The Shape Of Things To Come!

The 1979 movie The Shape of Things to Come has almost nothing to do with the H.G. Wells tome which inspired the title. Instead what we have here is one of just about a zillion Star Wars knock-offs which went into production to drain off what it could of the glory of its inspiration. What we actually have is a pretty dreary affair which plods along with sufficient if not compelling special effects (for the time) and a story which really doesn't make all that much sense.

We follow two young people who represent Earth (or the peoples of Earth which is now inhospitable) in a colony on the Moon which comes under attack by a tyrant from another colony. They dither and dodge around long enough to soak up the requisite time to make this move long enough for feature distribution and then end the threat pretty easily actually.

That threat is mad leader played by the great Jack Palance and he's the only reason to give this tired outing a try. But sadly he's not on screen nearly enough to warrant his highlight in the credits. I got it on his name pretty much and regretted it mostly, though as a document of what films were like at the time it's not useless.

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Jack Palance, Prince Of Darkness!

Jack Palance was one of those movie stars who dominates the screen. He's big and dour and powerful. He's not strutting, he's not showing off, he just is. He stands and overwhelms the actors next to him.

That said, for such an actor to play a something like Dracula is the perfect blend of talent and character. Dracula as portrayed by Palance in this Dan Curtis effort is a true menace. His strength is enormous, his will implaccable, and his passions contained but just barely. This is a Dracula who wants something he cannot have, and if he cannot have it he will destroy everyone who stands in his way or even simply stands.

That said, the movie isn't a perfect one by any means. It's got plenty of mood and the trimming of the story to fit film length is necessary and logical, but is surprising. This is certainly one of those movies which suggests more than it shows, a needed ingredient for horror. But this movie is rarely truly scary, not the way the other Dan Curtis movies are. It lacks the modern setting which makes the supernatural element immediately more unsettling. Dracula is a period story and now seems rather quaint in so many ways that the scares are diminished.

But that doesn't mean that when Palance is on screen you don't pay attention. One sequence where he invades an inn to get at some of his victims is impressive as he is a juggernaut and pitiful humans need get out of his way or die. That left a mark on me, reminding of similar scenes in The Night Stalker.

And sadly I think that's what hurts the effectiveness of this flick. I so adore the sheer frights of Kolchak and his battles with a modern vampire, that seeing a similar confrontation in olden times is less impressive. But that doesn't mean it's not interesting and memorable.

This is recommended for all Curtis and especially for Palance fans.

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