Traveling Into Humanity's Demise in H.G. Wells' Magnificent Cautionary Tale, "The Time Machine"

What a masterpiece! The aspect that struck me the most about this tale was the darkness and sorrow of the traveler's trek through the future and downfall of mankind. It bore very little resemblance to the two movie adaptations, although I love them as entertainment in their own right. A major difference between the original story and the epic films was that the Hollywood adaptations WERE so 'Hollywood'--constructed much more as action/adventure/fantasy romps. Popcorn flicks but still excellent ones! The time traveler of the Hollywood imagination becomes a futuristic swashbuckler whose main motivation to make change in Eloi society was his love for an Eloi woman. 

That wasn't at all the message that Wells wanted to impart to his readers. 

The time traveler of the book is a much more cerebral observer of *not* only the degeneration of man. Man's end is where the deep and abiding sorrow enters, beyond even the state of the Morlocks and Eloi, but rocketing even FURTHER into the future, showing *spoilers* the continuing physical and mental degeneration of both branches of the human race. It is one of the most despairing pieces of literature I have ever read in a science fiction tale, particularly from the classic or Victorian era. They are slithering and hopping creatures of the earth who've lost functions that even the Eloi and Morlocks had such as *semi* structured societies, speech and/or remaining emotional cognizance, and the ability to express human emotion itself such as tears, malice, laughter and affection. This is something the films have never represented probably because it would've been far too traumatizing to see onscreen for audiences of 1960 when the George Pal version was released, and maybe even too much for the 2002 version that reworked the main plot altogether. 

What the two film adaptations also didn't tackle was the erosion of the planet and all remnants of civilization as well as the expansion of the sun which ruled the land with its massiveness. The original story deserves a faithful adaptation and not a 1 shot 2 hour movie. I could see it as a limited series, 10 episodes at least, because the breadth of the story needs to be authentically represented from beginning to end.

Les Edwards, The Time Machine at the End of the World

I'm still a HUGE fan of the movies because while not totally accurate, it showcased some of the finest creativity in storytelling and performance (particularly the 1960 Pal version) within the scifi genre. Wells' exploration of multiple factors that would (or at least could) drag humanity down to their lowest level and result in civilization's demise makes it obvious that he was a writer of formidable intelligence and insight. The entire text is charged with the power of his critical thinking skills and observation of the class, social and political aspects of what makes humanity both survive AND excel, which is why when they're removed, the entire collective disintegrates like one of the crumbling books the time traveler discovers in the 1960 Pal version. That scene *did* manage to tap into the recurring theme of the true sadness present in Wells' tale--sadness at the loss of what makes humanity and life on earth special, running throughout the depiction of everyone and everything in this book. 

And interestingly enough, George in the forsaken Eloi library, staring in shock and horror at the crumbled books and shouting about the abandoned dreams and goals of humankind, was my very favorite scene out of the entire film. There was a poignancy to his speech, which is even more intense in the book.

H.G. Wells was one of the literary giants of history. I can only imagine how shook up the Victorians must've been when this book was published! It spans throughout the eras, affecting the minds and hearts of readers now. If you want to go straight to the source of this magnificent tale, I'd definitely recommend picking up H.G.'s novel and going from there in the enjoyment or appreciation of it. The movies are wonderful, they're fun and exciting fantasy, but the book is a sharp socio-political statement on how human society runs and how people relate to each other...until they allow themselves the loss of ability to RELATE at all. Intelligence and compassion is the glue holding us together. We must never lose it.

You can also read this review over at Goodreads and connect with me there!