The Tripods

It's been a long time since I saw the first of the two installments of this "video series." At the moment, I'm re-reading the books for the third time - this time with my 9-year old daughter, who is riveted to the story.

Whether you track down these films or not, do yourself a favor and read the trilogy by John Christopher. Simply some of the finest sci-fi work ever written, IMHO.

I've only recently seen the whole series, and read the three books, though I remember watching some of the stories when it first aired, close to 20 years ago now.

The trouble with the series is that they added far too much filler material - plotlines absent from the books - and instead of making a really good single series, of perhaps 12 hour long episodes, they opted to make one series per book - and then had themselves cancelled before they could televise the rather crucial third book.

The first series has some excellent moments, but far too much filler material added, and acting (and/or scripting) is at times very wooden. The special effects are very good, considering budget, and are the saving grace of the whole series.

The second series seems to make far too much of the journey to and from the Tripods' city, introduces an irrelevant second tier of power in the city, while eliminating some of the feeling of hardship and brutality imposed on the human slaves, and then the series ends on a sour note, quite unnecessarily, since in the book, there is a happy and surprise ending.

There are some huge errors of judgement in the second series. The French language is lost altogether, whereas it is at least partially used in the first set of stories - they are in France after all! And then in the masters city, where we've established that by 2089 that peasant life is a simple affair, with country dancing, and no electricity - we have a blasted 1980's style Disco, with flashing lights, and pop music - good God, what possessed the idiot director to put that scene in there? How are the humans dancing, when the masters installed extra gravity, and wear their subjects into the ground?

Overall, I'd recommend reading the books (even as an adult), and forget the TV version. The books are well-written, and have a certain nobility and charm.

The Tripods was a science fiction adventure based on John Christopher's award-winning Tripods Trilogy. This futuristic story is set in a world where mankind is enslaved by alien rulers - the Tripods. The Tripods keep humanity under their control with the aid of "Caps". The Cap is a mind-control device which makes people obedient to the Tripods. Capping is a mandatory ceremony which everyone must undergo when they reach the age of 16.

Will Parker and his cousin Henry are due to be Capped themselves. They run away from home to make a dangerous journey to the distant White Mountains, where a group of un-Capped rebels plot the overthrow of the Tripods.

This story is about a fight for freedom. The people who aren't Capped are up against overwhelming odds - the might and power of alien oppressors, and the mindless obedience of their Capped slaves. But as long as people remain free hope stays alive.

Sadly, this programme was axed before the final volume of the trilogy was dramatized, due to low ratings and the high cost of production. This was a disappointment because a good show was left with an "up in the air" kind of ending where nothing was resolved. If you wanted to know how it really ended you would have to read the book.

In the late eighties, I saw The Tripods on WGBH in Boston, the Public TV station there. They broadcast parts one and two. The British production company never made the third and final part, so the story just ends unresolved. Never-the-less, it's a terrific adventure for young people based on a series of books. The production values and slower pacing may date it somewhat compared to later standards. Still, the characters are appealing. The special effects are convincing enough to make the Tripods ominous, and there's a surprisingly well sustained dramatic tension that keeps the episodes going. There's a good mix of studio and location photography. The series has now been issued on DVD in the U.S.

I saw this series when it first came out, and I was hooked! I arranged my schedule each week, to make sure I wouldn't miss an episode. It was riveting and menacing and sinister. My only complaint was that the series seemed to peter out at the end. Perhaps PBS in the USA simply stopped running the series. I really wanted some closure, some final battle in which the evil tripods were defeated, once and for all! It's really well done and very well written... worth watching, if you can ever find it (in the US, anyway).