dead City, a derelict City of abandonment with its rubble streets, ghostly dwellings and dangerous alleyways that are patrolled by the dreaded Robomen and Daleks alike.
To advance the gross budget, we see an early example of what is so common for today's movie standards: Product Placing. Here we see posters for the cereal Sugar Puffs. Also, if you do spot it, there is also a banner advertising Castrol Oil, the vehicles couldn't really run on thin air.
Directed, again, by the late Gordon Flemyng (1934 - 1995), he has given the lead role back to Peter Cushing O.B.E. (Officer of the British Empire), who, allegedly, asked for the return of Roberta Tovey, playing the young Susan, as supporting actress, and reprising his role as the lovable and adventurous time travelling grandfather. The support cast differs from the first instalment, with character and comedy actor Bernard Cribbins, as Special Constable Tom Campbell, with a more mature and involving perspective, Tom Campbell is a character that can be relied upon should trouble arise. Retrospectively, there is just one scene that does have our time travelling companion looking rather inept and foolish, put in no doubt to appease to the actors comic appeal, it gives the impression of lampooning slapstick, this is the wrong time and the wrong place for such silliness.
The other trait of the negative persuasion that Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. has, considering the huge budget, is one of worst musical soundtracks ever to stumble across the movie screen, by Barry Grey (1908 - 1984), and Bill McGuffie (1927 - 1987). It gives this movie no atmosphere, the electronic music used here is simply dreadful, be more afraid of hearing this than the cry of the Daleks, "Exterminate".
The late Welch born Terry Nation had conceived the original idea for Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. from the television series from the nineteen sixty-four The Dalek Invasion of Earth series, which, controversially, at times, is known as World's End.
There are differences, of course, between the original television series and the 1966 movie, each works well in their respective genres, where Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. does shine is the magnificent intricacies of the set pieces and their design that give the movie a true concept of realism. The script is passable and the overall story is fine and basic, but as a money-spinner. This one failed to exceed the anticipation of the first movie; maybe the excessive hype from the first movie had taken its toll. This was bigger and bolder, and it shows, it really is a shame that it never triggered of the third movie in the pipeline The Chase, but that's history now, and this is still a great little movie, time again and again and again.