Doctor Who - Destiny Of The Daleks [1979]

See Larger Image	List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £5.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video Starring: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward Directed By: Ken Grieve Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Parental Guidance Binding: DVD EAN: 5014503243425 Format: PAL Label: 2 Entertain Video Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: 2 Entertain Video Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2007-11-26 Running Time: 98 Studio: 2 Entertain Video Theatrical Release Date: 1979
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Editorial Reviews: A Doctor Who story from the Tom Baker era, Destiny of the Daleks pits the Time Lord against his deadliest enemies once more in an enjoyable adventure, although truthfully it’s far from the finest hour of all concerned. Originally broadcast at the end of the 1970s, Destiny of the Daleks is notable for introducing a regenerated Romana, but across its four episodes we also find the seemingly-dead Davros with a little more life in him than the Doctor expected. And there’s also the small matter of the Daleks being locked in the midst of a long-running war, with seemingly no way to break the stalemate. In short, plenty for the Doctor to get his teeth into. Yet while Destiny of the Daleks has plenty of tasty ingredients, you can’t help but share a little disappointment at the way some elements play out. Sure, there’s a lot still to enjoy, but the plot sometimes struggles to justify the running time, and the lack of budget is more obvious than is usual in classic Doctor Who. But it’s to the credit of Destiny of the Daleks that it rides out its problems and still delivers an enjoyable story. It may not be a favourite of the dedicated fans of the programme, but there’s still plenty here for Doctor Who fans young and old. And you can’t beat the Daleks…! --Jon Foster
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Spack Off ! Comment: 'Destiny of the Daleks' undeserved reputation comes from 'fans' in the know writing nasty things about it in the early Doctor Who Weekly and fanzines of the late 70s. I can only assume this is because it does not quite match up to the greatness of 'Genesis of the Daleks' (the ALL time best Dr Who story) AND the problems caused by hyper inflation at the time decimating the budget like the Dalek's slaves are at the end of episode 4 ! However this is a strong, fast paced solid script by the great Terry Nation (with hints of script editor Douglas Adams style thrown in) and although the Daleks (and Davros) are a bit battered and dented this does not detract from the quality of the story. The first 2 cliff hangars are actually among the entire series finest. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward quickly establish a great team, and David Gooderson with the uneviable task of taking over from Michael Wisher as Davros turns in a great performance albeit in a decrepit mask! It is no exaggeration that this IS the best (and first) of the 'Genesis' sequels..oh and the title of this review is one of Tom's most famous fluffs, from this story, during the 'Mexican standoff' scene, presumeably aimed at the 'Destiny' deriders ? Customer Rating: Summary: Rainbow's 'Zippy' doing Dalek voices. Comment: Destiny for me is the most memorable story (just) over City of Death. Looking at again, I thought the location work was very good around the ruined city. I didn't notice it as a nine year old, but now I've noticed the Dalek casing are in really bad shape. Patched up panels and touched up here and there. Roy Skelton's Dalek voices send images of Rainbow's 'Zippy' on the Ring Modulator! The Movellan's are a nice creation and still look good. Suzanne Danielle looks gorgeous. I can understand the equally attractive Lalla Ward being catty towards her regarding Danielle getting the 'new girl' treatment. I thought David Goodison's Davros portrail was very good at the time. Not as perfect as Micheal Wisher, but still very good. The set's are also very good. The Movellan ship interior still work's. The commentry is is also good and focuses on many interesting issues. I notice director Ken Grieves is trying to build bridges between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward by praising Tom as a great actor, which he is and is still my quintessential Doctor. After enjoying it over again, it would be nice to have Tom Baker and Lalla Ward do commentry on future 17th & 18th season stories. Customer Rating: Summary: Entertaining stuff! Comment: Really enjoyable; Classic 70s campy fun-Baker on top form, great debut from Lalla Ward. If you want a serious plot/acting extravoganza-swerve, if you want a bit of a giggle and light hearted fun-then it's a must have. Noone beats the Baker! Customer Rating: Summary: ESSENTIAL DAVROS... Comment: Really enjoyed this! Found it a lot better than many reviewers suggested. Ok, it struggles with obvious budgetary limitations, but a good plot wins the day. The Daleks are once again, the independent 'Superior Beings' centuries after their creation at the hands of Kaled scientist, Davros. Lots of devious plots, and calculating of universal domination as we all love! Speaking of Davros, am I alone in liking David Gooderson's portrayal?? The voice is cold, calculating, occasionally maniacal, and the mask is the same one as used in Genesis, allowing for series continuity. I've read that it didn't fit properly but I just don't see the problem at all. Michael Wisher and (recently) Julian Bleach are obviously the pantheons of the character, but I rate Gooderson's take as superior to Terry Molloy's. Molloy's make up FX just don't look right to me, not matching the original designs, and looking way too rubbery. Ok, so Davros takes a slight backseat to the overall story here but this only adds to the desperation and determination of the irrepressible megalomaniac. True, the Dalek's main foes here, The Movellans are dated in a UFO/Space 1999 kind of way, but still make for an interesting alien race (with a twist). Baker is on good form too, relishing verbal spats with Davros and at one point offering the fellow...a jelly baby!! Needless, to say Davros bites the hand that feeds! There's reasonable action, with good use of the infamous quarry locations doubling as Skaro. It's not as dark as Genesis but it still fits the chronology well. It's been suggested that the Daleks may be fully robotic (as opposed to organic inside) in this story. However I think this may be a misinterpretation as the Doctor actually discovers a Kaled mutant creature in it's unembellished form on a cliff face. Come on, the Daleks aren't robots - It's that green thing inside that gives them their spite! Extras are informative here, and there is the option of new FX shots here - trust me, they aren't really an improvement at all, and that's more of a dig at the new stuff - stick with the original FX work. Customer Rating: Summary: Davros returns. Comment: This story has often been criticised in the past. Perhaps this is due to it being compared with the previous Dalek story - Genesis of the Daleks. Perhaps also, due to a weak start, with a regeneration scene being played for laughs. Nevertheless, I feel that this is a good and enjoyable tale in its own right, even if it is not one of the classics. The Doctor and the newly-regenerated Romana, arrive on Skaro and encounter two warring factions - the Daleks and the Movellans. Both sides are locked in a stalemate and are seeking for the stroke of genius that will give them the upper hand. For the Daleks, this means going back to their origins and seeking out their creator. There are some fine elements here. The cliffhangers are good, with the end of episode 2 being one of the series most memorable moments. Tom Baker is well-established as the most popular Doctor (from the original series). Lalla Ward makes a highly impressive debut as Romana and shows that she is a worthy successor to Mary Tamm. Less successful is the portrayal of Davros. David Gooderson tries hard, but cannot match the outstanding performance of Michael Wisher from Genesis. It is worth noting that the Daleks themselves, could be done with a makeover! The DVD contains the usual array of extras. For me, the most interesting was a documentary entitled `Terror Nation.' This pays tribute to Dalek creator Terry Nation and focuses on the different stories he wrote for the series. Overall then, a very worthy addition to the Doctor Who DVD library. More Reviews