Day of the Triffids

BBC

Anchor Bay

Blu Ray & DVD

John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids has been dramatised several times before and while a bit dated now, the ideas contained within it are fertile enough to trigger new growth. The mini-series from BBC goes for three hours and offers an interesting new vision of the original tale with a strong emphasis on post-apocalyptic psychology. Fans of older versions will bitterly complain about changes to the plot and the emphasis in this new series but I think we need to accept that ever new adaptation while taking inspiration from the original does not need to slavishly follow it. I am quite sick of fanatical fans decrying changes to original plots as some sort of sacrilege; the reality is that any story is going to be changed, sometimes radically, for the big screen and that each adaptation while taking some inspiration from the original, will be primarily the director’s and screenwriters take on the tale. This version of The Day of the Triffids must be allowed to stand or fall on its own merits.

The climate change angle of the story is well developed. Taking a carnivorous plant and genetically engineering it to supply oil to resolve the world’s dependence on fossil fuel is an excellent foundation to the story. The look of the plant harvesting factories, the genetically engineering process and the secrecy of multinational companies all ring true.

The well-meaning but insane behaviour of the “triffid” liberationist is found all too often in the modern world where animal liberationists let wild animals free in urban environments thinking they are saving them. Combining the two with a global event (in this case a mass blinding caused by solar flares) works well and sets the stage for some superb storytelling and solid character development.

The CGI used throughout the film while significant does not overpower the tale, the catastrophes in the first episode (Day One) really set the stage for the more significant tale of how people behave when a worldwide disaster occurs. The triffids are stunning and you really do not see them in all their glory until the end of the first episode and this helps develop the suspense, the colour depth on the Blu Ray edition is quite superb.

The major focus of the tale is on various characters who represent different responses to the disaster. We have a small team of government officials who work in isolation aiming to relocate to the country and start civilization again with no thought of the millions of blind wandering aimlessly throughout the countryside or the triffids. They pale in significant to the tale of Coker and Torrence. Major Coker believes that by handcuffing sighted people with the blind he can force them to look after them, a move with lots of heart, but somewhat misguided, especially with the Triffids about. Torrence, however, is another sort of character altogether. Essentially a sociopath he takes over Coker’s operation and grabbing control of No.10 creates his own military dictatorship based in London.

There are lots of interesting characters which reflect on how people would respond to a global disaster. Vanessa Redgrave plays Durrant, a nun who seems to really care about her flock until we realize she regularly feeds the Triffids with ailing members of her community to keep them at bay. The central tale of course is the story of Bill Masen, the triffid biologist and Jo Playton, the media broadcaster and their quest not only for survival but to somehow neutralise the Triffids. They also offer the love interest in the story but surprisingly this is, for once, not overplayed!

The Day of the Triffids offers a solid sci-fi experience, balancing well used special effects with character development, thought provoking themes and a new and interesting adaptation of a well-worn science fiction classic.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 3 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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