The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells

This was truly an engaging series, a sensational treasure to view. I thought about Steven Spielberg's Young Sherlock Holmes from years ago, which didn't work for me. Infinite Worlds did work wonders on me and I was more of a Jeremy Brett/Sherlock Holmes fan than I ever was an H. G. Wells fan.

Infinite Worlds never gets too technical to leave someone out who may not grasp much about science and math, like me, nor does it get too ficticious, reminding one of Doctor Who. It was never campy either and never quoted Shakespeare. The acting never required going over the top, but it was right on level, no chewing up the scenery among these professionals. The feel, the imagery were all splendid.

Of the six stories, the first two bordered on the most tragic, especially the first one, which set the stage for the entire program. The third one was reminiscent of War of the Worlds. Try not to think of Aliens too much, but the ending with Mrs. Cave and Davey the dog was very surprising. The fourth story was truly an original one done in an original manner, the last two were very romantic, I think the final one was truly the funniest and had me wishing there was more to see when it ended.

An exceptional contribution that set the mood was undeniably Stanislas Syrewicz musical score, as it played each time to signify not that a movie was simply ending, but we were seeing closure in another H. G. Wells chapter.

I recorded this program off, not sure if it was going to be a documentary or docudrama, so I didn't know what exactly to expect. I was not disappointed at all.

Minus commercials, it runs about four and a half hours. How I would love to see more of this in some way shape or form. I would always say "there are worse things on you could watch" but in this instance I will say "there aren't many better things you can find to watch."

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.

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).

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.

I did make a bad start with this six part series. On YouTube they are divided into three programmes, each of two episodes, the first and third shown in different order to the IMDb listing. So until the penny dropped I watched part of The New Accelerator wondering where is Mr Brownlow and his newspaper. The basic idea of The New Accelerator (which I score 8) was used in the Star Trek episode Wink of an Eye, as far as I know there was no plagiarism.

At the time of writing Mr Brownlow's Newspaper is the most highly rated, with which I agree, deserving a 10. Re-living past events, and returning again to try to correct the past when things fail to happen as they should, has a flavour of Groundhog Day and, how can I put it, takes less time about it.

The most light hearted, almost Chaplin slapstick, is The Truth about Pyecraft, a good 7. The lovelorn fatty, having decided on suicide, is meticulous enough to calculate the optimum length of rope but he attaches it to a chandelier, which probably wouldn't support a large dog. I'd award another 7 to The Stolen Bacillus. I'm not one to let plot hole pedantry prevent enjoyment of a good story. But I did wonder why the thief immediately poured it into the reservoir , without even knowing what it was, rather than demand a ransom for its return. The Crystal Egg and The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes aren't so good, I'd rate them 6 and 5 respectively.

Unlike one reviewer I thought Tom Ward perfectly acceptable as Wells, and completely convincing as an elderly man reminiscing about the past.