The Day of the Triffids
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Movie Reviews of The Day of the Triffids
Movie Review: BBC adaptation that is faithful to the original novel...
Summary: 5 Stars
NOTE: As I own the 2/4 region version of this film, my review deals with the substance of the story (NO spoilers!). I have preordered a copy coming from Amazon and will update my review immediately after receiving that one.
This is a six part mini-series based on the book by John Wyndham, first broadcast in the UK in 1981 and subsequently shown on PBS (where I first saw it). The Day of the Triffids is quite the father to "28 Days Later", in that it is an end-of-the world-as-we-know-it tale, but it has a good deal less gore and offers up a romance between the leads John Duttine (as Bill Masen) and Emma Relph (as Josella Payton).
The plot centers on two main elements: the introduction of a complex, new form of plant life that provides a highly profitable type of oil and the appearance of a massive meteor shower that is eagerly viewed by most of the inhabitants of the world.
As this is a BBC television production, the sense of a play unfolding and the accents of some of the characters may not appeal to some American viewers. Yet, the dialogue is crisp and the emotional interplay very human in a situation where the world seems to have gone mad. The special effects are minimal but fairly convincing (remember this was made over 25 years ago).
This is one of my favourite science-fiction movies of all time. The actors do a very solid job of bringing the characters to life, there is a very real feeling of dread as the veiled nature of the triffids becomes apparent and the responses of various peoples to the crisis rings true throughout.
It should be noted that an earlier effort at adapting the book for film starred Howard Keel (many will have seen this courtesy late night movies). That version ended up quite a mishmash and strayed very far from the source material - I would assign it just two stars.
I highly recommend The Day of the Triifids done by the BBC.
NOTE: Received the Region 1 version from Amazon. It is a near exact copy of the other; again highly recommend this disc!
Movie Review: Excellent adaptation of John Wyndham sf novel
Summary: 5 Stars
I was delighted to see that this British mini-series adaptation of John Wyndham's sf novel "Day of the Triffids" will now be available on American DVD. I had a copy on VHS which I had taped when the series had been shown on my local PBS station, but I made the mistake of loaning it to a couple of idiots who somehow managed to break it. (How do you break a videotape, I'd like to know?)
In Wyndham's novel, a strange world-wide disaster leaves mankind vulnerable to the triffids, a species of mobile plants whose origins are unknown. The story follows one man (played by John Duttine, star of another popular British series "To Serve Then All My Days") who by chance was unaffected by the disaster and his travels around England, trying to find others like himself and re-establish civilization. It adheres very closely to the novel and the writing and acting are up to the usual high British standards. Much better than the earlier American version with its ridiculous "Wizard of OZ" ending. (I like Howard Keel, but he should stick to musicals.)
Highly recommended.
Movie Review: As Wyndham Meant It
Summary: 5 Stars
As Wyndham Meant It
I have a soft spot in my heart for the movie starring Howard Keel but it was not very true to the book. This mini-series is much truer. The first obvious difference is that the Triffids are already around and farmed as a cash crop. While true to the book the pacing is changed so that cliffhangers and other tense moments fall right at the end of each episode but none of these changes affect the feel.
Howard Keel starred in a movie where the main point was fighting the Triffids. It was man versus monster. This version is much less about fighting Triffids and much more about humanity learning to deal with having been temporarily knocked down a peg (after all, newborns will not be born blind). It is about planning for a rough couple of decades and not the end of the world. The acting is decent and the few necessary special effects are well handled. When it was all over I really felt like I had just watched Wyndham's classic. Check it out.
Movie Review: An atmospheric adaptation of Wyndham's classic tale
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many Americans, I first saw this miniseries when it was broadcast on PBS in the 1980s. When it came out on DVD, I knew I had to get a copy of it for my collection. This is a superb adaptation of John Wyndham's classic novel, one that updated the setting while retaining the essentials of the book. Though not a big-budget adaptation, it succeeds brilliantly in creating a powerful atmosphere through excellent acting, a haunting score, and stark images of the virtually empty streets of London. There is no sense of coziness in this catastrophe, just fear followed by the collapse of civilization and the grim struggle for survival that follows. All of it makes for compelling viewing, entertainment well worth the price of the DVD.Movie Review: TERRIFIC TRIFFIDS
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS ENGLISH RENDITION OF TRIFFIDS IS THE BEST ONE THATS BEEN MADE. GOOD ADDITION TO THE COLLECTION