The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
Back to trending 
Things to Come
Drama · Science Fiction · 1936
The story of a century: a decades-long second World War leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and attempts space travel.
Movie details
Things to Come
“The future is here!”
1936 Drama · Science Fiction 1h 40m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.5 / 10
Community rating
The story of a century: a decades-long second World War leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and attempts space travel.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Things to Come?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life.
Doctor Who: Last Christmas
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The Doctor and Clara face their Last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!
2073
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Inspired by Chris Marker's iconic 1962 featurette La Jetée; the year is 2073—a not-so-distant dystopian future—and the setting is New San Francisco, the scorched-earth tech-dominant police state where democracy and personal freedom have been well and truly obliterated.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
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An alien and a robot land on Earth after World War II and tell mankind to be peaceful or face destruction.
Fast Girls
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A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Strawberry Mansion
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In the not-too-distant future, an all-seeing surveillance state conducts “dream audits” to collect taxes on the unconscious lives of the populace. Mild-mannered government agent James Preble travels to a remote farmhouse to audit the dreams of Arabella “Bella” Isadora, an eccentric, aging artist. Entering Bella’s vast VHS archive, which contains a lifetime of dreams, Preble stumbles upon a secret that offers him a chance at love—and hope for escape.
Planet of the Apes
Sci-fi · 1968
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.
Chaos Walking
Fantasy · 2021
Two unlikely companions embark on a perilous adventure through the badlands of an unexplored planet as they try to escape a dangerous and disorienting reality, where all inner thoughts are seen and heard by everyone.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
William Cameron Menzies
Written by
H. G. Wells
Raymond Massey
John Cabal / Oswald Cabal
Edward Chapman
Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
Ralph Richardson
The Boss
Margaretta Scott
Roxana / Rowena
Cedric Hardwicke
Theotocopulos
Maurice Braddell
Dr. Harding
Sophie Stewart
Mrs. Cabal
Court is in session
Put Things to Come on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.