FAN FILM REVIEWS – TYRANNY OF THE DALEKS

STORY:    The Doctor (in leather pants) and Romana (in a short skirt), visit the planet Galentor where they encounter a Thals  (in tank tops) and a population besieged by ape monsters, robomen and ultimately Daleks.   The Doctor is captured by Robomen and taken to the Dalek base, where he is immersed in a cyberspace world and confronts the Dalek Empress….

REVIEW:   So, gosh. Did you know that this is #6 in the youtubers top ten Doctor Who Fan Films of the ‘Noughties’ – the ‘Noughties’ being the period from 2000 to 2010, or possibly all the way up to 2015 . How about that?

Here’s what’s going on: The Doctor, played by Adam Manning in leather pants, and Romana by Lizzie McWilliams in a short skirt, visits the planet Galentor, where it turns out, the Daleks are busily exterminating the human population using Robomen and genetically engineered ape beasts – Mugatos (a Star Trek reference).

The Daleks don’t actually get their plungers dirty, because they’re all CGI, so they stay on their CGI ships and platforms. Instead, they get a relatively tosh brand of Robomen to capture the Doctor and bring him to the maintenance basement of some building and hook him into their virtual reality machine.

That allows the Daleks to engage the Doctor mind to mind in a Matrix-like cyberspace, which is not CGI at all (really, not CGI – actual locations) where, instead of appearing as Daleks, they appear as hot women in nightgowns, ninjas, and a refugee from clockwork orange.

Meanwhile, back on Ga;emtpr, Romana has joined up with some Thals, and some natives and sets about organizing the resistance and figuring out how to rescue the Doctor.

All righty, the story takes a few risks here, goes in a few new directions…….

 

86 Minutes. Cast and Crew: Adam Manning as The Doctor; Lizzie McWilliams as Romana; Alison Manning as Loran; Gareth Simpson as Thragar & Garleth; Sarah Sutton as Empress of the Daleks; Gary Seymour as Mr. Robert Feck; David Lamb as Roboman #6;

Directed by Matthew McWilliams; Written by Adam Manning.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www.westlakefilms.co.uk/tyranny.html

http://www.fanfilmfollies.com/columns/10questionsforadammanning

WATCH IT

Part one (13 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJfXJofbx48

Part two (24 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxACAH-xIKQ

Part three (23 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T5i4hY5Kas

Part four (26 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CKtcL8w21I


8 comments

  1. @adammanning  so he says, as he cheerfully applies ointment to the whip scars across his back.   If it’s any consolation, this is by no means the meanest review I’ve done.

    For what it’s worth, I’d much rather that people watched Tyranny of the Daleks than simply read my review.  That’s why I put links.  And while some of what I’ve said probably hurts a lot, I found things to like, I found subtext, and I acknowledge you’re up there in the top ten.   If I thought it was junk, I wouldn’t have bothered reviewing at all.

  2. No worries, I’m flattered you took the time to write all this, very interested in what you thought.

    There’s a prequel called Reunion here: https://youtu.be/8JCvi8_hUus

     

    It’s slightly less than seven minutes long, so should be endurable if only by brevity!

    Also, I was interviewed for a podcast about Doctor Who and talk about the fan film making process.. it’s available here: http://gallifreystandspodcast.podbean.com/e/gallifrey-stands-ep18-a-manning-for-all-seasons/

    The only point I would make is that to us, the enjoyment and fun of the film making process was at least as important as the final product. It’s some of the happiest, fun times as a gang of friends 🙂

     

  3. I’m glad you posted the links, and I will happily recommend them to anyone who comes along.

    As for endurable, please, no misunderstandings.  I never found Tyranny of the Daleks boring.  If I had, I wouldn’t have finished, wouldn’t have posted a review and wouldn’t have posted links.

    I was watching a movie called Werewolf in a Woman’s Prison once.  That was pretty much exactly what you’d think it was, except it was an independent production, so the film maker felt no need for restraint or compromise.  Anyway, I was listening to the commentary track, because I do that kind of thing (although sometimes I listen because I just want to hear an apology).   The film maker said something that stuck with me.  He said something along the lines of what was important to him was not whether or not his was a good movie, but that it was interesting all the way through, that it kept people watching and engaged.   I can tell you that before and since I’ve sat through more than a few multi-million dollar professional epics, finding myself checking my watch.   Over the years, I’ve come to agree with him more and more, he had it right.

    To paraphrase Bruce Campbell,  “good, bad… you keep them watching.”

  4. @DenValdron

    You’ve visited & finished  all the fan film reviews though, by now, yes?

    They’re very long!

    Some of it has really opened my eyes, though.

    Thank you,

    puro

  5. @purofilion

    There’s actually quite a few more to go that are worthy of respect and examination before I get bored with the whole thing.

    And yes, some of the reviews are quite long.   Sometimes I just have a lot to say.   These people, all of them, put a lot of time and energy into these works, they put heart and soul in.  Whether it’s good or bad, regardless of flaws, there’s genuine commitment.   Even if the works are flawed, they deserve consideration.   Sometimes I can be cruel, and sometimes rather lighthearted in ripping away, and sometimes its a matter of explaining thing that normally don’t get explained… but there’s always a certain amount of respect and appreciation.

  6. It’s right to say that the Timebase console room appears in Tyranny. One of the many great things about making a fan film was the friends you make in doing so and we became very friendly with the Timebase crew.  Rupert is a wonderfully generous chap and he kindly took pity on us in our hour of need and let us film in it. That was an experience I will never forget. Sadly, the console appeared at a convention at some point in time afterwards and was fatally damaged and had to be destroyed.

    In fact, three Timebasers appear in Tyranny… Paul Ferry is Gultarn the Red, the human barbarian on Galentor with the long cloak and the sword. Steve Palace plays a barbarian and a Robo-Man and Neil Johnson plays Ganthos, who is always referred to as the only male Thal on the plane Galentor…

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