novel of the same name, the film takes only its title and some character names from the 1933 novel. The film's plot has no relationship to the events of the book. The book and its 1936 film adaptation ''
Things to Come'' predict events such as a
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the collapse of social order until a
world state
World government is the concept of a single political authority with jurisdiction over all humanity. It is conceived in a variety of forms, from tyrannical to democratic, which reflects its wide array of proponents and detractors.
A world gove ...
is formed, whereas the 1979 film involves a high-tech future involving robots and spaceships.
The film was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of such recent successes as ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'', and TV series such as ''
Space: 1999'' (also starring Morse) and ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'', although the film had only a fraction of the production budget of any of these.
Plot
In the future, Earth is recovering from the devastating Robot Wars. Most of humanity lives on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
in a domed city called New Washington. They depend on the anti-radiation drug Raddic-Q2 from the distant planet Delta 3. A cargo ship carrying the drug crashes into the dome with disastrous results. Colony leader, Senator Smedley, and science advisor Dr. John Caball, try to contact Nikki, the leader of Delta 3. They find that Omus, the Robot Master (also Caball's former apprentice), has declared himself emperor. Having crashed the cargo ship on purpose, Omus demands the colony's obedience or else he will invade with robots.
Smedley refuses to comply. Caball suggests launching an armed advanced starship called the ''Starstreak'' against Omus. Smedley says that the ship has yet to be tested. Caball boards regardless and, before launch, exposes himself to deadly radiation from the ship's reactor room. With no time left to obtain radiation drugs, Caball calls for his son Jason to help him pilot the ship. Tagging along are Smedley's daughter Kim, and Sparks, a teleporting pilot robot from the cargo ship. They will steal the ''Starstreak'' and head to Delta 3.
While in space, a malfunction forces the ''Starstreak'' to stop at Earth. While Caball conducts repairs, Jason and Kim explore in hopes of locating Caball's friend Charley. Small figures that stalk them in the woods. Jason finds Charley dead. Kim has disappeared. Jason and Sparks find her with a group of harmless children who survived the Robot Wars. With more pressing matters to attend to, Jason leave the kids behind with food, but promises to return once their mission is complete.
On Delta 3, Nikki has formed a resistance force. They will try to retake the planet's Citadel from Omus and his robots. The ''Starstreak'' enters a dangerous gravity vortex in space. The crew escape the storm. Delta 3 conveniently appears before them. On the planet, the crew finds Nikki and her people. Robots surround the heroes. A hologram of Omus appears. He has Caball brought before him. Jason and the others sneak inside the Citadel.
Omus shows off his latest achievements to his old mentor. He turned the mining robots into shock troopers. Unimpressed, Caball tries to talk Omus into giving up his plan to control humanity. Omus refuses to listen. He dons a transparent helmet where he shows Caball another creation: a spinning
disco ball
A disco ball (also known as a mirror ball or glitter ball) is a roughly sphere, spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearl ...
-like device that drives Caball mad with pain and then kills him.
At Omus' chambers, Jason finds his father murdered. Kim reveals that Caball had severe radiation sickness and was
terminally ill
Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced he ...
anyway. Furious, Jason confronts Omus, whose robots take him prisoner. Thanks to Sparks, all the robots turn on their master and run out of control. Jason and the others flee the control room. Sparks has teleported to one of Omus' cargo ships and taken over the main computer system. The robot frenzy overloads critical systems and explosions rip through the Citadel. Sparks escapes in the cargo ship. The others make it back to the ''Starstreak'' and lift off. Omus sits in his control room as his citadel explodes around him. The destruction of the Citadel causes the whole planet to explode. The last scene shows the two ships returning to Earth, with the cargo ship hauling a supply of Raddic-Q2.
Cast
*
Jack Palance
Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...
as Omus
*
Barry Morse
Herbert Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008), known professionally as Barry Morse, was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the ABC television series '' The Fugitive'' and the British sci-fi drama '' ...
as Dr. John Caball
*
Nicholas Campbell
Nicholas Campbell (born 24 March 1952) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor and filmmaker, who won three Gemini Awards for acting. He is known for such films as ''Naked Lunch'', '' Prozac Nation'', ''New Waterford Girl'' and the tel ...
as Jason Caball
*
Anne-Marie Martin
Anne-Marie Martin (born Edmonda Benton; November 11, 1957) is a Canadian retired actress, screenwriter and equestrian who is perhaps best known for playing Sgt. Dori Doreau in the American television comedy series ''Sledge Hammer!'' from 1986 to ...
as Kim Smedley
*
Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972).
Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...
as Nikki
*
John Ireland
John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...
as Senator Smedley
* Greg Swanson as Sparks (voice)
*
William Hutt as Lomax (voice)
* Mark Parr as Sparks
* Ardon Bess as Merrick
Critical reception
G. Noel Gross of ''DVD Talk'' said, "Released in 1979, the sets and FX look more akin to 1959 with the aptly named 'Sparks' and his robo-ilk who precariously teeter along like oversized popcorn poppers with great big salad tongs for arms."
Legacy
The ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
'' spiritual successor
RiffTrax
RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to mostly public domain feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''M ...
released a comedic commentary of the film in early 2020.
The film was later featured on ''MST3K'' itself as part of season 13.
See also
*''
Things to Come'', a 1936 film scripted by Wells, based on his novel
References
External links
*
*
*
{{George McCowan
1979 films
1970s science fiction films
English-language Canadian films
Films based on works by H. G. Wells
Moon in film
Canadian post-apocalyptic films
Space adventure films
Films directed by George McCowan
1970s English-language films
1970s Canadian films