The relevance of H.G. Wells's satiric vision of the future to his own time and place gives way, on screen, to the more timeless, universal appeals of George Pal's special effects and the Tarzan-like production values. These effects are almost always better in conception (well done, Wells) than in execution (nice try, Pal). The underground Morlocks are the largest letdown, as scary as kewpie dolls. On the other hand, the passive, blond Eloi, aboveground, are excellently represented by Yvette Mimieux, who handles her lines as delicately as if they were flowers. Her portrayal of the limp and fragile Weena must have led directly to her ideal casting, later, in Light in the Piazza, as a lovely young thing with a mental age of ten. Starring Rod Taylor. (1960) — Duncan Shepherd
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