H. G. Wells has been referred to as the father of science fiction, and many of his novels and short stories have served as the inspiration for H.G. Wells movies, which popularized the genre. Born in 1866, Herbert George Wells spent his early years in Kent, England with his parents in humble circumstances. When he injured his leg at a young age and found himself bedridden for some time, he discovered his love of books and the way that they could allow readers to explore worlds outside their own.
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As Wells grew older, he developed a keen interest in science and chemistry, which afforded him the opportunity to teach and expand his own learning. In 1895, he moved to Woking, Surrey, where he had perhaps the most prolific years of his writing career and produced many of his most famous works, with several penned, others published, and another two started. By the time he passed away in 1946, several of his novels had already received adaptations and become popular.
You are watching: 10 Great Sci-Fi Movies Based on H.G. Wells’ Stories
10
Island Of Lost Souls (1932)
Based On The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1896)
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Island of Lost Souls
NR
Adventure
Horror
Science Fiction
Release Date
December 24, 1932
Runtime
70 minutes
Director
Erle C. Kenton
Writers
Philip Wylie
Cast
See All
-
Charles Laughton
Dr. Moreau
-
Richard Arlen
Edward Parker
-
Leila Hyams
Ruth Thomas
-
Bela Lugosi
The Sayer of the Law
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The Island of Lost Souls was one of the first English-language adaptations of H.G. Wells’ work, inspired by the novel The Island of Doctor Moreau. The film is a sci-fi horror story which details the mysterious experiments of the reclusive Dr. Moreau, who lives on a remote island surrounded by lush forests and unique creatures. Due to the horrifying nature of the film with humans being created from animals through unusual and cruel experiments, the film was heavily edited and restricted after it was released for many years.
Part of his problem came with the film using too much horror, while he preferred the idea of subtle dread.
However, it went on to earn far more praise in later decades for its cinematography and creativity. Interestingly, H.G. Wells himself was not happy with the movie, saying it was “terrible” and was “handled miserably” (via Screenland magazine). Part of his problem came with the film using too much horror, while he preferred the idea of subtle dread. However, despite the author’s distaste, this remains the best film based on The Island of Dr. Moreau, led by a perfect performance by star Charles Laughton.
9
The Time Machine (1960)
Based On The Time Machine (1895)
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The Time Machine
G
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Adventure
Fantasy
Release Date
August 17, 1960
Runtime
103 Minutes
Director
George Pal
Writers
H.G. Wells, David Duncan
Cast
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-
Rod Taylor
H. George Wells
-
Alan Young
David Filby / James Filby
-
Yvette Mimieux
Weena
-
Sebastian Cabot
Dr. Philip Hilyer
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Based on the novella by the same name, The Time Machine is one of H.G. Wells’ most popular stories. Originally released in 1895, the story has been adapted to film four times and inspired many further movies about time travel. One of the best adaptations came in 1960, with Rod Taylor starring as a brilliant inventor who creates a machine capable of carrying him through time. Upon arriving in a distant future, he discovers that peoples have evolved to become two distinct species, the Eloi, and the Morlocks in a post-apocalyptic future.
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Wells is responsible for creating the term time machine, and this film did a great job faithfully adapting the story. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects, as the film was ahead of its time with the sci-fi effects and time machine design. It was also nominated for the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Critics praised its campy nature and the acting of Rod Taylor while also lauding the sci-fi charm and its respect for H.G. Wells’s source novella.
8
First Men In The Moon (1964)
Based On The First Men In The Moon (1901)
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First Men in the Moon
NR
Adventure
Science Fiction
Release Date
July 1, 1964
Runtime
103 minutes
Director
Nathan H. Juran
Writers
Jan Read
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Producers
Charles H. Schneer
Cast
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-
Edward Judd
Arnold Bedford
-
Martha Hyer
Kate Callender
-
Lionel Jeffries
Joseph Cavor
-
Miles Malleson
Dymchurch Registrar
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Five years before the first ever moon landing, H.G. Wells’ 1901 story, First Men in the Moon was adapted into a film with the same title. The movie shows a group of astronauts who visit the moon and discover various forms of previously undiscovered life forms. The film did an excellent job integrating stop-motion animation with live-action and, considering the time it was filmed in, managed to create a wonderful visual experience that earned it much praise.
NASA used footage from First Men in the Moon as illustrations for their moon landing since they had no actual footage until Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon (via Starlog).
Of course, the original novel was a sci-fi romance that predated the moon landing by over six decades, and was released in an era where filmmaking was hitting at what space travel could be like in Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, which actually came out a year after Wells published his story. First Men in the Moon, in particular, was celebrated because of the special effects, created by practical effects mastermind Ray Harryhausen, which allowed the film to update the original Wells story.
7
War Of The Worlds (2005)
Based On The War Of The Worlds (1898)
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War of The Worlds
PG-13
Action
Science Fiction
Thriller
7/10
9/10
Release Date
June 29, 2005
Runtime
116 Minutes
Director
Steven Spielberg
Writers
Josh Friedman, David Koepp, H.G. Wells
Cast
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Tom Cruise
-
Dakota Fanning
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Another of H.G. Wells’ most famous stories is The War of the Worlds, which was originally published as a serial in magazines before being compiled into a complete novel in 1898. The story has been adapted several times into radio shows, musicals and feature-length films. Infamously, Orson Welles did a radio show which actually caused a mass scare in 1938. In 2005, Steven Spielberg’s attempt to adapt the story, starring Tom Cruise, was released and earned an incredible $603 million (via Box Office Mojo).
The story details an alien invasion by a highly advanced species who appear to herald the end of the world, but as the story plays out, the aliens find their toughest challenge in the most obscure way. While it had a high budget ($132 million), War of the Worlds was a massive success, earning three Oscar nominations and becoming a blockbuster hit. The movie did make a major change, as Spielberg had the aliens in hiding on Earth for years, which was not what Wells presented in his story.
6
The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937)
Based On The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1898)
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The Man Who Could Work Miracles
NR
Comedy
Fantasy
Release Date
July 23, 1936
Runtime
82 minutes
Director
Lothar Mendes
Writers
H.G. Wells
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Producers
Alexander Korda
Cast
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-
Ralph Richardson
Colonel Winstanley
-
Roland Young
George McWhirter Fotheringay
-
Edward Chapman
Major Grigsby
-
Ernest Thesiger
Maydig
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The Man Who Could Work Miracles may lean more into the realm of fantasy, but it again applies fictional elements to scientific precepts during a time when neither genre was well-defined. The inspiration for the 1937 adaptation was a short story written and published by Wells in 1898. The story revolves around a man who is granted miraculous powers by the gods to perform impossible feats and prove humanity’s worthiness.
The adaptation adds to the story in order to create a feature film, but the fantastical elements ring through to the theme of Wells’ original story and make for an engaging film. What makes this specific H.G. Wells movie so important is that Wells actually worked on the film’s script, revising the original script by Lajos Bíró and adding new touches on his socialist frustrations with the British upper class and fascism’s rise in Europe. Reviews were mixed, with positive reviews calling it a “delightfully humorous fantasy.”
5
The Invisible Man (2020)
Based On The Invisible Man (1897)
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The Invisible Man
R
Horror
Sci-Fi
Thriller
7/10
10
7.5/10
Release Date
February 28, 2020
Runtime
124 minutes
Director
Leigh Whannell
Writers
Leigh Whannell
Cast
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-
Zara Michaels
-
Storm Reid
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The Invisible Man is another serial story published weekly in a magazine by Wells before being published as a novel in 1897. Considering the plot revolves around a character who can’t be seen, it has proven difficult to adapt satisfyingly to film on several occasions, but one of the best versions of the story came in 2020. There are several changes and the film leans more into the horror side of the story, but it manages to convey the sci-fi feeling and what the truth about gaining the power to turn invisible may look like in a comprehensive and complete way.
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When The Invisible Man was released in 2020, it was meant to be connective to the Dark Universe films, but ended up as a standalone when Universal chose to axe the entire shared worlds franchise. However, while the previous movies with Dracula, Wolf-Man, and The Mummy flopped, The Invisible Man was a great success. It was a story about a woman being gaslighted and tormented by her scientist ex-boyfriend. The film is a great tale of female empowerment and revenge, while using H.G. Wells’s story as a simple basis for it all.
4
Things To Come (1936)
Based On The Shape Of Things To Come (1933)
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Things to Come
NR
Drama
Science Fiction
Release Date
March 31, 1936
Runtime
100 minutes
Director
William Cameron Menzies
Writers
H.G. Wells
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Producers
Alexander Korda
Cast
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Edward Chapman
Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
-
Raymond Massey
John Cabal / Oswald Cabal
-
Ralph Richardson
The Boss
-
Margaretta Scott
Roxana / Rowena
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In 1936, Things to Come was released as a commentary on social and political developments in society and where these things could lead in the future. Unlike many of H.G. Wells’s movies, this one was based on a brand-new book by the author. The book that inspired it came just a few years earlier, in 1933, titled The Shape of Things to Come, with elements of other stories thrown in. What is unique about this adaptation is that the book was not so much a fictional story, but a discussion written in the form of a novel.
After its release, the film garnered critical acclaim, with many of the ideas highlighted in the film remaining relevant today. H.G. Wells is listed as the sole screenwriter for this adaptation, which makes it a highlight of his filmed works. Things to Come follows the world when a war started in 1940, but unlike World War II, this one doesn’t end when the world is still fighting in the 1960s, but no one even knows what they are fighting for anymore. The film received universal acclaim and was seen as a precursor to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
3
The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1977)
Based On The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1896)
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The Island of Dr. Moreau
PG
Science Fiction
Horror
Adventure
Release Date
July 13, 1977
Runtime
99 minutes
Director
Don Taylor
Writers
Al Ramrus
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Producers
John Temple-Smith, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Sandy Howard
Cast
See All
-
Burt Lancaster
Dr. Paul Moreau
-
Michael York
Andrew Braddock
-
Nigel Davenport
Montgomery
-
Barbara Carrera
Maria
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The second English language adaptation of The Island of Dr. Moreau was released almost 50 years after The Island of Lost Souls. The film made a valiant effort to adapt the original story, but perhaps because of how far special effects had come and other contemporary releases like Star Wars and Star Trek revealing how effectively special effects could be used, the movie received negative reviews for the poor special effects.
There was yet another version released 20 years later with Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer in the leads, but it was ravaged by critics and failed to honor H.G.
In the 1977 version, Burt Lancaster plays the titular Moreau, and the story continues to prove itself a faithful adaptation to the work that inspired it. There was yet another version released 20 years later with Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer in the leads, but it was ravaged by critics and failed to honor H.G. Wells story as well as this earlier version. This film was loyal to Wells’s story, more so than The Island of Lost Souls, but with the special effects letting it down in the end.
2
Time After Time (1979)
Based On Time After Time By Karl Alexander (1979)
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Time After Time
PG
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Adventure
Drama
Comedy
6.3/10
Release Date
September 28, 1979
Runtime
112 Minutes
Director
Nicholas Meyer
Writers
Karl Alexander, Steve Hayes, Nicholas Meyer
Cast
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-
Malcolm McDowell
H. G. Wells
-
David Warner
Jack the Ripper / John Leslie Stevenson
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While Time After Time was not a story written by H.G. Wells, it does feature him as the primary protagonist in an adventure which expands on The Time Machine. The novel, written by Karl Alexander, was published in 1979 and produced as a film the same year with Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) directing. In a reality where Wells managed to successfully build an actual time machine, he pursues Jack The Ripper through time to put a stop to his terrible misdeeds.
Starring Malcolm McDowell as Wells and David Werner as the Ripper, the film had fun with its premise and received widespread praise upon its release. This was an unusual movie, taking real-life characters and making them heroes in a sci-fi fantasy story, rather than having original characters simply meet them as the genre usually prefers. Critics loved the film, giving it an 88% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise going to McDowell, Werner, and Mary Steenburgen’s performances.
1
The Invisible Man (1933)
Based On The Invisible Man (1897)
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The Invisible Man
NR
Horror
Science Fiction
Release Date
November 3, 1933
Runtime
71 minutes
Director
James Whale
Writers
Philip Wylie, Preston Sturges
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Producers
Carl Laemmle Jr.
Cast
See All
-
Claude Rains
Dr. Jack Griffin
-
Gloria Stuart
Flora Cranley
-
William Harrigan
Dr. Arthur Kemp
-
Henry Travers
Dr. Cranley
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In 1933, the most famous of H.G. Wells movies arrived with The Invisible Man. Director James Whale (Frankenstein) turned the novel into a harrowing science fiction horror story about a man who turns himself invisible with no way to undo it, and is driven mad. The quality of the effects and visuals for a film about an invisible character made in 1933 is remarkable and earned the film praise from numerous publications, not only for the originality of the story and quality of the acting, but also the effects employed throughout the film.
Dr. Jack Griffin, played by Claude Rains, quickly moves from harmless pranks to senseless murder in this thrilling piece of cinematic history. This remains one of the most violent of all the classic Universal Horror Monster movies, as Jack Griffin has a higher kill count than almost any villain in horror cinema history, with over 105 kills (thanks to the train derailment). While it often falls behind Dracula and Frankenstein in conversations, this H.G. Wells movie holds its own and remains a masterpiece of horror cinema almost 100 years later.
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Category: Entertainment