YMMV / The Shape of Things to Come

The original novel:

• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • The headquarters of the One World Order and subsequent utopia are based in Basra, Iraq. Let that sink in for a moment...
  • The outbreak of the novel's version of World War II. It involves a Polish Jew, a Nazi, takes place in Danzig - and is Played for Laughs.^note To elaborate: The Jew tries to adjust his ill-fitting dental plate, and the Nazi somehow assumes that he is making rude grimaces and gestures at him.
  • The book says that in 1979, the ruling elite of One World Order (which despite being based in Iraq is mostly white and has no Arab members) would completely abolish the Islamic religion by occupying Mecca and demolishing all the mosques (inspired by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's seculuarization of Turkey). As Lebanese-American scholar George Nasser pointed out, the real life 1979 saw the establishment of the theocratic Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent mujahideen uprising. These two events would re-invigorate Islamist extremism in the Middle East, and we all know what happened after that

The film:

• Esoteric Happy Ending: Sure, Omus is defeated. However, Delta-3, the only source of the live-saving drug everyone needs to live, is blown up. While the good guys have some of the drug left, it will probably run out meaning that humanity is doomed to extinction due to radiation poisoning.
• Retroactive Recognition: Dori Doreau (Eddie Benton is billed there as Anne-Marie Martin) plays Kim.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously: Which was only to be expected with Barry Morse as Dr. John Caball.

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