DVD Reviews

Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 13, 2011, 15:28 GMT

On Earth in the 22nd century, Daleks have enslaved the planet, and humans live in fear of their masters. Meanwhile, back in the 20th century, a peace conference is urgently needed to prevent World War Three. When reports reach UNIT of a ghost at Auderly House - the site for the conference - the Doctor and Jo decide to investigate. Danger is waiting for them there, including a trip two ...more

The Daleks had met their supposedly final end in 1967, but as you know, every Dalek has their day.  So the beasties would return to face the new dapper Doctor once again.  The plot was timey whimey, but this 1970s adventure is given a new digital future facelift and groovy special features.

Sir Reginald Styles (Wilfred Carter), organizer of a world peace conference, is confronted by an assassin who vanishes like a ghost.  The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) calls in the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning) to investigate by staying in Styles home.  The assassin reappears on the grounds and is attacked by a creature and found by UNIT. 
The device the soldier possesses is ruled to be a time machine by the Doctor and he and Jo stake out the mansion.  Only to be confronted by future soldiers led by Anat (Anna Barry) who mistake the Doctor for Styles and hold them hostage.  Jo accidentally activates one of the guerrillas' time machines and is transported to the 22nd Century.

When the guerrillas return there, the Doctor goes with them. He learns that the Earth of this period is ruled by the Daleks with the help of the monstrous Ogrons and human collaborators, whose leader is known as the Controller (Aubrey Woods).  The rebels think that assassinating Styles will prevent the Dalek ruled future, but they discover that they’re mistake in that assumption. 

What happens when the Daleks return to face the dandy Doctor and are in league with the Candyman from Willy Wonka?  Don’t know, but it certainly is a good time for the kiddies.  Certainly, the return of the Doctor’s greatest foes are always an occasion to look forward to.  The plot certainly has much timey whimey to it about going into the past to try and avert the bleaker future… and the perils of doing so.  It’s one of the older shows that deals with the subject as those are mostly just traveling around in time and space and finding adventure. 

It may have been ahead of its time as the current show deals with this particular subject often.  It’s not an unfamiliar aspect of science fiction and certainly expounded upon in the first Terminator movie.  Of course, Doctor Who does it, cheap, fast, and with an overwhelming army of three Daleks.  Well, the producer of this new edition set out to spice things up with filming some new footage, using vintage equipment, as well as replacing some of the special effects.

Not to worry, as the episodes as we originally know them are preserved and restored.  Pertwee and Jo are delightful and it’s a great adventure. 

Day of the Daleks is presented in fullscreen.  It’s also given the two disc special edition treatment.  Disc one contains the episodes along with a commentary by Anna Barry, actor Jimmy Winston, producer Barry Letts, script editor Terrence Dicks, and vision mixer Mike Catherwood, a pop-up trivia track, the 30 minute making of “Blasting the Past,” the 20 minute “A View from the Gallery” with Letts and Catherwood about directing and vision mixing, the 3 minute “Nationwide” about a preschool winning a Who contest, 5 minutes of Blue Peter, a photo gallery, and the Radio Times on the DVD-ROM side. 

Disc two contains a version of the episodes (in a 96 minute film version, in other words no episode breaks) with newly added scenes and special effects, there’s also a 13 minute making of this version, a 5 minute “Now and Then” look at locations, the 31 minute “The UNIT family – part 2” about the fictional group, the 9 minute “UNIT dating conundrum” about the chronology of those adventures, the 8 minute “Cheating Memory” about how the kiddies remember that the episodes and effects were more epic than they actually were, and an 18 second teaser trailer.  Not to mention some groovy art for the case.   

Day of the Daleks is a great episode from the Pertwee era and is fondly remembered for the appearance of the titular villain.  This special edition only adds more greatness in the form of a redone version and some excellent special features.

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