A truly epic work which continues to fascinate.
Things to Come (1936)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:19
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Eerily prescient in its presentation of a dystopian future, Things to Come's special effects may be somewhat dated, but its potent ideas haven't aged at all.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: In the years since they were published, H.G. Wells's words seem to have become prophecies... Society in 2036 has devolved into a leisure-saturated body of mass consumers. Important decisions... In the years since they were published, H.G. Wells's words seem to have become prophecies... Society in 2036 has devolved into a leisure-saturated body of mass consumers. Important decisions are relegated to an elite few. World wars have left parts of the globe in ashes; localized conflicts continue as a way of life. Social and medical epidemics rage. The comfortable bourgeoisie dwells like moles, living below sea level. Its members rest on cellophane sofas, inhale filtered oxygen, ingest preserved food, and entertain themselves by synthetic light. While the intelligentsia obliterates the sick to create a utopia for the earthlings who remain, others plan a mysterious trip to the moon, purportedly for humanity to reach the next rung on its evolutionary ladder. [More]
Starring: Raymond Massey, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke, Ann Todd
Starring: Raymond Massey, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke, Ann Todd, Margaretta Scott, Maurice Braddell, Sophie Stewart, Derrick De Marney
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Screenwriter: H.G. Wells
Producer: Alexander Korda
Composer: Arthur Bliss
Get This Movie
Reviews for Things to Come
An astonishing black-and-white visualization of Wells' view of the future.
[An] imaginative, only occasionally naive forecast of the age of nuclear warfare in 1936.
Things to Come is an unusual picture, a fantasy, if you will, with overtones of the Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon comic strips. But it is, as well, a picture with ideas which have been expressed dramatically and with visual fascination.
Essential viewing today for anyone interested in the history of celluloid science fiction, but general audiences will most likely find it to be dull.
At once dated and weirdly modern, this may not be the film Wells wanted it to be, but it's still more ambitious and impressive than most fantasy cinema of the past 30 years.
Wells' heart must have sunk as audiences avoided his impassioned and idealistic -- yet dour and didactic -- cri de coeur.
Spookily prescient in many of its ideas, this is fascinating whilst being a little clumsy and dated, even for its time.
This is England's first $1 million picture. It's an impressive but dull exposition of a bad dream.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 58% 58% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Things to Come at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!







