The Illustrated Man story

movie: The Illustrated Man (1969) · 1969-03-26

A man whose tattoos on his body represent visions of frightening futures. The film is based on three short stories from the 1951 collection The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury: "The Veldt," "The Long Rain," and "The Last Night of the World."

14 total · 11 major · 3 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
choosing whether to kill someone to spare them suffering major A husband and wife had to decide whether or not to follow the order to kill their children to save them from the coming horror of the end of the world in the "The Last Night of the World" subplot.
colonization of Venus major The astronauts said there were domed cities, called "sun domes", every 20 miles on Venus in the "The Long Rain" subplot.
descent into madness major The astronauts in the "The Long Rain" subplot were driven to madness while searching for a sun dome on Venus.
existential risk to civilization major Every adult on Earth has had the same vision of the Earth ending that night in the "The Last Night of the World" subplot.
human vs. the elements major A crew of astronauts were stranded on Venus in perpetual torrential rains in the "The Long Rain" subplot. [torrential rain]
husband and wife major Carl and Felicia were married with two kids in the "The Veldt" subplot. A husband and wife were ruled to kill their children in the "The Last Night of the World" subplot.
parent and child major Carl and Felicia worried about their children's mental health in the "The Veldt" subplot. A husband and wife were ruled to kill their children in the "The Last Night of the World" subplot.
stranded on a deserted planet major A crew of astronauts were stranded on Venus in perpetual torrential rains in the "The Long Rain" subplot.
virtual reality room major In "The Veldt" subplot, children John and Anna played in a virtual reality nursery, which produced any environment the children imagined.
what if I caught a glimpse of the future major A man named Carl tells the tales behind some of his tattoos, which he insists are not to be called tattoos, but only ever "skin illustrations", which come to life and tell the illustration's story when stared at directly.