The Shape of Things to Come

1979

1h 38m

IMDb RATING

3.9/10

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Science Fiction

Adventure

Planet Earth is a devastated wasteland, and what's left of humanity has colonized the Moon in domed cities. Humanity's continued survival depends on an anti-radiation drug only available on planet Delta Three, which has been taken over by Omus, a brilliant but mad mechanic who places no value on human life. Omus wants to come to the Moon to rule and intends to attack it by ramming robot-controlled spaceships into the domes. Dr. John Caball, his son Jason, Jason's friend, Kim, and a robot named Sparks embark on Caball's space battlecruiser on an unauthorized mission to Delta Three to stop Omus.

Directors

George McCowan

Writers

Mike Cheda(adaptation by)

Joseph Glazner(adaptation by)

H. G. Wells(novel by)

Stars

Jack Palance

Carol Lynley

Barry Morse

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Videos1

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Watch H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come (1979) - TV Spot HD 1080p

Photos16

Top cast

Omus

Nikki

Dr. John Caball

Senator Smedley

Jason Caball

Kim Smedley

Sparks (voice)

Sparks

Lomax (voice)

Merrick

Lunar technician

Robot technician

Spacesuited man

Directors

George McCowan

Writers

Mike Cheda(adaptation by)

Joseph Glazner(adaptation by)

H. G. Wells(novel by)

All cast & crew

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Review

Featured review

4/10

**_Practically any episode of Buck Rogers is a superior choice_** Shot in the fall of 1978, this is a cheesy Star Wars knockoff that merely uses the HG Wells name as a selling point since the story has nothing to do with his 1933 novel. Meanwhile the robots in the story are variations on the Robot from Lost in Space. I mention Buck Rogers because the sets, costumes and FX are comparable to that contemporaneous TV series. Also, Jack Palance, who stars as the villain here, also played the antagonist in one of the better episodes of that series, the two-part “Planet of the Slave Girls.” Meanwhile Anne-Marie Martin plays the female protagonist (oddly credited as Eddie Benton), and she also appeared in one of the better episodes of that show, “Twiki Is Missing.” Unfortunately, whereas the Costume Designer for Buck Rogers was a genius who knew how to dress women to emphasize them in all their glory (not tawkin’ about sleaziness), the costumer for this flick fumbled the ball with both Anne-Marie and the lovely Carol Lynley. Don’t get me wrong, their costumes are a’right, but that’s about it. For a quality low-budget Star Wars ripoff, check out Roger Corman’s entertaining “Battle Beyond the Stars,” which came out the year after this one. That said, this flick can be enjoyed to some degree if you’re able to roll with its all-around cheesiness, similar to a lousy Star Trek episode. It runs 1h 38m and was shot in the studio in the Toronto area with location sequences done in Montréal. GRADE: C-

Wuchak23 Nov, 2025