Teddie Blake
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Nicole
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
A_Different_Drummer
Every time somebody somewhere publishes one of their 100 BEST FILMS OF ALL TIME, I look hopefully to see if this film made the list - finally? -- and have been disappointed so often that I no longer try. The good news? The production team took an HG WELLS classic -- a very tricky writer to bring to the screen, if you consider how many times they have fumbled his time machine story -- and nailed it the very first time. Yes, I know, it is Black and White, and the Special Effects are the best you can do for 1931, and the only real "name" is Richardson's, but PSHAW I say. These criticisms are trivial. The script, the adaption, is nothing short of brilliant. The direction is brilliant, bringing a sort of friendly whimsy to a story which on its surface more properly belongs in an AGENT OF SHIELD episode. After all, this is about a normal everyday man granted ABSOLUTE POWER. The acting is superb, Roland Young fit the bill perfectly. He was known for playing meek characters and through his career the only other major role that cinephiles remember him for is Topper. In case you have NOT seen this, I don't want to spoil it for you other than to say that this may be be the only chance you will ever get to enjoy this wonderfully presented morality tale in its purest form. The reason for this caution is that, to the best of my information, the Wells family has, over the years, consistently refused to sell the rights, no matter how much money was thrown at them. It appears they belong to the school of thought which suggests, if something is done right first time, there is no need to do it again. The scene in particular where Young's character becomes so befuddled dealing with the quirks of the world's leaders that he literally stops the planet from spinning is priceless and unforgettable. And BTW the way Young's character deals with his secret crush (Joan Gardner playing Ada Price) would be as irksome to the fairer sex today as it no doubt was then. The only difference is that, today, it is easier to voice your complaints. One of the best films ever done of one of the best stories ever written.
WarnersBrother
I can't add much to what has already been said of this wonderful film, but I would like to comment further on an observation made by an earlier reviewer vis-a-vis Ralph Richardson's superb portrayal of Colonel Winstanley.The earlier reviews stated that this character was the inspiration for David Low's immortal Colonel Blimp, but that could not be the case. By 1936 Blimp was a well known cartoon character, Low having begun drawing him for the "Evening Standard" some years before.Having said that, I have not the slightest doubt that the xenophobic, colonialist, anti-science and closed-minded Blimp was the inspiration for Colonel Winstanley.And I have no further doubt whatever that Winstanley was forefront in the mind of Powell and Pressburger when they brought him to life as the much more sympathetic Colonel (later General) Clive Wynn-Candy in the the masterpiece "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" eight years later.Having seen "Blimp" many times prior to seeing "The Man Who Could Work Miracles", my ears immediately went up in the scene where the character is first mentioned, thinking Hello, could it be? And then in the next cut, there is Winstanley in all his Blimpish glory and the little light bulb above the head goes off and you get that immensely satisfying moment of having put another film thread together...
ccthemovieman-1
"Disappointing" is the word for this story, based on an H.G. Wells book, which had an interesting premise but the film was way too talky which made it difficult to maintain interest. It also was too secular in nature, but that is not surprising knowing Wells' lack of spirituality.Roland Young is always fun to watch (see "Topper") but there isn't much humor in this....and there should and all of the advice Young received (yak, yak, yak) on how to use his new-found powers was pretty sad. Almost all of it was for monetary gain, which is not surprising. That's the world for you.Only one person seemed to advise him t use his powers for healing. This story has an supernatural/spiritual base to it yet God is never mentioned as someone who has given the man his powers, or given thanks for giving him them, nor consulted on how best to use them. In other words, it's a typical "religious story" written by people who are clueless or have no use for religion.At any rate, there were some special-effects scenes that were fun to watch, such as a clothing store being cleaned up in seconds and a tree suddenly sprouting in the street.This movie COULD have been so good, it's a shame how it wound up.
Igenlode Wordsmith
After a somewhat stilted beginning, this cheerful little fantasy caught my imagination. The extended plot has been enlarged almost seamlessly from the original short story, and in very much the same wry spirit: this is recognisable as authentic H.G.Wells in a way that, say, the adaptations of 'The Time Machine' and 'The Invisible Man' are not... but despite being characteristically didactic, it is also amusing and thoroughly entertaining.Roland Young, in the downtrodden role of the eponymous Everyman, is more or less required to carry the film singlehanded and makes an admirable job of it, his hesitant body language alone speaking volumes. He is entirely believable as the voice of puzzled common sense amid all the conflicting demands being made of him, but when the worm turns he is also a strangely formidable figure.Of the special effects -- the 'miracles' themselves -- there is nothing more to be said and no higher praise than that after the first few minutes, by and large, one simply takes them for reality, accepting the logic within the story. Those footprints in the hearthrug are a little obviously fake, though!This is no great classic of its era, but its ideas have worn well, and, more importantly, it still makes for an enjoyable night out. Its main flaw is the introduction of the framing 'godly powers' plot, which was evidently felt necessary to explain just what was going on, but today verges on the embarrassing; in my opinion, the story could have stood up perfectly well without it.
