I must be the odd man out, as I greatly enjoy the Who movies, despite their bad reputation amongst the Who faithful. Granted, I was never a rabid fan of the series, though I enjoyed much of it. These things are a bit lighter, but equally thrilling.
This sequel finds the Doctor and family back on Earth, just in time to meet police constable Tom Campbell, who runs into the TARDIS (which appears to be a police callbox) to call in a robbery. However, we soon learn that the Doctor's granddaughter Barbara, and her boyfriend Ian, are now gone. In Barbara's place is a niece, Louise. I suppose if the series had continued, and actors continued to be unavailable, we might have had quite a brood of Whos. Louise isn't quite up to Barbara's standards, but Tom makes a fine addition. Our group soon find themselves in 2150, to find London in rubble and the Daleks in control, aided by their zombie-like Robomen. The Doctor and Susan fall in with a resistance group, while Tom and Louise find themselves on a Dalek ship. Louise succeeds in hiding while Tom, the Doctor, and a rebel leader are caught by the Daleks. They are about to be turned into Robomen when the resistance strikes. Unfortunately, Tom finds himself stuck onboard for a while, though he and Louise eventually make their escape. Susan flees with Wyler, a reluctant rebel. The Doctor finds his way to a mine, where it turns out the Daleks are have a shaft dug to launch a bomb into the Earth's core. The resulting explosion will propel the Earth like a spaceship, though it will likely kill all life on the planet. Eventually, everyone converges on the mine to stop the Daleks.
The returning Peter Cushing and Roberta Tovey are joined by Jill Curzon as Louise and Bernard Cribbins as Tom. Curzon is adequate, but the role isn't quite as rounded as Barbara and Curzon isn't quite as lively as Jennie Linden. Cribbins makes for a wonderful addition, bringing many comedic touches, while still managing to be a physical hero. Cribbins who later find himself in the TV Who, joining the revived series in recent years. Andrew Keir is Wyler, the reluctant rebel, who finds himself paired with the more resolute Susan. Keir specializes in terse authority figures and has a commanding presence. Philip Madoc is memorable in a small but pivotal role as Brockley, a turncoat. madoc is delightfully slimy and gets his just rewards.
The film is more down-to-earth (pun intended) with the more fantastic sets reserved for the Dalek ship and mine base. Otherwise, everything else looks like 60s Britain (though with London looking like after the Blitz). The Dalek ship is a great set, large enough to accommodate a great action piece, when the rebels attack the ship, while having a variety of chambers for various scenes. The exterior model is quite good and looks rather convincing (for the period). There is more action here than in the first film, which was more mystery driven. It's more mundane, but just as compelling.
The film is a fine adventure and makes for entertaining viewing. i suggest watching it as a double feature with Dr. Who and the Daleks, to really appreciate things. Keep in mind that it was aimed at children, so things are simpler than the TV series, but it is not childish. The story is streamlined but well constructed. If you are like me, you will end up wishing they had produced more films in the series. As it stands, these make for a fine alternate universe Doctor Who.
This sequel finds the Doctor and family back on Earth, just in time to meet police constable Tom Campbell, who runs into the TARDIS (which appears to be a police callbox) to call in a robbery. However, we soon learn that the Doctor's granddaughter Barbara, and her boyfriend Ian, are now gone. In Barbara's place is a niece, Louise. I suppose if the series had continued, and actors continued to be unavailable, we might have had quite a brood of Whos. Louise isn't quite up to Barbara's standards, but Tom makes a fine addition. Our group soon find themselves in 2150, to find London in rubble and the Daleks in control, aided by their zombie-like Robomen. The Doctor and Susan fall in with a resistance group, while Tom and Louise find themselves on a Dalek ship. Louise succeeds in hiding while Tom, the Doctor, and a rebel leader are caught by the Daleks. They are about to be turned into Robomen when the resistance strikes. Unfortunately, Tom finds himself stuck onboard for a while, though he and Louise eventually make their escape. Susan flees with Wyler, a reluctant rebel. The Doctor finds his way to a mine, where it turns out the Daleks are have a shaft dug to launch a bomb into the Earth's core. The resulting explosion will propel the Earth like a spaceship, though it will likely kill all life on the planet. Eventually, everyone converges on the mine to stop the Daleks.
The returning Peter Cushing and Roberta Tovey are joined by Jill Curzon as Louise and Bernard Cribbins as Tom. Curzon is adequate, but the role isn't quite as rounded as Barbara and Curzon isn't quite as lively as Jennie Linden. Cribbins makes for a wonderful addition, bringing many comedic touches, while still managing to be a physical hero. Cribbins who later find himself in the TV Who, joining the revived series in recent years. Andrew Keir is Wyler, the reluctant rebel, who finds himself paired with the more resolute Susan. Keir specializes in terse authority figures and has a commanding presence. Philip Madoc is memorable in a small but pivotal role as Brockley, a turncoat. madoc is delightfully slimy and gets his just rewards.
The film is more down-to-earth (pun intended) with the more fantastic sets reserved for the Dalek ship and mine base. Otherwise, everything else looks like 60s Britain (though with London looking like after the Blitz). The Dalek ship is a great set, large enough to accommodate a great action piece, when the rebels attack the ship, while having a variety of chambers for various scenes. The exterior model is quite good and looks rather convincing (for the period). There is more action here than in the first film, which was more mystery driven. It's more mundane, but just as compelling.
The film is a fine adventure and makes for entertaining viewing. i suggest watching it as a double feature with Dr. Who and the Daleks, to really appreciate things. Keep in mind that it was aimed at children, so things are simpler than the TV series, but it is not childish. The story is streamlined but well constructed. If you are like me, you will end up wishing they had produced more films in the series. As it stands, these make for a fine alternate universe Doctor Who.