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Unsurprisingly taken aback by its space-warping properties, Ian struggles vainly to comprehend Susan's scientific explanation. With his head shrouded in a mental fog, Ian staggers a little when Barbara enters and wraps him in an embrace; unfortunately this slight movement knocks the activation lever, sending the Tardis to an unknown destination! Beyond the police-box door there now lies devastation, the scorched remains of a planet burnt to dust by nuclear weapons. What the four fail to realise is that they are on Skaro, the birthplace of the Dalek nemesis. Here an ancient war between the Daleks and the Thals ruined the environment; now, centuries later, few survive. The Thals, led by Alydon (Barrie Ingham), scavenge for nourishment, while the Daleks must remain encased in their protective suits. This is a place of few options.
Appealing to a wide audience, Dr. Who and the Daleks substantially softens the science fiction background of the television series. There are no Timelords here, no complicated explanations of either the Tardis or time travel. Hence anyone can watch the film with little chance of being confused, a state of affairs with both good and bad points. For devotees of the good Doctor there may be a sense of being sold out, that the characters they love have lost their uniqueness through dilution. For neophytes of the Dalek menace, they may wonder what all the fuss was about; director Gordon Flemyng has tamed the Doctor but in doing so has succumbed to a bland reinterpretation. Fortunately Dr. Who and the Daleks remains a pleasant enough film, if not particularly dramatic.
One of the strongest elements here is the cast, headed by the venerable Peter Cushing. No slouch when it comes to forming convincing characters from the cheapest ingredients, here Cushing makes the Doctor eccentrically paternal. Child-like in his love of exploration, he dodders around quite charmingly and manages to produce the intellectual goods when required. As the other "big" name, Castle is fun if creatively limited. He remains the generally dependable type throughout, solid but lacking in direction. It's thus left to the two girls, Linden and Tovey, to inject surprise and tension into the proceedings. Each is unusually scientific and independent, especially Tovey, for the time, though this stance is offset by incidents of weakness; after all the contemporary standards had to be adhered to!
The second area in which Dr. Who and the Daleks impresses is in its sets, remarkable for what they achieve with limited resources. The alien landscapes of Skaro are distinctive and unusual, especially in the petrified forest and metallic city. While the computer effects available today throw such production values into the shade, John Wilcox's cinematography remains convincing. When the Daleks make an entrance their clinical disregard for life is obvious, reinforced by staccato voices. In fact so unpleasant are their speech patterns that you, like the prisoners, hope fervently for an eternal silence to descend on their race. If only Flemyng's direction could have embodied a dash of flair then Dr. Who and the Daleks might have measured up to the best of the television episodes. As it is, the movie remains adequate for a quiet afternoon.
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