1936
This movie had the worst picture quality I have ever seen. My DVD menu gave me the option of watching it in color so I foolishly chose to. For some reason I then proceeded as if I couldn't go back on my decision. This was a big mistake; it looked awful.
Besides that, the film sucked on its own accord. It shouted "B-MOVIE!" the entire time. The acting was awful (especially the "diseased" woman's) and the plot was hard to follow. It jumped all over the place with dire predictions. 2012 type predictions. H.G. Wells did accurately guess that there would be a second world war, though.
Anyway, I do really like H.G. Wells. Science fiction movies date really easily. The only way to combat this natural force is to have really great character development. Unfortunately, this film did not put up this defense.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
H.G. Wells hated Fritz Lang and hated Metropolis. He told the crew to do the opposite of what Lang had done.
Available on YouTube but don't watch it! First part:
Over-ambitious, I think that is the word for it. There are some good ideas, but it never works as a movie.
ReplyDeleteI found that it never pays off to watch the colorized edition when given the choice, but that is hardly a problem for you anymore.
Yeah that was a rookie mistake.
DeleteI agree with all that 'T' says (especially about colour versions), but perhaps in different measure and so with a different conclusion.
ReplyDeleteIts worthy intentions and good ideas get in the way of it ever working too well as an entire film. That's the trouble with concept movies; you can't edit to improve the film without ruining the concept. Were this a thriller it would be much easier to cut a car chase to improve the greater whole.
But I liked the good stuff enough to overlook this. The concepts seem especially prescient in these Post-Brexit times and on the verge of a Trump Presidency. "Why do they need to travel? Is our own country not good enough for them?" The models and special effects may seem endearingly amateur by today's standards, but the effort and imagination that went into their creation is admirable. A very brave film to have made and I would rather see people fail to reach their ambition than succeed in reaching their mediocrity every day of the week, even if the results are patchy.