Doctor Who: Why You Should Watch The Peter Cushing 'Dr. Who' Movies

Everything about Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. screams excitement, and thrills. On top of that, it's actually far more creative in how it establishes itself as its own unique product. Whereas Dr. Who and the Daleks pretty much followed The Daleks beat-by-beat, with very few minor changes to the characters and events, its sequel went about to really push itself to be radically different. This, to me at least, is one of the major reasons I love this adaptation, in that it clearly respects the source material, but acknowledges that it has to stand out enough to be its own event within the Doctor Who franchise.

The clear notable changes from the start are the fact that Ian and Barbara are completely absent. Instead, we have the introduction of police officer Tom Campbell, and Dr. Who's niece Louise. Though it seems rather odd that they ejected these two vital characters from the televised serial, I find it works to the feature's advantage, and really goes about to craft its own stand-out universe, while establishing characters that reflect the world the filmmakers were trying to create.

Plus, you have Bernard Cribbins playing Tom, which I feel really helps to elevate this film. Bernard Cribbins does well at bouncing off Peter Cushing, and is quick to adapt to the strange world he finds himself in. Bear in mind he'd just been attacked by a burglar, which inevitably allowed them to escape with the goods, and he merely stumbled upon Dr. Who after entering the TARDIS (thinking it was just a police box) to call for help.

Now he's travelling to the future were it's been invaded by Daleks! But he's ultimately brave, acts calmly throughout the whole situation, despite the frightening odds placed against him. Although I enjoy Roy Castle's more clumsy, slapstick interpretation of Ian, I can't deny that I much prefer Bernard Cribbins' more serious Tom character, who fits into the narrative much more coherently, whilst still allowing for some well timed comedic moments that didn't instil as much cringe.