Things to Come (1936)

H.G. Wells really was a bloody genius, and a prophet in the vein of Jules Verne.  His book, The Shape of Things to Come, presents a sort of "history of the future," and predicts with uncanny accuracy some of the terrible aspects of warfare that would come to pass only a few short years later.

In Things to Come, the movie starts out in a fictional city called Everytown, but its safe to say that it serves as an allegory for any modern city.  In this version of the future, war is imminent, and eventually Everytown is bombed into oblivion in an offensive that can only be described as a prediction of the 1940 "Blitz" of London.

Over the next several decades, mankind fights and destroys itself, knocking us back into the stone age practically.  Plague kills what the war hasn't, and eventually, one hundred years later, man has rebuilt itself bigger and better than before.

Man has built itself a giant "gun" in which they intend to shoot a pair of explorers to the moon. In this future, though, the same traits which led them to destruction in their past, nearly destroy this ultimate act of progress and human exploration.

Now, you'll have to either laugh at or admire (or both) the designs of "the future" in the picture.  They are a vintage 30's futurist, "Flash Gordon" style type of thing.  From the flying aircraft carriers, to the airplane with the canopy built into the flight suit, to the giant spaceship flinging gun....  But hey, he couldn't have gotten everything right, could he!

Raymond Massey plays a dual role in the film, both in the "past" at the Everytown bombing and beyond, and in the future as the grandson of that man, responsible for righting the wrongs of his ancestors....

Things to Come gets a little dull at times, and honestly the acting is, well, lets just say its not all that, but if you can get past it and absorb the message and the incredible design and effects for its time....  it really is quite a piece of work, and shouldn't be missed!

Technorati Tags: war movie review, things to come, shape of t hings to come, h.g. wells, raymond massey, 1936, futurism

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Things to Come List Price: $19.95 Sale Price: $14.99 You save: $4.96 (25%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

From H.G. Wells’ shocking book comes one of the most lavish science fiction epics ever to hit the screen! -In color for the first time and includes fully restored black & white version -Great Ray Harryhausen bonus features, Classic Sci-fi Toy Commercials

Based on H.G. Wells's speculative meditation on the price of progress, this 1936 English science-fiction epic shows the painterly touch of director William Cameron Menzies, an American whose career in art direction and production design, as well as uncredited directorial work, attached him to such visual triumphs as Gone with the Wind, Alexander Korda's sumptuous 1940 Thief of Baghdad, and Menzies's better-known SF achievement as director, the original Invaders from Mars. Things to Come traces a generational saga that begins, presciently, with a global war that outlives its own political purpose, unraveling society to a Balkanized world of isolated communities. In the wake of a subsequent, devastating plague, a new technocracy arises, evolving toward Menzies's striking vision of vast, subterranean cities, rendered in matte paintings building on then-contemporaneous art-deco "streamlined" aesthetics. Driven more by theme than plot, Things to Come lacks the sheer momentum of other Wells classics brought to film (The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine, among them); but Menzies's bold look and a strong cast including Raymond Massey, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke and a young Ann Todd explain the film's enduring appeal. --Sam Sutherland

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Brand: WELLSPRING/GENIUS
Manufacturer: Legend
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Raymond Massey
• Edward Chapman
• Ralph Richardson
• Margaretta Scott
• Cedric Hardwicke

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 7:42 am and is filed under 1930s, Other War Movies, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.