After the Robot Wars, what is left of Earth lives in a city on the moon by the name of New Washington, surviving because of the anti-radiation drug Raddic-Q2 from the distant planet Delta 3. They are soon under the grip of Omus, the Robot Master (Jack Palance), who has crashed the latest vessel filled with the drug and plans on being emperor.
He's opposed by Senator Smedley (John Ireland), Dr. John Caball (Barry Morse), Jason Caball (Nicholas Campbell), Kim Medley (Anne-Marie Martin) and the cute robot Sparks, who teleports by turning the camera off and turning it on again once he's moved.
I remember being really excited about this movie because it was an H. G. Wells story, but no, it's not. It's a Canadian science fiction movie made by George McCowan. Hey, it has Carol Lynley (The Beasts Are On the Streets) in it so I watched it. The effect of Palance projected into the sky was also a major reason, as I'm a sucker for him just getting a paycheck anywhere that he can.
If I watched this when I was under ten, I'd be telling you how insane it is.
The Shape of Things to Come
1979
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller
The Shape of Things to Come
1979
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller
14%
TOMATOMETER
· 4 reviews
14%
AUDIENCE
· 1K ratings
3.2/10
1.4K
Plot summary
Planet Earth is a devastated wasteland, and what's left of humanity has colonized the Moon in domed cities. Humanity's continued survival depends on an anti-radiation drug only available on planet Delta Three, which has been taken over by Omus, a brilliant but mad mechanic who places no value on human life. Omus wants to come to the Moon to rule and intends to attack it by ramming robot-controlled spaceships into the domes. Dr. John Caball, his son Jason, Jason's friend, Kim, and a robot named Sparks embark on Caball's space battlecruiser on an unauthorized mission to Delta Three to stop Omus.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
September 08, 2021 at 06:59 AM
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Movie Reviews
Hoser
Total dud
With the names Jack Palance and Carol Lynley above the title, you would think that The Shape of Things to Come (purportedly from the book by HG Wells, although I see little similarity) would be a sci-fi adventure to die for.
Well, it is...after watching this for half an hour you realise that yes, you have actually died and gone to hell. The special effects are below average for their time and the cast performs VERY badly. Palance has some interesting moments playing one of his typical evil characters but on the whole is fairly bland. As for Carol Lynley, who I usually adore, Niki is by far her worst performance, mainly due to her monosyllabic delivery.
However there are some laugh-out loud moments (unintentional), mainly caused by the cast's feigned fear of the "robots" which are obviously stunt men in cardboard looking costumes who look about as fearsome as a newborn.
Don't waste your time with this tripe, watch Star Wars instead.
The worst sci-fi film I have seen in a movie-theatre
This film was released in Swiss theatres in 1979. It is probably the worst film I have ever seen in a movie theatre. Terrible story, bad acting, even worse special effects. I have voted on 1718 films in the IMDb and I have given TSoTtC a 2 out of 10 (there are worse films that have been released to video only, like OCTAMAN for example for which I voted with a straight 1 out of 10)