H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come

H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come is a Canadian science fiction motion picture first released in May 1979.

H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come'
Beyond the earth... Beyond the moon... Beyond your wildest imagination!
Directed by	George McCowan
Produced by	John Danylkiw (associate producer) William Davidson (producer) Harry Alan Towers (as Peter Welbeck) (executive producer)
Written by	Mike Cheda (adaptation) Joseph Glazner (adaptation) Martin Lager (writer) H.G. Wells (novel)
Starring	Jack Palance Carol Lynley Barry Morse John Ireland Anne-Marie Martin
Music by	Paul Hoffert
Cinematography	Reginald H. Morris
Editing by	Stan Cole
Distributed by	Film Ventures International (FVI) (1979) (USA) (theatrical) Astral Video (Canada) Blue Underground (2003) (USA) (DVD) International Film Distributors (Canada)
Release date(s)	Canada May 4, 1979 UK May 24, 1979 USA August 1979
Running time	98 min.
Country	Canada
Language	English

Although credited to H. G. Wells, the film takes only its title and some character names from The Shape of Things to Come, Wells' speculative novel from 1933. The plot bears no resemblance to the book whatsoever. The book predicts events such as a Second World War and the collapse of social order until a world state is formed, whereas the film involves a high-tech future involving robots and spaceships. The film was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of such recent successes as Star Wars, and TV series such as Space: 1999 and Battlestar Galactica, although the film had only a fraction of the production budget of any of these.

Plot

In the far future, after the earth has been ravaged by "The Robot Wars", most of mankind has fled the planet and resettled in giant domed cities on the moon. The race needs frequent doses of a rare drug in order to counter radiation sickness and survive. The only place where this drug is available is the planet Delta Three.

A scientist (played by Barry Morse, formerly of Space: 1999), his son (Nicholas Campbell, years before critical acclaim in Da Vinci's Inquest) and Kim, a senator's daughter (Anne-Marie Martin of Sledge Hammer! fame, here credited as "Eddie Benton") hijack an experimental spacecraft in order to stop the plans of the evil Omus (Jack Palance), who has overthrown the governor of Delta Three (Carol Lynley) and is threatening to destroy the Moon colonies unless he is installed as ruler of the human race.

Along the way, the trio encounter a robot who falls in love with Kim, a group of children left behind on earth, and other hazards.

Critical reception

G. Noel Gross of DVD Talk said, "Released in 1979, the sets and FX look more akin to nineteen FIFTY-nine with the aptly named "Sparks" and his robo-ilk who precariously teeter along like oversized popcorn poppers with great big salad tongs for arms."

Nicholas Sylvain of DVD Verdict wrote, "Embarrassing acting, mysterious scriptwriting, and ultra-cheesy effects are potentially forgivable, but the worst sin of all is that The Shape Of Things To Come takes itself seriously. If insomnia rules your world or you have a need for an emergency coaster, then try The Shape Of Things To Come. Otherwise, put it down, and pull slowly away. How far? How about Cleveland?"

J.C. Maçek III of WorldsGreatestCritic.com said, "Trust me folks, this film is NOT good and if this is, in fact, "The Shape of Things to Come", I'd much prefer to live in the past, man!"

The film was released on DVD in 2004.

See also

• Things to Come, a 1936 film scripted by Wells, based on his novel.

External links

• H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come at the Internet Movie Database
• H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come at AllRovi