Things to Come/Journey to the Center of Time (1936)

Terrible DVD production values for a great film

With a newly restored version of Things to Come out there is no reason to ever buy this disk. The film reproduction is terrible, almost unwatchable. There are no extras worth mentioning. Just short essays on topics like 'science fiction' you can read on the screen and a trivia quiz.

As for the B side film 'Journey to the Center of Time' it may be the worst film ever made and is not even worth seeing to make fun of.

Give this disk a miss. November 27, 2008

A classic and a B-movie.

Things to Come, the movie, is a mixture of two of H.G. Wells's books. The first part is out of The War In The Air. The idea is that the nations of the world end up starting a war very much like the First World War but with more powerful weapons, mostly in the form of aircraft, which causes civilization to fall. The war scenes, some of them footage of real military equipment and others very cool looking models, seem very realistic. In the end, H.G. Wells's other book, The Shape Of Things To Come, is brought into the movie. The book is about the wonderful, bright, future and the film shows a future where airmen have joined together in their wish to bring peace to the world, using science and bravery, by overthrowing the old ways and the old world. In the end mankind takes the first steps to the stars.
The second movie is called Journey To The Center Of Time. The idea is that scientists are trying to find a way to peek into the past or the future. But an accident breaks the lab away from the present, tossing it into the river of time and space, first far into the future and then back into the past. There seem to be some complaints that dinosaurs did not exist one million years BC but nobody says the giant lizard is a dinosaur. It fact it could be a giant Komodo Dragon.
OK, maybe I am being silly, but outside of the somewhat bad science, the movie isn't that bad. It isn't great but it isn't that bad. I remember seeing a part of it as a kid and being impressed that the bad guy ended up killing himself.
On the other hand I am not too impressed by the new lab coming out of no where. Maybe the movie producers wrote themselves into a corner and they had to find a way out?
This disc was worth getting used but don't buy it new without a REALLY good reason.
September 19, 2006

Cheap Rip-Off

This double feature by (shudder) Madacy contains two amazingly poor looking films: "Things to Come" and "Journey to the Center of Time." "Things to Come" is a thought provoking film based on H.G. Welles's book "The Shape of Things to Come," but you wouldn't be able to tell it by this shoddy transfer in which none of the dialogue is even understandable and the picture is dark. A much nicer version is available from Image Entertainment/Wade Williams Collection. Get it.
"Journey to the Center of Time" is a terrible, lifeless, shamefully low budget film in which almost nothing happens. Despite the box's claim that it's "Stimulating, exciting, and great fun!", there is not a speck of entertainment to be had (unless you count Lyle Waggoner's cameo. I didn't). The transfer fares slightly better, but it's still barely watchable.
There are a few extras, too. A Sci-Fi Oscar Winners Index, Sci-Fi Common Themes, Special FX Notes, and Trivia Questions. They're not very good at all, but at least they're reasonably abundant. March 8, 2003

Things To Come: Good film, bad copy

“Things To Come” is one of those intelligent sci-fi films that you dream about. It is an adaptation of H. G. Wells book of the same name. Filmed in 1936, it traces the history of a (fictitious) world war that begins in 1940, and is continually fought until the 1970’s. The film show life before the war, life during the apocalypse, and finally traces world society into 2036, with a planned space mission, and a group of futuristic luddites who are opposed to the plan.

The sets and cinematography is pure eye-candy, and remind me of a rough Fritz Lang, and life during the apocalyptic war has become chilling, considering the possibilities that may happen in this war on terrorism.

It is an anti-war film. However, Wells naively thinks that scientific endeavor can save humanity. Contrast this with the idiotic statements that we got when the genome was cracked:

“Perhaps most surprising, two analyses released this month suggest that the entire human genome may contain fewer than 40,000 genes - about half the number that scientists have presumed (no more than a worm and a fly combined, Collins quips).”

Would you want scientist Collins, who can’t see the difference between a fly, a worm, and a human, to operate on you? And we are to build humanity on this foundation? Science had given us many trinkets, but she has failed to give us any meaning—due to the Naturalistic Fallacy. How do you get from “E=mc2” to “Love your neighbor?” The scientific endeavor, therefore, would just be a type of busy-work.

The copy is very rough and blurry at times, and the dialogue fades in an out, and the DVD has no frills that we love and use. But this rough copy is better than no copy at all! This is a perfect classic, and a must for an sci-fi junkie.

“Journey to the Center of Time” is bad. But I think it should be mandatory viewing for people who think that Star Trek: The Original Series was bad, since “Center of Time” makes Kirk look like Shakespeare! February 2, 2002

Groundbreaking science fiction

This double feature DVD includes one of the best science fiction films, an adaptation of H.G. Wells' story "The Shape of Things to Come." This melodramatic tale, released in 1936, foresees a second World War beginning in 1940 and continuing into the 1970s, devastating the Earth. Eventually, mankind rebuilds, constructing a new and better civilization, culminating in the beginning of space travel in 2036. The film's striking production design, first rate photography, literate, intelligent script, and fine performances (especially by Raymond Massey) make this an essential film for science fiction fans.

Unfortunately this DVD is a low-budget, no-frills disc, made from a smudgy print. The audio has not been cleaned up; it's scratchy and dialogue is not always intelligible. Hopefully a remastered version will be released someday, with perhaps a few extras.

The less said about the second film, "Journey to the Center of Time", the better; it's worthwhile only as an example of how not to make a movie.

This DVD is worth buying for "Things To Come"; at least until a remastered version is available. October 29, 2000

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