if scientist behave in a way that h. g. well be confident they would in the future and history wouldn not quite have turn out the way it do in thing to come . be almost 80 year past the point that well write the shape of thing to come on which this film be base and no closer to the world he describe than before and in some way far away . though such well know player a raymond massey and ralph richardson and and cedric hardwicke be in the cast and theyre more caricature than real character . it the main weakness with the film and it devote to well philosophy of science will solve all problem and the rest of u be backward fool . massey character and two generation of the same family hold that supremely optimistic view . cedric hardwicke be a skeptic who feel man be rush too far forward . and ralph richardson be a warlord arisen from the destruction of another thirty year war fought with modern weapon . by the way a the atomic bomb have not be invent and poison gas be deem to be weapon that almost destroy mankind . accord to well and science and conquest can never mix . scientist a a group be far too above the world of politics to engage in such thing . in well lifetime scientist certainly flee the rightwing fascistic government of hitler and mussolini . those same folk however in order to defeat them and subordinate themselves to the ally and fashion the atomic weapon that usher in the modern age . if they behave a well would have like them to and someone like albert einstein would have head a junta of scientist who would have establish a new order after world war ii . well get it wrong both in time and in development . he apparently never envision the computer as well a atomic power . computer programmer be far more likely to be our ruler in a brave new world than scientist at the moment . still thing to come and aid by the direction of william cameron menzies and the set create offer an interesting glimpse into the mind of h. g. well and certainly a respected thinker of his time though he do not quite get right the shape of thing to come .