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.
22 Reviews
A highly under-rated series axed before its time
aram0930 November 2006
Tripods is set at the end of the 21st century. The world was successfully invaded by aliens is three-legged machines and the humans not killed have been pacified by the use of a cap, a device fitted to the skull that removes aggressive and inquisitive thoughts.
Two boys Will and Henry come from a village in England. Having seen what capping did to their friend they decide to run away rather than go through with it. They meet a vagabond called Ozymandius who tells them of a band of uncapped people called freemen, who live in France on a white mountain. The boys set off in search of this mountain. Once in France they meet a French boy called Jean Paul and this trio forms the main part of the story.
They meet and befriend various people, there are love interests, and they fall foul of the various authorities. Always, in the background, is the menace of the Tripods. Eventually they manage to infiltrate the Tripods' city and learn the true nature of things.
The locations, scenery and costumes were of excellent quality, making the series very watchable. Opinions as to the acting vary from good to awful (I think they did a good enough job).
Unfortunately the BBC cancelled the series before the third part could be made, so we are left hanging at the end of series 2. A wasted chance to round off what was a serious journey into high-quality futuristic drama.
Two boys Will and Henry come from a village in England. Having seen what capping did to their friend they decide to run away rather than go through with it. They meet a vagabond called Ozymandius who tells them of a band of uncapped people called freemen, who live in France on a white mountain. The boys set off in search of this mountain. Once in France they meet a French boy called Jean Paul and this trio forms the main part of the story.
They meet and befriend various people, there are love interests, and they fall foul of the various authorities. Always, in the background, is the menace of the Tripods. Eventually they manage to infiltrate the Tripods' city and learn the true nature of things.
The locations, scenery and costumes were of excellent quality, making the series very watchable. Opinions as to the acting vary from good to awful (I think they did a good enough job).
Unfortunately the BBC cancelled the series before the third part could be made, so we are left hanging at the end of series 2. A wasted chance to round off what was a serious journey into high-quality futuristic drama.
I was really impressed by the quality of this show
thenderson-777-34128628 June 2010
Wow, I just watched this for the first time this weekend. I was expecting the 70's-80's goofy crap but was amazed to find that it was not dumb. They did a great job and the story line is very cool. It makes me sick that they never finished this. I will have to get the books just to see how they finished it off. The aliens are well done. I'm very impressed with this series. It starts off a little slow but I found I could not wait till the next episode to see what happens. Ended up watching the whole thing on Sunday. I was left wanting more. This would be a great remake especially now days where we can clearly achieve anything we try.
Its cancellation was a literary tragedy.
Tom Murray28 September 2004
This TV series was based on a set of books for older children. Although the books were written for children, the series was scripted at a more adult level: still suitable for children but the characters' motivations were handled more subtly. In the story, society has returned to a neo-Medieval stage after a war that destroyed civilization. The world is now run by aliens who control all adults by brain implants called caps. They move around in large 3-legged machines. Three youths, about to be be capped, set off to find a fabled colony of uncapped adults in the French alps in order to retain their freedom. The story is about their quest. The script, direction and acting were all marvelous. The third and final season was cancelled by the BBC. This could have been one of the truly great classics in adventure film had it been completed; its cancellation was a literary tragedy.
A fight for freedom
greg-2338 January 2000
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.
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.
Gripping and well-written
katpbennett1 September 2001
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).
Fun to see it 14, but 16 years later...
eroka28 November 2000
I loved this show as a kid. It was fun - it promised some cool effects (and sometimes even delivered), it had a really cute guy at the center of the story with adorable friends around him all romping around trying to get away from the tripods; and the evil was real evil. No serious female role unfortunately to add the missing sexual tension. Those were the days when Russia was the USSR and Tripods were running amok frightening Western Europeans who in the year 2089 maintained a lifestyle of the Middle Ages. It was a true classic in its undeniable 80-ish style of the Capped people, especially those no-sleeve shirts that these kids roamed around in the English and French countryside, as if winter was just concept and not a reality. The tripods were an odd mixture between the three-legged "War of the Worlds" Martian's fighting machines and what the tripods would look in the book "The Day of the Tripods", only the latter were more vegetation than metallic creatures. In the second season out of the three that were shot the plot started to dwindle and the cuteness didn't go as far as showing real suspense. And yes, the fact that they never did end up shooting the last season was a major letdown. Still kids-of-that-era today would recognize the tune - it was a show we all loved to wait a week for its next episode. John Shackley - nothing came out of him, oddly enough. He got this starring role of 3 seasons and just vanished. According to IMDB he ended up doing second assistant director role in The Steal. I really wonder if that is really him. I'd be happy to learn how a major kid show star was bumped out of the loop so decisively.
Cancelled because of Doctor Who
blair-625-3203326 March 2010
I know what you're thinking. What the----? Let me enlighten you. Once upon a time in the 1980s, there were two series. The long-running Doctor Who, which in its first incarnation, ran from 1963 to 1989, and The Tripods, which was, at it said in the opening: "Based On The Tripods Trilogy By John Christopher." The first two seasons, (series in Britain), were based on the first two books of the Trilogy, The White Mountains, (1967), The City of Gold and Lead, (1968). However, before the third season, (third series), could begin, there was a strike at the BBC. Doctor Who now had low ratings. Doctor Who was on the verge of being canceled. So what could be canceled instead of the venerable Doctor Who? The Tripods. The third season, if it had been produced, probably would have been based on the third book of the Trilogy, The Pool of Fire. Would there have been a fourth season? I don't know. Maybe. If so, it probably would have been based on the fourth book, When The Tripods Came, (1988), which was the prequel to the original Trilogy.
Revisiting a Classic
phoenixyk14 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Writing a review of The Tripods in 2023... Wow I must be feeling nostalgic.
It may be dated by todays standards, but it is remarkable how much effort was put into the show and how good some areas still hold up even now.
Unfortunately, I have not read all of the books, so i am unable to comment on how faithful they are to the source material. I was far too young when this first aired and while I tried to read the novels - They were difficult for me to get into!
It is sad that the Third Season was cancelled as we never got to have a proper conclusion.
The effects for their time are amazing! The story can be kind of slow at points - According to some reviews, a lot was cut from the books and replaced with Padding... I am guessing maybe budget constraints.
If you enjoyed the Fellowship of the Ring - And don't mind a slow paced story - This is absolutely worth the viewing!
One of few TV Shows where I feel a Reboot / Reimagining could be in order... Though I would be very reluctant to alter the Tripods themselves. I do feel a much closer adaptation of the books could be a winner today,
Don't let its age fool you - The series is good, If you gave never had the experience - I highly recommend at least giving it a try!
It may be dated by todays standards, but it is remarkable how much effort was put into the show and how good some areas still hold up even now.
Unfortunately, I have not read all of the books, so i am unable to comment on how faithful they are to the source material. I was far too young when this first aired and while I tried to read the novels - They were difficult for me to get into!
It is sad that the Third Season was cancelled as we never got to have a proper conclusion.
The effects for their time are amazing! The story can be kind of slow at points - According to some reviews, a lot was cut from the books and replaced with Padding... I am guessing maybe budget constraints.
If you enjoyed the Fellowship of the Ring - And don't mind a slow paced story - This is absolutely worth the viewing!
One of few TV Shows where I feel a Reboot / Reimagining could be in order... Though I would be very reluctant to alter the Tripods themselves. I do feel a much closer adaptation of the books could be a winner today,
Don't let its age fool you - The series is good, If you gave never had the experience - I highly recommend at least giving it a try!
"Tomorrow you will understand...tomorrow you will thank me..."
tenthousandtattoos25 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Based on the old sci-fi novel by "John Christopher" The Tripods tells the tale of Will Parker (John Shackley), who lives an idyllic existence in a town straight out of Middle Ages England. But all is not as it seems in this peaceful hamlet in rural England. The year is 2089AD, and the Tripods rule the earth. Will's teacher tells of the dark times before the Tripods, when men waged war and disease was rampant. But then the Tripods came, and "cured" the disease of humanity, by enslaving humans with the silvery caps they make them wear, given as a rite of passage each "capping day" a glorious holiday in every village, where kids become adults, and grow up, all thanks to the Tripods. "We thank the Tripods." But Will senses there is something wrong. A girl he knew in school, who painted beautiful pictures, was "capped" the previous year, and now, she paints no more. His friend Jack, as rambunctious and intelligent as Will, is capped, and suddenly he is a "man" doing "man's work" and earning his keep. But that spark is gone from his young eyes. Will starts to ask questions..."Why do I need to be capped? I'd sooner stay as I am..." Enter Ozymandias, King of Kings, a "vagrant" living just outside the village. "Vagrants" are created when the capping does not work, and they are outcast from society. In the novel, Will says that capping rarely fails, although he goes on to mention that indeed 1 in 20 capping's produces a "vagrant". That's not really "rarely" if you think about it... "Ozzy" is not really a vagrant, he is a spy from a rapidly growing resistance movement, hiding in the French Alps (the "White Mountains"), people who have cottoned on to the notion that "capping" is really a form of slavery, and they will do anything, no matter how long it takes, to rid the earth of the scourge of the tripods... Ozzy befriends Will and Will's cousin, Henry, and tells Will of the fantastic cities and inventions men made before the Tripods, when they were free. This is all the naturally inquisitive and rebellious Will needs to hear. Soon after, he sets off with Henry to find the White Mountains, and the land where humankind is free.
I got this adaptation by Alick Rowe and director Graham Theakston to add to my "shows I loved as a kid" collection. I was really impressed by how the show holds up after over two decades. Of course the effects are what they are, although in its day this was one of the most expensive productions the BBC had ever undertaken. The story, however, is timelessly riveting from the very first frames. It is at once a great adventure story, with action, drama, a bit of romance, and plenty of tension set amidst beautiful rural and sea-side European settings, and also a powerful statement about free will and the right to choose your own fate and not have it proscribed for you. The premise of "capping" plays on basic fears of losing control over our lives, and the Tripods stand in the world portrayed here as silent, omnipresent guardians and watchers over all the lands of the earth, and indeed even the oceans. You can feel Will's inner struggle as he deals with his choices - stay in the village with his loving, though ultimately enslaved, parents, and be capped in 12 months, or risk his life in the faint hope of finding something better, and living his life free. Needless to say, he makes his choice and sets off on the journey, Henry in tow. Graham Theakston has done a great job building tension in the first part of the story, you can really sense the urgency and impending danger when Will and Henry are huddled beneath a hay-storage shed, while a Tripod stands guard behind, watching for the "runaways"...who will be capped immediately if they are discovered...but it's not just the Tripods in pursuit, but their servants and essentially their police force, the Gestapo-like "Black Guard" are out for them too.
I'm only up to the part where Henry and Will have just escaped from the French prison, with the aid of Beanpole (a wonderful character, great in the novel, but given real life and personality by Ceri Seel) Beanpole (aka Jean-Paul) works at the local inn, and brings a basket of meagre food for the prisoners of the Black Guards' dungeon. Much like Will and Henry, he fears the capping will rob him of his curiosity, and creative fire, and while outwardly willing, inside he is desperate to escape the capping and be free. He immediately sees Will and Henry as the "boys he has been waiting for", and helps them make their escape. I am going to spend many a quiet evening seeing Will, Henry and Beanpole through their journey once more, a riveting, exciting and surprisingly deep experience. Production values are such that it's basically a 12 hour movie, in great little 20 minute bite-size chunks.
Unfortunate fact: there were three books, hence the Tripods Trilogy, but sadly the third and crucial chapter in the series was never made. It's a shame, because the second part ends on a decidedly dark note. My solution to this is to read the third novel once I'm done with the series...that way, the characters are still very fresh in my mind and I can easily transplant them into the pages of the novel. It's not like seeing it for real, but it rounds out the story, which is an incredible one! So grab your provisions, anything you can carry, make sure you've got good walking shoes and some warm clothes, and c'mon, it'll be only a short while til the village awakes to another day, and we want to be long on the road by then...hurry...the Tripods are always just a step behind...
I got this adaptation by Alick Rowe and director Graham Theakston to add to my "shows I loved as a kid" collection. I was really impressed by how the show holds up after over two decades. Of course the effects are what they are, although in its day this was one of the most expensive productions the BBC had ever undertaken. The story, however, is timelessly riveting from the very first frames. It is at once a great adventure story, with action, drama, a bit of romance, and plenty of tension set amidst beautiful rural and sea-side European settings, and also a powerful statement about free will and the right to choose your own fate and not have it proscribed for you. The premise of "capping" plays on basic fears of losing control over our lives, and the Tripods stand in the world portrayed here as silent, omnipresent guardians and watchers over all the lands of the earth, and indeed even the oceans. You can feel Will's inner struggle as he deals with his choices - stay in the village with his loving, though ultimately enslaved, parents, and be capped in 12 months, or risk his life in the faint hope of finding something better, and living his life free. Needless to say, he makes his choice and sets off on the journey, Henry in tow. Graham Theakston has done a great job building tension in the first part of the story, you can really sense the urgency and impending danger when Will and Henry are huddled beneath a hay-storage shed, while a Tripod stands guard behind, watching for the "runaways"...who will be capped immediately if they are discovered...but it's not just the Tripods in pursuit, but their servants and essentially their police force, the Gestapo-like "Black Guard" are out for them too.
I'm only up to the part where Henry and Will have just escaped from the French prison, with the aid of Beanpole (a wonderful character, great in the novel, but given real life and personality by Ceri Seel) Beanpole (aka Jean-Paul) works at the local inn, and brings a basket of meagre food for the prisoners of the Black Guards' dungeon. Much like Will and Henry, he fears the capping will rob him of his curiosity, and creative fire, and while outwardly willing, inside he is desperate to escape the capping and be free. He immediately sees Will and Henry as the "boys he has been waiting for", and helps them make their escape. I am going to spend many a quiet evening seeing Will, Henry and Beanpole through their journey once more, a riveting, exciting and surprisingly deep experience. Production values are such that it's basically a 12 hour movie, in great little 20 minute bite-size chunks.
Unfortunate fact: there were three books, hence the Tripods Trilogy, but sadly the third and crucial chapter in the series was never made. It's a shame, because the second part ends on a decidedly dark note. My solution to this is to read the third novel once I'm done with the series...that way, the characters are still very fresh in my mind and I can easily transplant them into the pages of the novel. It's not like seeing it for real, but it rounds out the story, which is an incredible one! So grab your provisions, anything you can carry, make sure you've got good walking shoes and some warm clothes, and c'mon, it'll be only a short while til the village awakes to another day, and we want to be long on the road by then...hurry...the Tripods are always just a step behind...
A sci-fi classic for all ages.
bmcguinn-14 September 2008
I have both series on DVD and every time I want a really decent sci-fi fix, I stick them on, sit back and watch as three lads make their way across a post apocalyptic UK and France. The special effects still hold up today and when I was 10 years old glued to the screen every week I remember wishing I could be Will making a stand against the mysterious and terrifying Tripods. Of course there are negatives such as the prolonged stay in the Château de Ricardo and the fact you don't get to see the Tripods much in most of the first series but for fans like me the positives far outweigh the negatives. This is a classic series and I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone....I wish I was watching it again for the first time through the eyes of a ten year old.
Stodgy, but sometimes effective
geffers21 April 2003
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 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.
One great show!
dakki7812 May 2005
Well, where do I begin? The Tripods was, and still is, my favourite show of all time. It has everything: drama, action, mystique and sometimes even a bit of humor. I was under 10 years old when I saw it for the first time, and I'm now 26 and it still works for me. It is actually quite corny so if you are one of those who thinks that everything should be perfect then don't bother watching. The acting is sometimes a bit sluggish but that all adds to the charm of the show. One has to remember that the actors were all in the beginning of their acting careers so they were by no means professionals. But it still works, and that's the most important thing of it all. We thank the Tripods!!
Very well done sci-fi for its time
stevenackerman6924 August 2009
I was a big fan of this BBC series when it played on PBS in the 80's. I had read the first book a year or two before and I didn't quite understand it then. My thought was, "Why are the Tripods getting away with capping people?" Being a little older and seeing the series made it clearer. I was able to tape both series when they did marathons of them, although I'd love to get the cast for each episode. I didn't bother to tape the ending credits for each episode, just the last one in the marathon. Anyway, there is so much to talk about, but right now I will mention the stuff in series one is pretty good. There are a lot of dialogue scenes that actors could use for scene study. I especially loved Will's angry monologue that occurs when he is talking to a black guard about ridding the world of Tripods. John Shackley was great in that sequence. Yes, there are differences between the book and series, but you have to do that when you adapt. Will talk more later about certain moments.
"Was it all for nothing...?"
theauton29 December 2019
Top class sci-fi, for it's day.
As a teenager in the 80's I remember watching but maybe I didn't fully appreciate the greatness of this series.
In comparison to other sci-fi of that era maybe I was expecting more in the way of space travel & monsters rather than a road trip dodging space invaders.
What we are given instead is a story of friendship & courage in the face of almost insurmountable adversity, which turns out to be much more compelling.
A little over extended the series only really pays off in the last half dozen episodes & ends all too precipitously.
Nevertheless for it's day this is a compelling watch & equal to it's counterparts, such as Dr Who, even though said series was unfortunately by this time a pale comparison to it's earlier incarnations.
Like Dr Who the fact that The Tripods was cancelled doesn't diminish is appeal, as in its' case one can read the books to find out what played out for the characters.
A remake would be nice but probably would fail to capture the distopian, creeping dread of the original & anything less than an extended TV series would inevitably involve introducing hyped up action that simply doesn't exist in the books.
I've thoroughly enjoyed rewatching The Tripods & can heartily recommend it, if you're prepared to invest the time to watch it throughout.
I am grateful for that warning
makiefer-8712825 January 2024
Tripodded giant robots strolling along the horizon, trying to find you. The robots try to turn you into a drone. And worst about it, all adults consider that as normal. To show that to kids as a show specially made for kids sounds worse than German fairy tales. As a kid in the 80s, I couldn't get enough of this show, though. I didn't miss a single episode. Because it's warning was spot on: As it would turn out, adults were going to consider mandatory military conscription, mandatory vaccination against another one of their diseases, and marriage as a means to enforce your love, as normal. I can't thank this masterpiece enough.
One of the best British TV series ever
CinematicEveryman20 April 2024
A children's show that adults can watch too as it's full of deep themes (futuristic at the time, but now eerily relevant). Such a shame that the BBC cancelled season 3. Would have been interesting, given the books the series is adapted from got better as they progressed.
I remember the scene where the lead male discovers a girl he loves has received the dreaded implant from the aliens - that scene was so intense and sad.
There are similarities, in a way, to some of the themes explored in another great British TV series, The Prisoner.
Even tho the series was not completed, it's still compelling viewing.
I remember the scene where the lead male discovers a girl he loves has received the dreaded implant from the aliens - that scene was so intense and sad.
There are similarities, in a way, to some of the themes explored in another great British TV series, The Prisoner.
Even tho the series was not completed, it's still compelling viewing.
Not as good as the books, but well worth seeing
garthgantu8 May 2003
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.
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.
Great TV show, book was better.
kfogg11 October 2001
When this show came on, I found it so interesting. The special effects were excellent and the story line well done and it flowed with ease.
When I went to the bookstore to buy the novel version, to my surprise they were in the children's section. So if anyone wants to get some good books for their children I would highly recommend them (it is trilogy). Also, try to get a copy of the TV series.
When I went to the bookstore to buy the novel version, to my surprise they were in the children's section. So if anyone wants to get some good books for their children I would highly recommend them (it is trilogy). Also, try to get a copy of the TV series.
brilliant, atmospheric, scary and superb
davidjm8119 July 2001
I have nothing but praise for this excellent series. It may be a little long and slow going in parts but this only serves to build the tension and the excellent "they're watching you" atmosphere.
WARNING! PLOT DETAILS! # #
It starts off in an English village where the annual capping ceremony is about to begin. The world has been invaded by Tripods, giant three legged craft which dominate the countryside. According to Tripod law, all humans must be capped at age 16. It is time for young Will's capping, and all the villagers are getting excited, but Will has other ideas...
The effects are well done and the tripods themselves frightenlingly well conceived. There is good attention to period detail and the European location filming is marvellous.
Unfortunately this was never finished and the final part of the serial never came to be. I'm not sure if they have released the second part yet but if you come across the first buy it (I think it is about 12 episodes long 4 tapes)
***** stars (highly recommended)
WARNING! PLOT DETAILS! # #
It starts off in an English village where the annual capping ceremony is about to begin. The world has been invaded by Tripods, giant three legged craft which dominate the countryside. According to Tripod law, all humans must be capped at age 16. It is time for young Will's capping, and all the villagers are getting excited, but Will has other ideas...
The effects are well done and the tripods themselves frightenlingly well conceived. There is good attention to period detail and the European location filming is marvellous.
Unfortunately this was never finished and the final part of the serial never came to be. I'm not sure if they have released the second part yet but if you come across the first buy it (I think it is about 12 episodes long 4 tapes)
***** stars (highly recommended)
fan at 3 years of age...
dangeriss6 March 2006
I was only 3 years old when the original BBC "the tripods" came out, and i have had recurring memories of it for last 20+ years,most of which i thought were just childhood dreams of tripods with lasers, I recall sitting in front of the TV captivated by it but have never been to sure if it was actually a real series.....I have often asked people if they remember the series, most people thought i was just confusing "War of the Worlds"....to be honest i wasn't sure if it was a recurring dream i had when i was a kid or not, for it was so vivid..Thats how amazing it was at the time, that it burnt itself into your psyche, and there are probably a lot of youngsters from the 80's that were in a way "capped" Now i know that the series did exist and It wasn't just my imagination.I'm thrilled.. I'm so excited about the prospect of a remake....i hope they do it justice.. Does anybody know if they are underway with filming?? who the actors are etc???, Id be interested to know.. peace
Perhaps I was too old, maybe far too old . . .
gmr-45 July 2003
In the late 1980s THE TRIPODS was on P.B.S. here on Saturday afternoon, significantly just before DOCTOR WHO. Thinking it was inspired by or a "sequel" to THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, I tried watching it. Well.
Coming into the middle of the series, I had a tough time figuring out what was going on (my fault), but I was in my early forties (not my fault). Also it was soon obvious that THE TRIPODS had nothing save the creepy imagery from Wells's masterpiece.
To be fair, THE TRIPODS looked like excellent watching for teen-agers or even precocious pre-teens. It is streets ahead of tiresome things like ANDROMEDA, allegedly flowing from the sainted pen of Gene Roddenberry. At the risk of sounding rarefied -- not to be encouraged in a North American -- THE TRIPODS could be a culturing in the best sense of the term for the very young.
Oh yes. Pay no mind to terms like "production values," "slow," or "wordy" in this or most other contexts. In translation they mean a lack of splashy "special effects" for the zombies, and attention to character or context exposition sans car chases, karate fights, and automatic weapons fire, also for the zombies. I do "live" theatre, so do not see compelling necessity for rapid, snappy mono-syllablic and often four letter dialogue punctuated by phantasmagoria. Rather too Generation X, thanks.
Coming into the middle of the series, I had a tough time figuring out what was going on (my fault), but I was in my early forties (not my fault). Also it was soon obvious that THE TRIPODS had nothing save the creepy imagery from Wells's masterpiece.
To be fair, THE TRIPODS looked like excellent watching for teen-agers or even precocious pre-teens. It is streets ahead of tiresome things like ANDROMEDA, allegedly flowing from the sainted pen of Gene Roddenberry. At the risk of sounding rarefied -- not to be encouraged in a North American -- THE TRIPODS could be a culturing in the best sense of the term for the very young.
Oh yes. Pay no mind to terms like "production values," "slow," or "wordy" in this or most other contexts. In translation they mean a lack of splashy "special effects" for the zombies, and attention to character or context exposition sans car chases, karate fights, and automatic weapons fire, also for the zombies. I do "live" theatre, so do not see compelling necessity for rapid, snappy mono-syllablic and often four letter dialogue punctuated by phantasmagoria. Rather too Generation X, thanks.
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