The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells (2001)
H.G. Wells foresaw the future in such visionary novels as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. On a night in London in 1946, newspaper reporter Ellen McGillivray arrives at the home of legendary literary figure, Herbert George Wells. Expecting to hear of the events and people who formed his prophetic imagination, she is informed of a world in which known scientific boundaries no longer exist. It begins a half-century earlier at London's Imperial College of Science where Wells meets Jane Robbins, a scientist equally fascinated by unnatural phenomenon, and a woman who immediately captures Wells' heart. To Wells' surprise, Ellen accepts his outlandish tales of traveling through time. What Ellen is about to discover is that at the heart of the mysterious orb is buried the equally mysterious heart of Jane Robbins, the one who inspired H.G. Wells to tell the amazing truth in the form of science "fiction."
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Simply A Masterpiece
hyped garbage
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Ashamed to admit I paid a grand total of 44 cents for this collection (plus another in a dual pack DVD from the local dollar store on 88 Cent Day.) It was worth so much more~my husband and I have sat up late two nights in a row watching them all. Nearly as addictive as Downton Abbey, with music reminiscent of the Harry Potter Series, it was a fun escape from the news of the day a century later. The "journalist" was a particularly clever way to tie the lot together, one story blending into the next, so we didn't want to stop watching. We were both disappointed it was only six episodes. We've started an American series now called Granite Flats, set in cold war 1961. It's hard to find, and more "family-oriented" but some nice mystery to it. We're looking forward to seeing it's second season start up this April. It's always fun to discover these little-known, short-lived televised gems.
Happily, the screens - small and large - have (mostly) been kind to H G Wells. I'm a fan so I attribute it to the charming quality of "human-ness" and compassion that ran through his writing (and not just his sci-fi either). I'll keep clear of the Time Machine remake and the tragedy of casting Guy Pearce in the lead. What's intriguing is that H G Wells himself has often been written into period pieces as a character - always a sensitive new-age kinda guy - and why not?- he really was years ahead of the time he lived in. And "Infinite Worlds" does it well. The screenwriters do not let Wells' short stories down as they weave a gentle romance and equally gentle humour in with stories like The Stolen Bacillus, The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes and others. The period style is light and the well-directed cast play their parts with none of the embarrassment that often dogs smaller productions. Add a soundtrack that matches the mood of "Infinite Worlds" and you've got a warm evening's viewing (or two - the version I saw was in three parts on cable and even without the ads it was a few enjoyable hours worth).
Collection of six Wells short stories, ranging from time travel to martians to "acceleration", tied together with an ongoing romance between Wells and a female scientist, set toward the end of the 19th Century. It's not a bad production, overall, but most of what is good about the series is owing to Wells' stories themselves; the acting, makeup and effects can be dodgy at times, but that's what you'd expect from a TV miniseries from across the Pacific. Rating: 6/10.
If you are a fan of H.G. Wells and like the odd spot of romance then this "made for tv special" is for you. I saw it on the Hallmark Channel over the span of 3 nights and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.The format is reasonably simple. Set in post-WWII, Wells is visited by an "up and coming star" lady, a supposed journalist, who comes to quiz the famous author on an old science chum. This in leads to Wells relating a number of stories that he played some small part in well over 50 years ago. All of the stories are short, lasting about 40 minutes screen time. They mostly revolve around time and its a wonderful exploration on its varying effects on people.Thrown into all of this is Well's love interest. A charming lady scientist who urges the great writer onto bigger and better things.All in all this is one of the better 'made for telly movies' that I've seen. A decent cast, nice settings and a good script. I gave it a rare 10/10.