H.G. Wells: 22

The science fiction horror film, The Invisible Man (2020), is a new adaptation of the 1933 movie of the same name. Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, it is based on H.G. Wells’ novel with a similar title. In the film, Cecilia Kass finds herself in an abusive relationship with wealthy optics engineer and businessman, Adrian Griffin. He is also the CEO of Cobalt, a human-computer augmentation company. One night, she drugs Adrian with her diazepam and escapes his highly-secured house with her younger sister’s help. Cecilia seeks refuge at the home of her ...

War of the Worlds (2019–2024), a production of Fox Networks Group and StudioCanal-backed Urban Myth Films, is an adaptation of H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel about Earth’s response to a surprise invasion by Martians. The series, created and written by Howard Overman and directed by Gilles Coulier and Richard Clark, marks the third television adaptation of the novel. Set in modern-day France, this Anglo-French retelling takes inspiration from The Walking Dead as ...

The British drama, The History of Mr Polly (2007), follows the story of Alfred Polly in the early 1900s. Despite marrying Miriam Larkins and opening a shop, Polly still holds onto his infatuation with Christabel, but as time goes on, his marriage becomes dull and he feels trapped. In an attempt to break free, he plans to fake his own death by burning down the shop. However, during the fire, he saves an elderly deaf woman and is hailed as a hero. He uses the insurance money to start over and ends up working at a quaint country pub called the Potwell Inn. The landlady is kind, but her nephew Jim is causing trouble for the business.

War of the Worlds (2005), an American science fiction action-thriller, was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. Based on H. G. Wells’ famous 1898 novel of the same name, the film opens with a narrator describing the threat of extraterrestrial beings who are envious of humanity’s dominance over Earth. The story follows Ray Ferrier, a divorced longshoreman working as a crane operator in Brooklyn, New York. He is estranged from ...

The American film, The Time Machine (2002), is a loose adaptation of H. G. Wells’ 1895 novel and the 1960 film of the same name by David Duncan. Dr. Alexander Hartdegen, an inventor at Columbia University in New York, is driven to build a time machine after his fiancée Emma’s tragic death at the hands of a mugger. Despite his friend David’s interest in business, Alexander focuses on pure research. After successfully completing the machine in 1903, he travels back to 1899 to prevent her murder but is unable to change fate as she dies in another accident. ...

The American Sci-Fi television series, The Invisible Man (2000–2002), aired on both the Sci Fi Channel and US TV stations from June 9, 2000 to February 1, 2002. Despite its exploration of themes such as freedom of choice, determinism, and state bureaucracy through science fiction and action elements, the show faced cancellation by USA Cable Entertainment, the parent company of Sci Fi. This was due to costly production expenses, particularly for visual effects which sometimes exceeded $1 million per episode. As viewership declined, advertising revenue could no longer sustain the high costs. The Invisible Man is a multi-genre ...

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) is an American sci-fi horror film, based on the novel of the same name by H.G. Wells. It was directed by John Frankenheimer. United Nations negotiator Edward Douglas survives a plane crash in the Java Sea and is rescued by a passing boat, where he meets Dr. Montgomery. After learning that the boat has no radio, Douglas is promised transportation to Timor by the captain. However, upon arriving at Montgomery’s destination, also known as ‘Moreau’s Island’, he is advised to disembark so that Montgomery can use the ...

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) is an American science fiction horror film helmed by director Don Taylor. It is the second English-language adaptation of H. G. Wells’ 1896 novel of the same name. The story follows three men who are stranded in the Pacific Ocean after the sinking of their ship, the Lady Vain. One man perishes at sea and after seventeen days, the remaining two reach an island where they encounter dangerous animals. Braddock, one of the survivors and an engineer from the Lady Vain, is taken in by a compound run by a scientist known as ‘Dr. ...

The British science fiction film First Men in the Moon (1964), directed by Nathan Juran, was distributed by Columbia Pictures and adapted from H. G. Wells’ 1901 novel of the same name by screenwriter Nigel Kneale. Set in 1964, the United Nations launches a rocket flight to the Moon with a multi-national group of astronauts who believe they will be the first explorers on the lunar surface. However, upon their debut moonwalk, they come across a battered Union Jack flag and a handwritten note dated 65 years prior, ...

The Time Machine (1960) is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction film set in the late 19th century, based on H. G. Wells’ novel of the same name. On January 5, 1900, four friends gather at their inventor friend George’s home in London for dinner. However, when George suddenly appears looking worn out and fatigued, he shares his experience with them. Days earlier, at their New Year’s Eve dinner, George had mentioned his theory that time could be considered the fourth dimension. He then reveals a small scale model of a time machine and demonstrates how pressing a lever causes it to vanish in an ...

H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man, also known as The Invisible Man (1958–1960), was a British black-and-white science fiction television series that aired on ITV and CBS in the United States. It had a run of two seasons with 26 half-hour episodes. While loosely based on Wells’ 1897 novel, it deviated from the original by changing the main character’s name to Dr. Peter Brady, who remained a sane man rather than a power-hungry lunatic like in the book and film adaptation. Other characters from the novel did not make an appearance in the series. The show follows the ...

The War of the Worlds (1953) is an American science fiction thriller film directed by Byron Haskin. It is the first of several feature film adaptations of H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel with the same title. A large object crashes near the small town of Linda Rosa, California, where Dr. Clayton Forrester, an atomic scientist, investigates and meets Sylvia Van Buren and her uncle, Pastor Collins. The three then attend an evening square dance but soon return to the crash site where they witness a hatch unscrewing and falling off of the object. As three men try to make contact ...

The British film, The History of Mr. Polly (1949), was based on H.G. Wells’ comic novel of the same name and directed by Anthony Pelissier. After losing his job at a draper’s shop where his father had arranged for him to apprentice, Alfred Polly struggles to find work elsewhere. Upon receiving news of his father’s passing, he returns home and inherits £500. While pondering his future, a family friend named Mr. Johnsen suggests investing in a shop, an idea that doesn’t sit well with Polly. During a leisurely bike ride in the countryside, he has a ...

The British romantic drama film, The Passionate Friends (1949), was directed by David Lean. It follows the story of Mary on holiday in Switzerland while waiting for her husband Howard (Claude Rains) to join her from his business. It had been nine years since their last vacation, but also nine years since she last spoke to Steven, the man she loves and who happens to be staying in the neighboring room without her knowledge. The film then delves into flashbacks of their past relationship. Despite her love for Steven, Mary declines his proposal, believing that a marriage built on love would feel suffocating. Steven argues ...

Made by Ealing Studios, Dead of Night (1945) is a black and white British anthology supernatural horror film. It is a rare example from the 1940s, as horror films were prohibited from production in Britain during World War II. Its influence can be seen in subsequent British films of the same genre. John Baines’ stories were reused for later films, while the episode with the ventriloquist dummy was adapted for the pilot episode of CBS radio series Escape. Architect Walter Craig arrives at Elliot Foley’s country cottage in Kent, where he has been invited to consult on renovations. Strangely enough, despite never having met any of them before, Craig claims to ...

The American horror film, The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944), directed by Ford Beebe and written by Bertram Millhauser, follows the story of a mentally unstable Robert Griffin. After escaping from a Cape Town institution where he was committed for murdering two orderlies, Griffin becomes fixated on seeking revenge against the Herrick family. One evening, Sir Jasper Herrick and Lady Irene are inspecting their daughter Julie’s new boyfriend, journalist Mark Foster, when Julie and Mark suddenly leave. Left alone in the residence, Robert seizes the opportunity to ...

Invisible Agent (1942), an American action and spy film directed by Edwin L. Marin with a screenplay written by Curt Siodmak, follows the story of Frank Griffin Jr. He is the grandson of the original Invisible Man, who now operates a print shop in Manhattan using the name Frank Raymond. Late one night, four armed individuals enter his shop and reveal their identities as foreign agents working for the Axis powers. Among them are Conrad Stauffer, an S.S. lieutenant general, and Baron Ikito, a Japanese agent. They demand to obtain the invisibility formula and threaten harm if it is not handed over. Despite managing to flee ...

Directed by Joe May, The Invisible Man Returns (1940) is an American horror science fiction film that follows the story of Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe. Despite being wrongfully convicted for the murder of his brother Michael, Radcliffe is sentenced to death. In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, Dr. Frank Griffin, brother of the original invisible man, administers an invisibility drug to Radcliffe. With his execution looming, Radcliffe mysteriously disappears from his cell. Meanwhile, Detective Sampson of Scotland Yard begins to piece together the truth while Radcliffe races against time to find the real murderer ...

The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936) is a British fantasy comedy film directed by Lothar Mendes and produced by Alexander Korda. It opens in the celestial realms, where three superhuman entities – potentially gods or angels – are observing the planet Earth. Disheartened by the actions of these ‘animals’, one of the entities is challenged by the other two to prove whether or not these beings are capable of handling the power over reality required to reach the stars. The only limit set for this experiment is that free will cannot be controlled, as ...

The British sci-fi film Things to Come (1936) was produced by Alexander Korda, directed by William Cameron Menzies, and written by H. G. Wells. John Cabal, a businessman, resides in Everytown in southern England in 1940 and is unable to enjoy Christmas due to the possibility of war reported on the news. Harding, his guest, shares his concerns while Pippa Passworthy remains optimistic, believing that the war may not happen or if it does, it will propel technological advancements forward. However, an air raid that night leads ...