Plot: What’s it about?
In the dark, distant future, mankind has been forced to leave their homeworld behind and look to the skies for new residence. This is because Earth has become a wasteland, ravaged by a series of battles known as The Robot Wars. Now humans have found asylum in lunar colonies, building huge, complex domes on the moon. But even this new home is threatened, as radiation is very high and there is only source for the cure. The only resource to treat the radiation is a drug called Ridic-Q-2, which is found exclusively on Delta Three. Although Delta Three is a distant world, the humans manage to keep in good standing with Delta Three and by turn, the supply of Ridic-Q-2 is ample and the radiation is controlled. But things take a turn for the worse when a madman known as Emperor Omus (Jack Palance) becomes involved. This power-mad tyrant is bent on taking over New Washington, the name of one of mankind’s most important lunar colonies. His robotic forces begin to ram into the domes, trying to demolish them and expose all the humans inside, as Omus has no mercy for mankind. He has also assumed control of Delta Three, which means the flow of Ridic-Q-2 is unavailable. Now its up to a small band of heroes to take on Omus’ forces, but can anyone stop this maniacal madman?
As based on H.G. Wells’ acclaimed novel, The Shape of Things to Come takes us on a tour of the future, 70s sci/fi cheese style. But this is a loose rendition of Wells’ work, so don’t expect a tight translation, or even something along the lines of the terrific 1936 edition, Things to Come. Instead, we have what amounts to solid gold for fans of bad movies, a piece of sci/fi that induces a constant wave of entertainment. You’ll marvel at the low rent robots, the poor location choices, the bottom of the barrel special effects, and yes, even at poor Jack Palance, seen here at times as a hologram, which is a real sight to behold. Imagine Palance’s massive head, looming over some obvious Canadian scenery, leering down us at all, wondering why in the world he agreed in such drivel as The Shape of Things to Come. But that is just one of the cornball, memorable events in this movie, which stands as a monument of sci/fi cheese, the kind of movie that harkens back to the old 50s B cinema, only much, much worse. I can overlook cardboard & plastic robots from the films back then, but here its hard to believe anyone would be fooled, even the blind. Blue Underground’s disc offers minimal supplements, but let’s be realistic, did you expect anyone involved to own up and try to explain this disaster? As such, we can’t be too harsh on that front, especially since we have a brand new transfer, in anamorphic widescreen, no less. So this release is more than recommended, as long as you’re into B movies, that is.
Unless you’re a connoisseur of the fine art of hamming it up, then you won’t be too impressed by the performances found here. But if you love to laugh at people trying to keep a straight face while surrounded by low end robots, then you should find more than a fair share of hilarity in The Shape of Things to Come. And while she isn’t the most famous cast member in this cheese epic, I think most cult cinema fans will recognize Carol Lynley. All sci/fi in this B movie vein needs a leading babe and Lynley is more than up to the task, though that isn’t saying much, since this material asks very little of its workers. Lynley looks good here however, with that special sci/fi chick look about her and anything positive is good in this case. Of course, she isn’t able to do much aside from look good, since she’s given poor lines, poor robotic costars, and poor props to hold, but hey, at least she looks good, right? Other films with Lynley include Beware the Blob, Vigilante, The Light in the Forest, The Poseidon Adventure, The Cardinal, and The Cat and The Canary. The cast also includes Jack Palance (City Slickers, Cops and Robbersons), Barry Morse (The Changeling, Tv’s Space: 1999), and John Ireland (The Incubus, Satan’s Cheerleaders).
Video: How does it look?
The Shape of Things to Come is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie has never been released on home video before, so Blue Underground has rolled out the red carpet with this terrific treatment. As you should expect, the print has some grain and nicks, but this looks cleaner than you might imagine. A lot of these sci/fi cheese flicks get rushed transfers, but here we have a very impressive visual presentation. The black levels are accurate and remain consistent, while colors have a bright, almost vivid appearance. In other words, this looks better than expected and Blue Underground’s work here is top notch. Of course, some flaws were inherent to the material, but we can overlook those minor defects.
Audio: How does it sound?
I found no real problems with the included mono track and though it might not be memorable, it gets the job done in the end. No distortion or hiss is present, which is always a good sign with an B movie track like this one. The music sounds good and meshes well with the material, and like I mentioned above, no distortion can be found at all. The cheese laden and hilarious sound effects are in fine form here also, while dialogue is sharp and easy to understand throughout. This disc also includes a French language option, should you need that.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a selection of poster artwork & still photos, a television spot, and the film’s French theatrical trailer.
