Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 10, 2020

Gordon Flemyng's "Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D." (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer; video interview with actor Bernard Cribbins; video interview with writer Gareth Owen; new audio commentary by critic Kim Newman, screenwriter/writer Robert Shearman, and actor/writer Mark Gatiss; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Danger, danger

Detective Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins, The Wrong Arm of the Law, Carry On Spying) accidentally enters the Tardis -- which looks a lot like a phone booth -- moments before Dr. Who (Peter Cushing, The Blood Beast Terror) sends it into the year 2150. The detective does not believe Dr. Who when he calmly explains to him that they are in the future, but after he steps out of Tardis he immediately changes his mind.

In the year 2150, London is in ruins. The Daleks have arrived and robotized the majority of the human race. (A robotized person does exactly what the Daleks tell him to do without ever questioning their orders). The few that have survived have gone deep underground, hoping that one day they could rise and defeat the alien invaders. They don't have the right weapons yet but their leaders are convinced that it is only a matter of time before they will be able to build them.

Accompanied by his niece Louise (Jill Curzon, TV's Quick Before They Catch Us) and grand-daughter Susan (Roberta Tovey), Dr. Who and the detective begin exploring the city. Not too far away from the London subway, the Daleks capture them and quickly send them to their spaceship where they are prepared for robotizing. Louise and Susan manage to escape and join a group of rebels hiding in the London subway.

Meanwhile, the Daleks begin drilling in a nearby mine, hoping to reach the Earth’s metal core. With the help of sophisticated machines, the Daleks plan to detonate the metal core and transform the Earth into a giant spaceship that they will be able to move around the universe.

The action in this sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks is on an entirely different level. There is a bigger number of Daleks that are all over London hunting the rebels and then quickly robotizing them so that they can follow their orders. The shootouts and the explosions are also far more elaborate than those seen in the first film.

The colonized London also looks quite good. As Dr. Who and his companions make their way through the demolished city, a lot of the visuals remind of those seen in Roy Ward Baker’s Quatermass and the Pit. (Andrew Keir also has a prominent role in the film).

There are splashes of humor again, but this film is unquestionably darker than the first one. The Daleks here are also definitely not as naive as those in the first film - they are far better informed about their opponents and harder to outsmart.

Bill McGuffie’s music score is also superior to Malcolm Lockkyer’s score. It blends terrific jazz and psychedelic themes which effectively enhance the film’s exotic atmosphere. Some wonderful audio effects are also included for the Daleks.

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. was lensed by cinematographer John Wilcox, who also teamed up with Andrew Flemyng on Doctor Who: Dr. Who and the Daleks. Like Dr. Who and the Daleks, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. was also shot in Techniscope.

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Doctor Who: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This release is sourced from the same digitally restored master that StudioCanal used to produce this region-B release in 2013. The master is very nice but slightly less convincing than the one StudioCanal produced for Dr. Who and the Daleks. Indeed, during larger panoramic shots delineation and depth should be better. How much better? Well, the difference won't be dramatic, but with stronger definition and depth the entire film would appear sharper. Currently, it just feels marginally softer than it should. On this release, the gamma levels are again more convincing, but the difference is very small. Color balance and saturation are convincing, though from time to time it seems like the visuals could be a tad lusher. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no distracting age-related imperfections, such as debris, cuts, stains, marks, etc. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

ONce the opening credits appear on your screen you should have a pretty good idea what to expect from the lossless track. The music is sharp, clear, and produces some quite good dynamic contrasts with the sound effects. However, my sense is that the sound could be slightly fuller, especially during the action scenes where there are crashes and mass activity. There are no age-related anomalies to report.

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critic Kim Newman, screenwriter/writer Robert Shearman, and actor/writer Mark Gatiss. If you have already listened to the new audio commentary the three gentlemen recorded for Dr. Who and the Daleks then you should have an excellent idea of what to expect from this commentary -- in terms of style and substance, it is virtually identical. Indeed, it contains a lot of interesting information about the film's production history and reception, visual style and tone, the careers of the people that made it, the era in which it emerged as well as Dalekmania, etc.

• Dalekmania - a documentary film focusing on the production history of Dr. Who and the Daleks featuring clips from interviews with Marcus Hearn, former editor of Bizarre & Hammer Horror, Gary Gillatt, editor of Doctor Who Magazine, Terry Nation, scriptwriter and Dalek creator, actors Roberta Tovey (Susan), Barrie Ingham (Alydon) and Yvonne Antrobus (Dyoni). Jill Curzon (Louise) and stuntman Eddie Powell also discuss their contributions to Doctor Who: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.. The documentary, which was produced by Lumiere Pictures, is dedicated to the memories of Peter Cushing and Roy Castle. In English, not subtitled. (58 min, 480/60i).

• Interview with Bernard Cribbins - in this video interview, actor Bernard Cribbins, who plays detective Tom Campbell, discusses Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., his contribution to the film and interactions with Peter Cushing during the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Gareth Owen - Gareth Owen, author of The Shepperton Story, discusses the production history of Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Restoring Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. - in this featurette, Jo Botting, curator at the BFI National Archive explains why the sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks was shot in Techniscope. Film and television historian Marcus Hearn also discusses the production history of the film. Paul Collard, vice president of film and digital services at Deluxe, also explains what type of elements were used for the restoration of the film and discusses the color grading process. Also included are additional comments by Ian Pickford, content mastering manager at Deluxe, and Lisa Copson (digital restoration operator at Deluxe). In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - remastered trailer for Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Dr. Who and the Daleks
  2. The Quatermass Xperiment
  3. Journey to the Seventh Planet
  4. Chosen Survivors

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I like this film better than Dr. Who and the Daleks. It has a darker ambience and a lot more action which bring it closer to The Quatermass Xperiment. (At the time when the film was released, the British critics argued exactly the opposite). Kino Lorber's release is sourced from the same restored master that was used by StudioCanal to produce the Region-B release f the film in 2013. It retains all of the bonus features from the overseas' release and adds a brand new and very good commentary by critic Kim Newman, screenwriter/writer Robert Shearman, and actor/writer Mark Gatiss. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.