Things to Come

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Things to Come

Released Apr 17, 1936

1h 35m

Sci-Fi

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91%

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33 Reviews

55%

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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).

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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.

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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

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Variety

This is England's first $1 million picture. It's an impressive but dull exposition of a bad dream.

May 31, 2007

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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

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

An early masterpiece of the sci-fi genre...

Mar 7, 2023

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Jorge Luis Borges

Sur

"Grandiose" in the worst sense of that bad word.

Dec 15, 2021

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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

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g j

Shows its 90 years in some stilted acting and a poorly paced second act, but is nevertheless an outstanding achievement that, in places, feels decades ahead of its time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/13/25

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Doug P

"Things To Come" (1936, H.G. Wells and William Cameron Menzies) impressed me. Not right away. The first 35 minutes or so, I was skeptical of what seemed to be a rather raggedy story line with stereotypical characters. The Chief and his ambivalently loyal wife; the wise scientist and his beautiful daughter; the rugged individualist, friend of the scientist and drawn to the daughter. As the story progressed from 1940 to 1960, 1970, and to 2036, the theme of balancing scientific progress with humanism became clearer. The film's subject, conflict and peace, was integrated seamlessly with the theme. What made the film fully engaging was the special effects depicting a 2036 as imagined in 1936. Overall, "Things To Come" is a bit pedantic in tone, melodramatic in its characters and relationships, but impressive overall for its socio-political vision as well as for the SFX representing prescient technological vision.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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David M

From a very different time, but must be seen for the exquisite design if nothing else.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Denny S

A must see for any fan of sci-fi movies. Way, way ahead of its time with visual impact and whole dramatic presentation. Some of it drags a bit and some clues date the film, but I'm just nitpicking.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/26/24

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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

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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

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William Cameron Menzies

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Ralph Richardson

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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
Producer: Alexander Korda
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: British English
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)

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