Doctor Who (TV Series) Invasion: Part One (1974) User Reviews

"That equipment is rather antiquated isn't it?" Good first episode that shows promise.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 3 March 2007]

Doctor Who: Invasion: Part 1 starts as the TARDIS materialises in central London as the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) tries to return journalist Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) home, however they quickly realise that London appears to be completely deserted apart from some isolated looters whom they are mistaken for & arrested by the army as as it becomes apparent that central London is under marshal law & has been evacuated because lots of prehistoric dinosaurs have suddenly appeared & are rampaging throughout the capital. The Doctor feels he can help & sets about contacting the leader of UNIT Brig. Col. Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) to find out precisely what's going on & what he can do...

This Doctor Who adventure was episode 5 from season 11 that aired here in the UK during the early part of 1974, directed by Paddy Russell I really liked this opening episode. There is one thing that is slightly confusing me though, why is this Part simply titled 'Invasion' while Parts 2 - 6 are titled 'Invasion of the Dinosaurs', answers on a postcard please... The script by Malcolm Hulke has that element that wants to keep you watching, the mystery aspect of the story is well handled & just about enough is given away to keep you interested but not enough to give the whole thing away & make it too predictable. There's some nice humour here as well, in particular a cute little scene when the Doctor & Sarah are being photographed by the army & the Doctor comes out with plenty of sarcastic comments & gestures. I'm pretty excited about seeing the rest of this particular story if the rest are as fun & entertaining as this opening part.

Obviously having a tiny budget technically Invasion varies, it's surprisingly well filmed with the opening shots of a deserted London including the Houses of Parliment being very effective & are quite reminiscent of those seen in 28 Days Later... (2002) although this was made almost 30 years prior. Where Invasion predictably isn't so successful is it's poor dinosaur effects, Jurassic Park (1992) this ain't! There's a Pterodactyl that doesn't seem to need to flap it's wings to fly, it sort of glides through the air! The basic model is OK I suppose. Then there's the T-Rex, the least said about it the better but it's still quite fun to see it smash through the front of a house & while it won't impress anyone used to multi-million CGI I thought he was quite fun to watch. Another oddity with Invasion is that this first episode apparently only exists in black and white now & I thought it was quite atmospheric in monochrome but that's just my opinion, Parts 2 -6 do exist in colour.

Invasion, later episodes to become Invasion of the Dinosaurs, is a good start to what will hopefully be a cracking story despite the obvious deficiencies in the special effects department but that's often a big part of what makes Doctor Who so much fun & so entertaining.

The 'story with the rubbish dinosaurs' actually has a lot of great stuff in it.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 9/10 · 14 November 2014]

Review of all 6 episodes:

The first episode is titled simply 'Invasion; Part One' so does not give away the content of the story. That works well as when the creatures appear late in the episode it would be surprising to an audience unaware of what to expect. The remainder of the story is given its full title of Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Many people know this story as 'the one with the rubbish dinosaurs' and it is used as an embarrassing example of poor special effects in the series. I do agree that the dinosaurs are very poor indeed, particularly the T- Rex which is simply awful. But I do not judge such effects too harshly as I understand the limitations of the age and the low budget. Anyway, this can be rectified by being re-released with well done CGI dinosaurs which would certainly improve the production and impact of many scenes. The dinosaurs are used purely for fun, for spectacle and novelty value. When they cannot have been certain (despite assurances from the company supplying the models) of good quality, they should probably never have included dinosaurs at all. However, if done with really good effects they would certainly add a lot of fun and dramatic scenes. If you overlook the effects it is very enjoyable indeed and an interesting twist on a monster invasion. Malcolm Hulke has, as usual, done a great job as writer.

It seems a little far-fetched I suppose that 1970s Earth scientists could manage to achieve the power of moving dinosaurs through time or returning the Earth to the state it was in millions of years ago. A more sensible and logical plot would have had a devious non-Earth villain providing the scientific know- how for this (as The Master used to be involved in many previous stories). That is a very minor issue though as much of Doctor Who and most science fiction has such far-fetched ideas, you cannot really complain unless it is clearly illogical and I don't think it is. It is not much to ask that we just accept the scifi/fantasy concept that a scientist might somehow find a way to rewind time just as they did later in the much loved 4th Doctor classic City of Death (although that was done with advanced alien knowhow). If you overlook that and the rubbish dinosaurs there is so much in this story that is entertaining and interesting.

The acting, script and many scenes are of great quality. In the first episode where The Doctor and Sarah Jane find themselves in an eerily quiet London not knowing that dinosaurs have started appearing it is intriguing and effective. The dialogue and performances remain excellent throughout with so many superb scenes of fascinating science fiction but also lots of humorous exchanges. It is a great idea to have environmental/political extremists feeling they need to take drastic action to save the Earth and their selected section of humanity from the ecological damage and wars that ravage our planet. The way they are duped to thinking they are travelling to a new planet is really good and all of the characters are very well written and very well acted. Grover, Finch, Butler, Whitaker, Ruth and Robinson are all superb, convincing guest characters wonderfully performed by the whole cast. The ideas presented are really interesting. I must say that the way the damage humans are doing to the world is shown in films in the 'Reminder Room' and the way the 3rd Doctor explains that he agrees with the views of the extremists but not with their methods and almost looks into the camera saying how we should "make the best out of the world we have, it's not too late" is a very overt ecological message which makes a mockery of those who try to say this era of Who was much more subtle in its messages than any later eras. It also makes a mockery of those who say this story portrays the 'lefties' as the villains. In fact it just suggests that if we keep destroying our planet we will push people to extreme measures. Their cause is shown to be correct but the methods of the leaders is condemned as too cruel and extreme.

The main cast are terrific:

Lis Sladen in only her second story establishes herself as the best possible companion. She is brave, intelligent, takes the lead in acting to save others, hugely strong minded, tough but compassionate, she is an absolute joy! Her acting is flawless and there are beautiful moments of humour from her too.

John Levene has one of his finest stories as he shows wonderful loyalty and puts his neck on the line to help save the day with several enjoyable physical interventions and funny lines.

Nicholas Briggs is on absolute top form as the Brigadier and is fantastic in every scene.

Richard Franklin acts perfectly as Mike Yates as his character is taken in a brave new direction. It is shocking and very cleverly done bringing a real depth and emotion with the dark character development.

Jon Pertwee is at the top of his game as the Doctor with his intellect, morality, bravery and martial arts all shown off well.

So, is this story perfect? No. Is it a fun, interesting, thoroughly entertaining story with great ideas, dialogue and acting? Yes!

My ratings: Parts 1 & 2 - 9/10, Parts 3, 4 & 5 - 8.5/10, Part 6 - 9/10. Overall - 8.75/10.

Good Story . Bad Effects

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 19 August 2010]

Review Of All Six Episodes - Major Spoiler

One thing NuWho can't be criticised for is the production values . Since its return in 2005 a television audience has been treated to a show that is at least the equal of a big budget Hollywood blockbuster . This wasn't always the case and the classic show often had a poor reputation where special effects etc were concerned . This was also a common criticism of BLAKES 7 . What the critics often failed to mention both shows relied upon good performances and intelligent writing to work and Invasion Of The Dinosaurs is a great example of this

Episode one has no Of The Dinosaurs in the title and sets up an episode of intrigue as the Doctor and Sarah Jane walk through a deserted London . These scenes might not have the epic scope of 28 DAYS LATER but they are very effective as they audience are quickly swept up in to the story . They're in the dark as much as the Doctor and his companion which shows how well Malcolm Hulke knows how to tell a story

As the story continues we're treated to a ludicrous plot involving idealistic scientists who want to return the human race to a period in time before industrialization . I say ludicrous but it's so well written that you never notice the plot holes involved . It also gives great character development to series semi regular Captain Yates who is in league with the idealists which is one of the most biggest plot twists the classic show has ever come up with

Where the story fails however is the effects involving the eponymous dinosaurs . They are laughable and a great distraction to the drama playing out on screen . Some people may claim they might have been slightly more acceptable in 1974 but honestly they weren't . I do remember discussing a cliffhanger at school on Monday morning and myself and my classmates thought the T-rex menacing the Doctor was in fact a stone statue . Unfortunately it's obvious to older viewers that it's a paper machine puppet that wouldn't fool anyone but the most unsophisticated very young fan

This sums up Pertwee's final season . It contains good drama and intelligent subtext but is spoiled by the production values . The Tardis can go anywhere in time and space again but when it does it seems to materalise in quarries and studio exteriors . That said Hulke's final script for the show is probably the best one of the season and it's a pity it's best remembered for the unconvincing dinosaur effects

The first part sets the scene and promises much.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 1 October 2017]

I'm giving the opening episode a ten, I know that may seem bonkers to some, but I'll try and make the case. Firstly, the atmosphere generated in this episode is first rate, London empty, and under threat, the production team did a first rate job in making it all feel real, a bleak and deserted London, with no answers as to why. Pertwee and Sladen make for a great duo, for me Jon was at the height of his powers during his last series, nowhere more so then here. The production feels very slick (before the dinosaurs arrive I know,) with great film work, great music and fine direction. Not sure if I'm right, but when we get to see the robber's body covered in blood, wasn't that a first? and quite unusual for TV at this time?

I know the first thing many will say about subsequent episodes is that the dinosaurs were rubbish, and I agree, but as a hook, this first episode is excellent, similar to Android Invasion's opener, felt creepy and atmospheric.

Part one is hugely underrated. 10/10

If only.....

[ewaf58 · 8/10 · 14 December 2023]

Sadly the computer generated dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were still nearly 20 years away, which is a pity because a good story was affected by a special effects company that had no real idea how to produce effective monsters.

The budget will have played a part, as I'm sure the BBC would not have been able to afford the services of the wonderful Ray Harryhausen.

I've always enjoyed high concept stories, and this is a good one ( apart from the miserable dinosaurs )

There is mention on Wikipedia that Barry Letts said that it was the story that he'd most like enhanced with modern special effects.

Perhaps, one day, the money will be found which, together with some trimming to the running length to cut out some padding, could turn this story into a classic.

Went in with low expectations and was surprisingly engaged

[maxglen · 8/10 · 19 June 2020]

All I had heard about this story before watching is that it had aged badly and that it could have been better but I actually kind of love this first episode. Sure, the dinosaurs don't look great now but for a British 70s TV show this is actually pretty impressive! I think the models and there effects actually add quite a bit of scale to the whole thing and there are some pretty cool action scenes and moments, like the small pteranodons in the garage and the looter's gruesome death in the first few minutes. Also, the idea of the Doctor being arrested for petty theft if hilarious. I'm gonna give this first part an 8/10

It sets the scene perfectly!

[ianweech · 9/10 · 15 March 2020]

The shooting of the scenes is done well, there are no sounds other than the birds chirping until the TARDIS materialized. London seems deserted. The open car door, the dog. This was quite good.