H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come story
H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come is a 1979 Canadian science fiction film. Although credited to H. G. Wells, the film takes only its title and some character names from The Shape of Things to Come, Wells' speculative novel from 1933. The film's plot has no relationship to the events of the book. The book predicts events such as a Second World War and the collapse of social order until a world state is formed, whereas the 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, Starcrash, and TV series such as Space: 1999 and Battlestar Galactica, although the film had only a fraction of the production budget of any of these.
16 total · 6 major · 10 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| colonization of the Moon | major | We saw people living in a domed city on the surface of the Moon. |
| father and son | major | Dr. John Caball accompanied his son Jason on the interstellar voyage to the planet Delta Three, only to be murdered there by his former student Omus. |
| robot helper | major | Omus commanded an army of bulky, roughly humanoid shaped robots. Kim reprogrammed one of Omus' robots to be her helper, and named it Sparky. |
| sentient computer | major | The sentient computer Lomax played an integral role in running the New Washington colony, and its leaders often conferred with Lomax for strategic advice. |
| the dangers of radioactivity | major | The New Washington colonists depended on the anti-radiation drug Raddic-Q2, which was manufactured on the distant planet Delta Three, to survive. |
| the lust for power | major | Omus was motivated by the desire to become dictator of the Moon. |
| coping with radiation sickness | minor | While on Earth, Jason and Kim encountered a group of children who were afflicted with radiation poisoning. Senator Smedley became sick after getting exposed to radiation while on Earth. |
| coping with the death of a parent | minor | Jason briefly mourned the murder of his father by the aspiring dictator Omus. |
| domed city | minor | The domed cite New Washington on the surface of the Moon. |
| interstellar space travel | minor | The anti-radiation drug Raddic-Q2 was shipped to the Moon from the distant planet Delta Three. |