40 Films in Robotech: The Shape of Things to Come (1979)

  

When I saw this film mentioned in McKinney’s Battlecry book, I thought it was interesting that he called the film The Shape of Things to Come since it looks like he’s talking more about the 1936 film Things to Come directed by William Cameron Manzies. Both 1979’s The Shape of Things to Come and 1936’s Things to Come are based on H.G. Wells’ story, The Shape of Things to Come (1933). But since I have never seen the 1979 version and that’s how it’s referenced in Robotech, that’s the one we're featuring…

 ROBOTECH MENTION:  

Page 31 in Jack McKinney’s Battlecry (1987)…

 SYNOPSIS:  

In his book The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction – The Definitive Illustrated Guide (1996), David Pringle called H.G. Wells’s The Shape of Things to Come (1933) one of Wells’s “later scientific romances” of “less literary merit and yet still, in many cases…of profound interest.” The 1936 film was relatively true to Wells’ vision. TCM’s Sloan De Forest called the moment when John Cabal steps out of his “advanced aircraft” donning a “space-age helmet” in a horse-and-carriage town a “mind-blowing moment” in the 30s film (p. 43 in TCM Must-See Sci-Fi – 50 Movies That Are Out Of This World [2018]). But the 1979 version? Not so much. The filmmakers took liberties with the story. Here is the trailer:

 AWARDS & KUDOS:  

The 1979 version has been lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax. 

 OTHER COOL FACTS:  

While this film may not have the exact scene Robotech Character Roy Fokker describes in the McKinney excerpt above – neither does the 1936 version. Yes, the ’36 version has a futuristic aircraft and fascist leaders – but so does the 1979 version. The line of dialogue Fokker describes is in neither version. 

 ROBOTECH REASON:  

Clearly, McKinney meant to reference the 30s film and just grabbed the 70s title – as that is also the original title of Wells’ tale. That aside, The Shape of Things to Come (1979) has a lot more visually in common with Robotech than Things to Come (1936). The starship controls, multi-colored jumpsuits, hairstyles, clunky robots, "video display monitor screens" – they’re all in Shape as they are in Robotech. Plus, Shape is a fun watch. Hokey? You bet. But it is worth at least one screening.

To read my ⭐⭐ (out of a possible 5 star) rating The Shape of Things to Come (1979) on Letterboxd, click here.