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Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks

Tom Baker , Elisabeth Sladen    NR (Not Rated)   DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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One of the most popular story arcs from Doctor Who's "Fourth Doctor" period (starring Tom Baker as the Doctor), writer Terry Nation's Genesis of the Daleks not only fleshes out the back story of the Doctor's most fearsome nemeses--the megalomaniacal, robotic Daleks--but also serves up a thoughtful storyline that doesn't skimp on the action. First aired on the BBC in 1975, the six-episode story has the Doctor and companions Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry (Ian Marter) summoned to the Daleks' home planet of Skaros at a time prior to their rise to power. Hoping to prevent the domination-hungry beings from developing their warlike behavior, they soon find themselves in the middle of a war between two races, the Kaleds and the Thals, and uncover a plot by a Kaled scientist, Davros, to render his people invincible as the metal-encased Daleks. A gripping story with elements that remain topical even today (ancient cultures locked in an endless war, genetic experimentation, eugenics), Genesis of the Daleks is an excellent starting point for first-time Who viewers, and a fine reminder of the show at its best for longtime fans. The two-disc DVD offers a considerable amount of extras, most notably a commentary track by Baker, Sladen, co-star Peter Miles, and director David Maloney. "Genesis of a Classic" is an hour-long featurette about the story, with interviews from all the major (surviving) cast and crew members, while "The Dalek Tapes" explores the creatures' history via rare clips and interviews with performers and production staff. There's also a clip from a vintage episode of the U.K. children's series Blue Peter that's devoted to Doctor Who models and creatures, as well as the detailed photo gallery and subtitled text commentary that are standards on all Doctor Who DVDs. Those with DVD-ROM can access PDF documents of the 1976 Doctor Who Annual and listings from the Radio Times. --Paul Gaita

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect Doctor Who story May 25 2011
By Derek Draven TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
With Dalek-mania in full swing in Britain and around the world, it became clear that the tin-pot killers needed to start treading new ground if they were going to avoid wearing out their welcome. Enter Dalek creator Terry Nation, who, after discussions with the 'Who writing team, started penning an origin tale which focused on the Doctor's most deadly and recurring enemies. From ink was born 'Genesis of the Daleks,' the most popular Doctor Who story in the entire series' run, and for excellent reason. 'Genesis' introduces several new elements into Doctor Who lore which would go on to became vital plot elements for the entire series, right up to this day.

Following the events of 'Ark in Space' and 'The Sontaran Experiment,' the Doctor is summoned to the Dalek homeworld of Skaro by the Time Lord elite. Fearing galactic Dalek supremacy, the Time Lords give the Doctor a covert mission which involves either destroying, or manipulating the Daleks before they are even conceived, thereby lessening their threat. With Harry and Sarah Jane in tow, the Doctor sets out on a pre-Dalek Skaro to begin his mission. However, things are far from simple. A war has been waging for centuries between the Thal and Kaled races which has decimated Skaro and left it a burnt out radioactive wasteland. The Doctor soon becomes imprisoned by the Kaled faction who boast of imminent victory by way of a deadly new weapon. That weapon is a prototype Dalek, the first of its kind. Mass production begins by order of Davros, a severely crippled megalomaniac scientist who seeks to turn the Daleks into a supreme force which will conquer Skaro, and spread out to eventually conquer the Universe. The Doctor soon realizes that his mission may be more difficult to accomplish than first thought.

'Genesis' is a testament to the writer/director team of Terry Nation and David Maloney, who expertly craft a story that draws the viewer in. The most wonderful facet of 'Genesis' is that the story relies very little on actual Daleks to tell it. Indeed, the story focuses much more on the plight of the Thal/Kaled war, the insanity and evil that such a war can breed, and the blurring of personal ethics and morals in the face of desperate odds. Would you commit to the genocide of an entire race for the sake of peace? It's a cleverly written story for the 70s, an era which tended to focus less on the moral ambiguity of anti-heroism and more on the black/white of good vs. evil. The outcome of 'Genesis' is a hollow one indeed. The Doctor manages only a small victory against his foes, but the price for staying true to his ethics and principles will have absolutely unfathomable consequences for himself, the Time Lords, and the galaxy in future episodes. 'Genesis' is most certainly the biggest turning point in the series, maturing the Doctor into a being whose actions and continued interference will affect those he cares about most. It also explicitly details that this is the first volley in the Time War, a phenomenon which serves as the backbone for the entire 2005 Doctor Who series.

There isn't much in the way of special effects for 'Genesis.' Like most Who stories of the time period, the budget was always low. There are some interesting sets, but the use of 70s era Earth computers, weapons and props does tend to yank the viewer abruptly from belief that this is an alien world and culture. And let's not even get started on Davros' killer clamshell! I just can't go on. No, 'Genesis' survives and thrives by means of its intricate and thoughtful storyline, which spans quite beautifully through the 6 episodes which comprise the full bulk of the story. Character development is bountiful here, focusing on multiple subplots between Davros, the Doctor, his companions, politicians, scientists, soldiers, and wasteland mutants. When the Daleks do finally get their fair share of screen time, it is in the most minimal way possible, serving primarily as killing machines with orders. Only in the last few moments of the story do we get to see the Daleks truly come alive and assert their well-known role as a ruthlessly intelligent and violent race of killers. And really, that's what an origin tale is all about; the rise to infamy.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Good old fashsion Doctor Who Jan 20 2013
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great to see this background story about Sarah Jane Smith's encounter with the Daleks. Tom Baker and his scarf...bow ties aren't as cool as that scarf!
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Amazon.com: 4.8 out of 5 stars  65 reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars RUNNERS ON YOUR MARK Aug 19 2006
By Thomas E. O'Sullivan - Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
In every sense of the word GENESIS OF THE DALEKS is a "classic".

It has classic scenes, classic lines, classic charcters, a classic setting and the classic of all classic DOCTOR WHO villains - THE DALEKS. How can you go wrong? With both eyes closed, it hardly seems you could... but even the most die hard fan must admit that while GENESIS aims high, it is often mired in a disjointed plot, long winded writing, and paced like a car wreck. It's all bits and pieces flying everywhere - and you can't take your eyes off it. GENESIS OF THE DALEKS is truly a mess - but a wonderful one.

Terry Nation takes us back to the origin of his most famous creations and manages to not only provide a crediable and interesting background story for the Daleks - but establish a new character, DAVROS, who has managed to last almost as long as the Daleks themselves. This is a high point in the story, and one of the main reason why you should own this collection - as for the rest, there are some problems. At six episodes GENESIS runs too long for the material - causing many charcters to reapeat actions, dialouge, plot and story over and over again. The Doctor, Sarah and Harry end up spending a lot of time walking (and running) in this story as well.

From one dome to the another. Above ground, underground, in corridors, under floors, up ladders and down trenches - they are always on the move and always just missing each other at every moment. This story also features one of the least classic monsters in DOCTOR WHO's history - the Giant Clam. It looks exactly like the plastic, spray painted and hand operated "monster" that it is - it's so bad, it's classic. Roger Corman would be proud. But, underneath all the studio cheek and filmed quarry sequences there lies a good story. What do you do when you're presented with the chance to rewrite history? To stop interstellar war, horror and genocide - and what do you do when it's your mission? The Doctor faces these facts and fails to come up with any answers - this is not a bad thing.

GENESIS OF THE DALEKS comes packed as a two disc special edtion and even casual fans will find a number of things here to entertain and inform them. But there are a few downsides - the largest of which is the commentary provided by Baker (the Doctor), Sladen (Sarah), Miles (Nyder) and Maloney (director) - there are a few sparks, but far too many gaps, pauses and long silences as everyone involved tries to remember something. Names pop up, production problems rear their heads and Baker and Sladen demonstrate that chemistry that made them the duo that they were on screen. In fact, it's Sladen that rescues a lot of this commentary - from her references to the new DOCTOR WHO series, and her role in it - to her personal asides and feelings on the production. The worst though has to be Peter Miles who plays Nyder - a dark, vile charcter in the story - but Miles has little next to nothing to say about it. Perhaps there is nothing to be said - Nyder is evil. While I love the ideas behind these commentaries - they are hit and miss. While a Peter Davison and Frazer Hines commentary is bound to leave you informed and laughing - others are trials. A moderator, someone in the know, with facts in hand and the ability to not only prompt, but interview as well, is really required to bring the experience to life.

Text commentary fills in a number of the gaps - but have your remote at the ready. There are times when whole passages of text appear on the screen for two seconds or less, causing you to rewind and pause to read. Also - there are a few errors in facts and some "duh" mistakes that you can't help but laugh at - but they can be forgiven.

GENESIS is a classic. It's one of my all time favorites - and for those new to the series, it's a must own. Look past the extras and just enjoy the show.
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars At last! Genesis of the Daleks finally comes to DVD! Mar 9 2006
By rnorton828 - Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
Genesis of the Daleks was one of the first Doctor Who stories I remember watching when I first started watching the program on PBS. Genesis was actually the first Dalek story I had ever seen, and it remains my overall favorite today, as well as one of my overall favorite Doctor Who stories. After years of thrilling stories with the Doctor's oldest archenemies, The DW production staff, along with writer/Dalek creator Terry Nation, decided to explain the origins of the psychotic, megalomaniacal pepperpots in Genesis of the Daleks. The Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companions Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) are brought to Skaro, the Daleks' homeworld, by the Time Lords at a time before the Dalek race existed. The Time Lords want the Doctor to either prevent the Daleks from having ever existed, or alter their development so that they evolve into less aggressive creatures. The Doctor, Harry and Sarah find themselves in the middle of a long-running war of attrition between two humanoid races--the Kaleds and the Thals. They discover that the nuclear bombardments have caused people on both sides to mutate. The Kaleds, who are into racial purity, have expelled their mutants (called Mutos) into the wastelands outside their city. One exception is Davros (Michael Wisher), their chief scientist. Davros, believing these mutations are speeding up the evolution of the Kaleds, is performing experiments which lead to the creation of the first Daleks. But Davros' experiments cause the Daleks to lose their sense of emotion--love, hate, pity, compassion. They are driven by one thing--the need for power over the Thals and other "lesser" races. Davros betrays the Kaleds by helping the Thals nuke the Kaled city and destroy his own race. He then turns on the Thals by sending an army of Daleks into their city to exterminate them, sending the survivors running into the wastelands. In addition to Baker, Marter, Sladen and Wisher, some other great performances come from Peter Miles as Nyder, Harriet Philpin as Bettan and James Garbutt as Ronson. Although Resurrection of the Daleks was a very good story, Genesis of the Daleks is probably the last Dalek story from the original series that could truly be considered a classic, and I am thrilled that it is finally coming to DVD.
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Suppose somebody told you a certain child would grow to be an evil dictator- could you then destroy that child? Mar 18 2006
By Kevin J. Loria - Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
Imagine you could pick your favorite villains, from your favorite TV show, and do more than just reinvent those villains, but invent those villains, infront of the eyes of a viewer totally familiar with who those villains are, then go back and tell the story of their origin from the perspective of the protagonist. When that protagonist is a TIMELORD, it's easy to tell that story. That is just what Genesis of the Daleks is, the story of how the Doctor's greatest enemy comes to be. But, this concept is taken further than just telling their origin, the Doctor's mission is to stop that origin!

This is truely one of the best story arcs of the 4th incarnation of the Doctor, as played by fan-favorite, Tom Baker (currently narrator on the successful "Little Brittain" series).

This gritty and sometimes extremely dark story is one I and many fans have been waiting on for DVD release. The Doctor questions his own morality, wrestling with the decision to wipe out the Daleks like some terrible disease: To destroy an intelligent life form, wiping out a race, would 'he' be any better than the Daleks.

One short-coming is the price of BBC 2-disc sets is high and the special-bonus material is usually less-than special.
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