Leofwine_draca The John Wyndham sci-fi novel THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS has long been a favourite of mine; it's a fantastic piece of writing, up there with the calibre of H. G. Wells. Sadly, the story has never translated particularly well to the screen, and it says something that when you search for the title on the IMDb the two results that first come up are the 1963 film - which changed so much from the book that it was almost unrecognisable - and the 2009 BBC adaptation, which was so terrible it's not worth mentioning.However, this 1981 miniseries version of the story is the most authentic one out there, and seen today it's actually very good. Sure, this production suffers from the usual problems of the era, from the cheapness of the cameras making it look at times like an amateur film, and the occasional stodginess of the narrative, to the stilted dialogue and some bad acting (Emma Relph is a particular disappointment). But THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS overcomes these problems to provide exciting, fast-paced entertainment.There are six episodes here and the first one is the worst, unwisely throwing in tons of back story and exposition which makes the pace crawl along. Things pick up in the second episode, and all of the major plot points from the book are covered here and in detail. I particularly liked the way that writer Douglas Livingstone kept all of the important subtext from the book, Wyndham's musings on the importance of society and the like, and incorporated it into the backdrop here. The rubber triffids make for an acceptable menace, and the filming locations are all fine; overall it feels realistic throughout, and I particularly liked the handling of the blind population and the late introduction of the ruthless soldiers. I'm a huge fan of BBC TV from the 1980s and this is another string to the bow of a production company that could once do no wrong.

tetrahymna I tuned in out of boredom, but soon became hooked on the series. It is not a fast-paced action movie, which might put off some viewers, but a psychological thriller dealing with how people respond to an event that leaves them helpless in the face of a threat. The primary focus is not the leafy monsters, but the responses of the people. If you expect horror and gore, you will be disappointed. If you prefer a thoughtful plot with time to absorb the situations, I think you will like it.I cannot help but to read elements into the plot that might not have originally been intended. Near the beginning, they talk about the importance of the triffid oil to the petrol industry, which leads the world with a problem. Most choose to destroy this dangerous new plant, but a few groups continue to raise (and thus save) them because it gives them an economic advantage. My 21st century mind immediately jumped to GMOs, to farm lobbies, to the use of cropland to feed cars at the expense of food crops, and of the myriad of practices that we know can or might harm us, but which we continue to practice despite the potential damage to ourselves.

jan-erik-wahlberg-1 This series, being a rip-off from the 1962 movie with the same catchy title, made interesting viewing because it's very hard to determine whether it was made with a tongue-in-cheek attitude or not. The plot is obviously completely crazy - it contains the perplexing phenomena of 99% of the population going blind in the glow of a meteor shower and disregards the fact that roughly half the population has daylight. The glow also causes a vicious breed of plants called triffids to go berserk and in doing so they have the poor blind people for snacks. This of course leads to a number of chases and a survival story which rates among the most arbitrary in the history of movie or television fiction. So if you like to keep your viewing on a serious or artistic level don't watch this one. However, if you can digest a bit of kitch together with perhaps a trifle mediocre acting, you will find it entertaining.

CaptReynolds I remember watching this on TV when I was little and being terrified of the triffids. I watched a lot of sci-fi but this stood out. I've always liked those survival stories like dawn of the dead or 28 days later. If you like those kind of movies you'll probably enjoy day of the triffids. When I saw it was now available on DVD I ordered it with plenty of enthusiasm and a little trepidation. Often those shows you watch and enjoy as a kid just don't hold up and watching them as an adult kind of takes the shine off those memories. I mean, how good do those special effects in Doctor Who look now. But, in this case I need not have worried. I've just watched all six episodes of Day of the Triffids in a row and I loved it. Yes, the special effects do look a little dated but all things considered, they're not that bad, and they don't interfere with your enjoyment. The story is great, well written and well paced, you never know what's going to happen next. Plus it throws up lots of little ethical questions. Also, the acting by all of the main cast is excellent. Forget about the old movie version, read the book or watch this mini series. 8/10.