H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come (film)

H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come
aka	The Shape of Things to Come
Year	1979
Directed by	George McCowan
Produced by	Harry Alan Towers William Davidson
Written by	Martin Lager
Music by	Paul Hoffert
Studio	SOTTC Film Productions Ltd
Cast	Jack Palance Carol Lynley Barry Morse John Ireland
Run time	98 minutes
Riffed in	Episode #1310 RiffTrax

For the episode, see MST3K 1310 - H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come.

“	"As a matter of fact, I feel very comfortable."	”
	- Sparks

H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come is a 1979 science-fiction adventure film directed by George McCowan. It is very loosely inspired by a 1933 novel by renowned author H.G. Wells.

Plot

In the distant future, a human colony on the moon is threatened by a power-hungry warlord. A group of colonists and their robot aides attempt to stop the villain.

Cast

• Jack Palance as Omus
• Carol Lynley as Niki
• Barry Morse as Dr. John Caball
• John Ireland as Senator Smedley
• Nicholas Campbell as Jason Caball
• Ann-Marie Martin as Kim Smedley

Notes

• During Turkey Day '21, it was announced that this film would be used in Episode 1310. It premiered on September 30, 2022.
• This film is also a RiffTrax presentation released in 2020. It is available here.
• This film has only tenuous connections to the H.G. Wells novel. The novel includes characters named "Cabal", and depicts a society in which pilots and technicians are highly-regarded.

MST3K Connections

• Source material writer H.G. Wells also had his writing loosely adapted in Village of the Giants and Riding with Death.
• Jack Palance also portrayed Xenos in Outlaw and Mike Farrell in Angels Revenge.
• John Ireland also portrayed Cane Miro in Gunslinger.
• Executive producer Harry Alan Towers was also writer (under the pseudonym Peter Wellbeck) and producer for The Castle of Fu Manchu, Outlaw, and The Million Eyes of Sumuru.
• Sound technician David Appleby was also sound technician for City on Fire and The Last Chase.
• Re-recording mixer Don White was also foley recording mixer for City on Fire and sound re-recordist for The Last Chase.

Critical Response

• Leonard Maltin wrote: "One-and-a-half stars ... Lackluster, low-budget remake of H. G. Wells story has nothing in common with 1936 THINGS TO COME, as few survivors of Earth’s destruction are now living in peril on the moon. Diehard sci-fi fans may want to take a look, but it’s hardly worth the trouble."