Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Things to Come

      Released Apr 17, 1936 1h 35m Sci-Fi List
      91% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 55% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings It's Christmas 1940, and Everytown resident John Cabal (Raymond Massey) fears that war is imminent. When it breaks out, the war lasts 30 years, destroying the city and ushering in a new dark age of plagues and petty despots. But there is hope in the form of Wings Over the World, a group of pacifist scientists and thinkers lead by Cabal. Their dream is to build a utopian society on the ruins of the old. But first they'll have to unseat the latest ruling tyrant (Ralph Richardson). Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Sep 01 Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      Things to Come

      Fandango at Home Prime Video

      Rent Things to Come on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

      Things to Come

      What to Know

      Critics 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.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Critics Reviews

      View All (33) Critics Reviews
      Frank S. Nugent New York Times 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. May 31, 2007 Full Review Variety This is England's first $1 million picture. It's an impressive but dull exposition of a bad dream. May 31, 2007 Full Review William Thomas Empire Magazine Spookily prescient in many of its ideas, this is fascinating whilst being a little clumsy and dated, even for its time. Rated: 4/5 May 14, 2007 Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film An early masterpiece of the sci-fi genre... Mar 7, 2023 Full Review Jorge Luis Borges Sur "Grandiose" in the worst sense of that bad word. Dec 15, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The speculative qualities of this epic sci-fi drama are worth seeing, particularly due to the early year in which it was theatrically adapted. Rated: 6/10 Jul 30, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (160) audience reviews
      Aldo G Sensational early sci-fi film. Imaginative production design. Excellent cinematography. I bet George Miller studied this film before producing his first Mad Max film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/15/24 Full Review Shioka O I'm overwhelmed by the first 15-20 min seeing the endless bombings and catastrophic images, then being patient, majestic imagination came after. It's a very early take of Sci-fi dystopian in a pure Art Deco, and definitely ahead of its time. I find the visual, the technology, and the speeches dominate over the story by H.G.Wells. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/28/23 Full Review Audience Member For the time this is a very impressive and underrated science fiction film. It's a must see for sci fi fans. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/08/22 Full Review john d Things to Come has become rather dated. Two things make it stand out and really worth watching. First, is the score by Arthur Bliss. Second, is the state of sci-fi special effects in the mid-1930's. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review dave s Back in an era when the majority of movies were either fluffy rom-coms or over-the-top musicals, Things to Come must have had quite the impact on audiences. Filled with gloomy prophesies, the film shows the future to be an oppressive dystopia filled with conflict and pestilence. While the movie has its merits, it tends to get bogged down in a repetitive cycle of conflict montages and talking heads, both accompanied by a blaring score that feels unnecessary. The effects are surprisingly decent and it's interesting to watch considering the time period it was produced, but it tends to be a bit dull at the best of times. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review robert p A great movie, however I recommend the colorized edition!!!! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      95% 85% The Invisible Man 100% 82% Mad Love 80% 34% One Million B.C. 79% 56% Dr. Cyclops 67% 51% The Invisible Ray Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Lion, Night of the Living Dead, The Salesman, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week

      Photos

      View All Things to Come photos

      Things to Come

      Things to Come (1936) Things to Come (1936) Things to Come (1936) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis It's Christmas 1940, and Everytown resident John Cabal (Raymond Massey) fears that war is imminent. When it breaks out, the war lasts 30 years, destroying the city and ushering in a new dark age of plagues and petty despots. But there is hope in the form of Wings Over the World, a group of pacifist scientists and thinkers lead by Cabal. Their dream is to build a utopian society on the ruins of the old. But first they'll have to unseat the latest ruling tyrant (Ralph Richardson).
      Director
      William Cameron Menzies
      Screenwriter
      H.G. Wells
      Distributor
      Madacy Entertainment Group Inc. [us], GoodTimes Home Video [us], Sinister Cinema, Unknown Video, LS Video, Film Classics Inc., United Artists, Network Enterprises [us]
      Production Co
      London Film Production
      Genre
      Sci-Fi
      Original Language
      English (United Kingdom)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 17, 1936, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 1, 2012
      Runtime
      1h 35m
      Sound Mix
      Mono
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.37:1)
      Most Popular at Home Now