Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 9, 2020

Gordon Flemyng's "Dr. Who and the Daleks" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; video interview with writer Gareth Owen; restoration featurette; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Where are we?

The great Peter Cushing is Dr. Who, an eccentric inventor who has created Tardis, a sophisticated time machine. Accompanied by his two grand-daughters, Susan (Roberta Tovey) and Barbara (Jennie Linden, Women in Love, A Severed Head), Dr. Who decides to show his creation to Ian (Roy Castle), Barbara’s boyfriend, but an accident occurs and Tardis transports its occupants to the mysterious planet Skaro. After searching the landing area, Dr. Who and his three companions conclude that Skaro must have been devastated by a nuclear war.

Not too far away from Tardis, the time travelers discover a giant metal city populated by the Daleks, evil mutants living inside metal casings designed to protect them from the radiation in Skaro’s atmosphere. The Daleks capture Dr. Who and his companions to study their immune system.

Soon after, Dr. Who learns that the Daleks are getting ready to eliminate their enemies, the Thals. Like the Daleks, the Thals have also been forced by the radiation to change the way they live. However, unlike the Daleks, the Thals have sworn to live in peace.

While the Daleks are preparing to drop a giant nuclear bomb that will wipe out their enemies, Dr. Who and his three companions manage to escape from the metal city and contact the leader of the Thals. However, much to Dr. Who’s disappointment, he refuses to believe that the Daleks are planning to exterminate the Thals.

Gordon Flemyng’s Dr. Who and the Daleks was the first big film adaptation of the classic British TV series. The film, which was shot in Techniscope and completed in 1965, also marked the first time the good Doctor was seen in color.

The plot of Dr. Who and the Daleks is fairly simple. The film also looks rather simple, which shouldn’t be surprising considering the fact that its budget was very low. In the audio commentary included on this disc, it is noted that the sets were so small and the decors so basic that different sequences had to be shot using the exact same materials. For example, there were only a couple of the strange flowers Susan discovers early into the film which had to be used multiple times.

The simple, often even minimalistic decors, however, make the film look quite stylish. In fact, with a different soundtrack and a few minor adjustments in the script, this reviewer believes that Dr. Who and the Daleks easily could have been one of the best psychedelic adventure films ever made.

As it is Dr. Who and the Daleks has enough to appeal to older fans of the classic TV series as well as younger fans who don’t mind seeing something different with their favorite characters. The outcome of the confrontation between the Daleks and the Thals is easy to figure out, but the journey through the colorful planet Skaro is definitely worth seeing. Considering the production’s limitations, the great Peter Cushing is also particularly good as the eccentric inventor who amidst all the chaos has to figure out a way to restart Tardis.

Dr. Who and the Daleks was lensed by cinematographer John Wilcox, who also teamed up with director Gordon Flemyng on its sequel, Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dr. Who and the Daleks arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same digitally restored master that the folks at StudioCanal used to produce this Region-B release in 2013. I was able to spot only one minor discrepancy between the two. This release has better gamma levels. The shift is very small but it does affect the dynamic range of the visuals. (If you have a player that automatically adjusts gamma levels, like the PS3/PS4, you are likely not going to notice the difference). The rest looks identical. Clarity and fluidity are very nice, and despite some native fluctuations the visuals frequently boast wonderful depth as well. I think that ideally delineation should be slightly better, but this is a very minor complaint. The color scheme is convincing. There are nicely saturated primaries with proper ranges of supporting nuances. Can they be even better? Possibly, but I don't think that the difference would be significant. As it is the master already has very healthy color values. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no distracting large debris, cuts, marks, stains, or other similar age-related imperfections. (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).

Dr. Who and the Daleks 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

When the film was remastered the audio was redone as well. It is stable, clear, and free of age-related anomalies. The upper register is very healthy, but from time to time I get the feeling that perhaps the high-frequencies should be opened up just a tiny bit more. Regardless, the lossless audio track is very solid.

Dr. Who and the Daleks 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. The three gentlemen share a lot of interesting information about the conception and production of Dr. Who and The Daleks, Peter Cushing's performance (Newman argues that it is one of his weakest), the '60s and the Dalekmania, the TV show, 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 Gareth Owen - in this archival video interview, Gareth Owen, author of The Shepperton Story, discusses the history and timeless appeal of Dr. Who and the Daleks. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Restoring Dr. Who and the Daleks - film and television historian Marcus Hearn, BFI National Archive curator Jo Botting, Deluxe senior colorist Steve Bearman, Deluxe restoration supervisor Tom Barrett, and Deluxe content mastering manager Ian Pickford discuss the production history and new restoration of Dr. Who and the Daleks. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - remastered trailer for Dr. Who and the Daleks. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 480/60i).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
  2. They Came from Beyond Space
  3. The Day the Earth Caught Fire
  4. The Earth Dies Screaming

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

StudioCanal restored Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. in 2013, but until now these films were available on Blu-ray only on the other side of the Atlantic. Kino Lorber have brought both films to North America and retained the bonus features from the European releases. This release of Dr Who and the Daleks also has a very nice exclusive new audio commentary by critic Kim Newman, screenwriter/writer Robert Shearman, and actor/writer Mark Gatiss. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.