Wonderful Movie

I wanted to but couldn't!

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Let's begin with the bad. The movie is not without its problems : it finds it difficult to create lifelike individuals, tell their stories (complete with a credible backhistory) and fold these stories into the larger, overarching narrative. People tend to be symbols, emblems, representatives or bearers of a certain philosophical viewpoint, rather than.. rather than, well, yes, people. There are also a number of - well, you could call them plot holes, but perhaps they're more of a continuity problem. For instance : suddenly there is the advent of "wings over the world", presumably some kind of warrior caste of aviators, engineers and scientists. The movie doesn't explain where these people come from : for all we know, they could have arrived straight from the planet Jupiter or from another dimension. And there are other moments when someone or something just appears out of nowhere, like woodland mushrooms springing into life in the space of one day. On the other hand : "Things to come" proposes truly interesting ideas about the evolution of society and the nature and direction of progress. Moreover, this is a visionary movie, boldly and accurately predicting evolutions such as World War II, large-scale aerial warfare, large-scale biological warfare, space exploration, the development of mass communication and social media, and so on. This makes for some unusually spooky viewing : at times it looks as though the various makers of the movie stepped into a time machine, obtained news reels and footage about the aerial "Blitz" attacks on England's largest cities, and returned to 1936 in order to integrate these images into the project. The visionary nature of "Things to come" is further enhanced by inventive sets and state-of-the-art visual and special effects. Finally the movie is lifted far above average by the superb score by Arthur Bliss, which is, by turns, chilling, moving, thrilling or lyrical. His deeply disquieting "war march" can stand proudly alongside Gustav Holst's "Mars, the bringer of war".

I'd not seen this film for many decades. After watching Ray Kurzweil - The Singularity Is Near on YouTube, I remembered this movie and decided I should view it again, remarkable!In the 1960's I was young and remember thinking to myself how very silly and quaint Things to Come was. Let's face it, there was no "green screen" no CGI etc. But the issues are still very relevant. H.G. Wells had amazing and prophetic insights.Pre WWII but the directors and screenwriters were spot on as was Mr. Wells. Keep a close eye on the time lines. The correlations I found rather remarkable. WWII the cold war etc. The rise and fall of despots, those who wish to live in the past, the fear of the unknown, change and progress. At times the acting is very much over the top, but try to look beyond that, to themes, archetypes, and how we humans tend to repeat history. Overall, we progress, sometimes plotting along, other times through giant leaps. Always, and I mean ALWAYS through science and reaching out to our future as frighting as that might be.

This movie, based on "The Shapes Of Things To Come," by H.G. Wells, paints a dark and foreboding picture of the future. It spans about a hundred years of time. Opening in 1940, the movie is set in a place called "Everytown" - obviously intended to be seen as London. The people are apprehensive. There are, indeed, rumours of war being thrown around, until finally an unnamed European power launches a massive bombing raid on the city, which devastates life there. Following this, society degenerates into a collection of fiefdoms, with local warlords ruling the populations. Disease breaks out, further devastating those who are left. But there remains hope. An organization called "Wings Over The World" is committed to peace, and they manage to take over Everytown, using their newly developed "gas of peace." The movie then skips ahead again to 2036, to the point at which humanity once again seems civilized and technically advanced, with a gigantic "space gun" getting ready to blast people to the moon, which, strangely, is declared to be in "the right position" for the next two or three months. The right position? The moon constantly revolves around the earth. It's never in "the right position" or any specific position for two or three months! But even that doesn't come across as a utopian society by any means. The value of the technology is called into question, a rebellion is brewing, the society's leadership is seen as autocratic.This is an interesting enough movie. It skips ahead fairly quickly, and it has some imaginative ideas about what the future might look like. Director William Cameron Menzies uses some effective camera work, and the special effects are pretty good by the standards of 1936, when this was made. (7/10)

Didactic and Philosophically laden, this is a Grandiose Vision of Civilization and its Place in the Animal Kingdom. H.G.Wells, a Proud Socialist and Pacifist, Thought (erroneously) that He was on His Game here and Demanded Command on the Set, and in No Uncertain Terms unleashed a Dictate on the "Sign of the Times" and the "Things to Come".It is Clear that this is Wells (who was involved and dictatorial during production) Heavy Handed Verbiage Intruding when the Shakespearean Overacting begins to enter this Visually Vibrant and Awe Inspiring Film. The Actors do their Best to Upstage the Breathtaking Backgrounds, and are a Poor Contrast.This is a One of Kind Movie and does not lend itself to Comparison as it is a Stand Alone Compilation of Fact and Fiction, Art and Literature.Only Metropolis (1927) can offer such Stimulation of Cinematic Brush Work. It has such a Sensation of Art-Deco Beauty for the Expressionistic design and it makes the Industrial Revolution Look Attractive.It is Overwritten and there is very Little Subtlety. There is one Scene of Understatement and Poignancy, where two Aviators are brought together After a Crash. There is also one Shot of a Child's Death complete with Blood dripping from the little one's Face. This is a Powerful Anti-War Statement that does more than Projecting Dialog and Flailing Arms.It is Wells' Ideas that are brought to the Screen with Pictures that end up Ironically the Best. The Pompous, Thoughtful, and Noble Prose is so Overwrought that it Distracts and is Detrimental.Simply the Author's Words and Ideas were Not Transmutable to the Medium of Film in this Way and in this Case.