H.G. Wells on Film: The Utopian Nightmare

One of the most influential men of his generation, H.G. Wells is primarily known for his science fiction writings that looked ahead in time to teach and warn people about the future of the human race. Directly and indirectly, the writings he became famous for inspired films that brought his visions (if often greatly altered or misfocused) to life on the screen. He himself wrote screenplays and closely supervised the production of some of his work. This work is a study of every theatrically released film from 1909 to 1997 based, even loosely, on the writings of H.G. Wells, including The Wonderful Visit, The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The Food of the Gods, and Empire of the Ants, just to name a few. The films based on his work are presented in chronological order and for each, the author discusses the circumstances surrounding its creation, its plot, how it compares with the literary work, its production and marketing, and its strengths and weaknesses based on aesthetic qualities.