Things to Come

The plot spans from the 1940s, beginning with World War II fears, through the 1960s’ dark age after global devastation, and into the 1970s and beyond as Wings Over the World reshapes civilization. By 2036, humanity has developed stable underground cities and a renewed, if contested, peace. The timeline juxtaposes wartime urgency with a long arc of rebuild and technological ambition. It culminates in a future where spaceflight and planetary exploration are debated by a governed society.

Everytown is a fictional city in Southern England where the story begins under the threat of war. Basra in the Near East becomes a pivotal base for Wings Over the World as civilisation is rebuilt. The narrative later shows humanity living in modern underground cities, a response to the collapse of surface civilization. The settings move from a wartime community to a global, technologically reorganized world.

🗝️ Power

The film explores who controls society: a postwar warlord, a global movement, and the governance built around technological promise. Coercive tools like the Gas of Peace illustrate how power can be exercised to silence dissent and propel a particular vision of order. The tension between leadership and resistance drives the narrative from tyranny to strategic manipulation of public opinion. Authority is depicted as both necessary for survival and potentially corrupting.

🔧 Progress

Progress is shown as a double-edged sword, delivering civilization’s renewal while accelerating social control. The pursuit of technological feats, from biplanes to spaceflight, propels humanity forward but also creates new dependencies and ethical choices. The idea of a ‘rest’ from progress conflicts with the drive to conquer space and master the universe. The story questions whether advancement justifies the costs it imposes on freedom.

🕊️ Freedom

Freedom vs. order is a central tension: Wings Over the World promises peace but imposes governance on a weary population. The dialogue around whether humanity should rest or relentlessly chase discovery frames a moral struggle about autonomy. The climactic question, All the universe or nothingness, encapsulates the choice between expansive ambition and the preservation of individual liberty.