7️⃣🔼 = ENJOYABLE!

Thworping through time and space, one sidestep at a time!

“BUMBLING BOYFRIENDS AND COLOURFUL PEPPERPOTS!”

Based on the 1964 seven-part TV serial The Daleks, Dr. Who and the Daleks is a strange cinematic reimagining of Terry Nation’s classic story. It combines the show's familiar premise and basic structure with a fresh take on the character and the lore.

The plot largely follows Nation’s original scripts, but it streamlines the narrative and gives us a 90-minute version of a 175-minute story. All main plot points are maintained while the filler fluff has been left out, so the natural flow of the story is better. We get here a fascinating piece of 60s adventure sci-fi, and it is in many ways a superior version of the original serial (not to mention the recent colourised edit).

It’s still a bit slow in the middle, and there's little to no action until the climax. The cave climbing sequence is vastly improved from the original (it’s the dullest sequence of the seven-parter), thanks to the improved sets and the dramatic score. The climactic battle provides an exciting and explosive finale to the adventure.

Peter Cushing embodies the William Hartnell incarnation of the Doctor in his light-hearted, absent-minded, and curious lead performance as human inventor Dr. Who (yes, that’s his name), but goes for an approach of his own; he’s more proactive and considerate than Hartnell was at this point during the show. Roberta Tovey is a genuinely charming, intelligent, and likeable granddaughter Susan (better than Carole Ann Ford and far less whiny), and Jennie Linden is pretty close to Barbara (but much duller) as the older granddaughter. Meanwhile, Roy Castle provides comic relief as Barbara’s bumbling boyfriend Ian, a far cry from the dashing and heroic William Russell version that I admire greatly, which bothers me somewhat.

The Daleks are as mysterious and effective here as in the original, and the Thals have been faithfully recreated as well, even if the individual character remains a bit flat.

Seeing this colourful reimagining of the Daleks—with all the big sets and wonderful pastel colours—is amazing. The new Dalek designs look better than anything ever seen during Classic Who; in contrast, the TARDIS set looks much less interesting. The production successfully transports us to the barren world of Skaro, and the 4K restoration brings the sets, costumes, and simple effects to life even better than before.