How to Build a Time Machine

Director Jay Cheel must have a gift for finding beauty in the unexpected. Reading the synopsis, I did not think that by the end of the film I would have found something touching in a man obsessiving over replicating a film prop. A prop from a movie that affected both subjects of the film. Mr. Cheel found a way to connect and have me emotionally invested in both men.

The music is perfectly suited for every scene. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. The way light is captured at a scene during the golden hours and reflected off bronze aluminum really stuck with me and proves the director knows exactly what he wants flowing into his camera to be captured forever.

Seeing both subjects together at a party at the end of the film and the sparkle of the tears in the eyes of Ronald Mallet lulled our some tears in my own eyes.

This is a surprisingly affective film of a very niche hobby and the plight of a man longing for his lost father. Bravo Mr. Cheel, you should be proud. I look forward to your next film.

A filmmaker's DIY project vs a grieving physicist trying to literally travel through time to see his dead father. Which do you think would be most interesting? I don't know if it was all this talk about 'time' but it felt that time certainly dragged when Rob Niosi was working on his full-scale replica time machine from the 1960 film. It's just that the vast majority of the film seemed to focus on this less interesting of the two.

Don't get me wrong, Rob Niosi's passion for his project was inspiring. The sheer effort and finances invested was jaw-dropping. But if I wanted to watch 80 minutes of DIY, I'd turn on the Lifestyle channel. The balance was out of whack.

I enjoyed all the philosophical and deep-thinking aspects of time travel in the film - even if some of the science involved was well over my head. It has made me really want to read Ronald Mallett's book, "Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality".

It's still a well-made and thought-provoking documentary - perfect for fans of 'Back to the Future', 'The Time Machine' or 'Safety Not Guaranteed'.