The Time Machine

I had the oppportunity to see "The Time Machine" last night at a special screening in Arlington, Virginia, and I enjoyed it. It does not follow the same plot line as the H.G. Wells book, but in my opinion, that does not detract from the movie. I thought the Orlando Jones character of Vox was quite interesting and amusing, and Jeremy Irons definitely deserved more screentime, as he is a superb actor in every role he takes on. The character development was a little weak, but it was tricky with the time travel aspect. I found the special effects to be good; it is difficult to measure up to some of the special effects that have come out recently, and I think they did a good job. With every new movie that comes out, you have increasingly more spectacular visual effects, especially with the higher budget films. All in all, I think that the actors did a good job, and the movie kept me interested the whole time and was especially good in some parts. I would definitely recommend this movie, and I give it 8 stars.

When Victorian scientist Alexander Hartdegen sees his fiancé murdered during a petty robbery, he throws himself into his work while all even his closest friends know is that he is doing nonsense research and physics. Four years later though and Alexander has created his machine – a time machine – that he plans to use to return to the fateful night and save his true love. Somehow he cannot do it though and, in despair, he drives himself forward into the future to find progress beyond his wildest dreams. This progress though, comes with costs and risks – both of which Alexander is very aware of as he moves into a world where mankind has changed beyond all recognition.

This film was wildly derided when it came out in the cinemas and I never bothered to go and see it, preferring to let time pass and pick it up for free on television in a few years. That time came recently and I watched a version of HG Wells' Time Machine that is loosely based on the source material. It starts with potential but all too quickly it becomes obvious and surprisingly heartless – almost making a conscious decision that the effects will be what people come for and that doing a solid job on those will be enough. Sadly that is not the case but, were it, the effects are already superseded and do not look as impressive as they once may have done. With the humanity and the emotion built into the story, the delivery is quite stiff and dull and I found myself surprised by how little interest I had it the story even when I was far into it. Not totally sure where the problems lie with this but script is certainly one of them (some of the dialogue and exposition is terribly clunky) while the overall production did appear effects driven.

It is a shame because Guy Pearce frequently offers more from his performance and his potential but the film never really takes him up on it and it leaves him isolated, trying to be a character in a film that would seem to just prefer an action hero. Mumba looks good (if you ignore that at times her face is chimp-like, and no it is not racist to say so) but she cannot act for toffee – she didn't even run and scream all that convincingly. God knows what about the film made Irons decide to do his poor character but he is not alone as other famous faces such as Bloom and Addey show up.

The Time Machine is not the awful film that some say but it is just very heartless and dull. Some of the effects are good and the plot did have potential but the script and design never let this come out, seemingly more interested in visual bang-for-buck than they were about producing an effective and engaging story.

The four of us are in the 40 - 50 age range, and we are fairly tough what we like and do not like in films. It was Friday night and we wanted entertainment. We read the comments below - mostly, but not all negative - and decided to take a gamble. Arriving at the cinema, we were prepared for a bad movie but hoping for 'a good relaxing time'. Well, we *did* like this film! Not a top box office smash or even an 8 out of 10, but entertaining nevertheless. The MUSIC was superb. ACTING was fine. HISTORIC life portrayed in old Cambridge Massachusetts was realistic - even the snow and cold weather was real. The ROMANCE was acceptable. The STORY, while not closely following H G Well, was good enough. The SPECIAL EFFECTS were very good indeed. It is worth a gamble, to see this film. But go with a light heart and an acceptable frame of mind, and keep your expectations below that of a 10 out of 10 film.

Alexander Hartdegen (Guy Pearce) is a scientist living in 1899 NYC. He proposes to his girlfriend Emma, but she's killed in a robbery. Four years later, he builds a time machine. However when he tries going back to rescue Emma, she is killed in a different way. Disenchanted, he travels forward in time to 2030 to search for a way to change the past. However he finds nothing about time travel. He jumps forward another 7 years to find the world in collapse and chaos after the moon is destroyed. He tries to use his time machine again but an explosion knocks him out. The machine keeps running until 802,701 AD when he regains consciousness.

The movie works well for awhile, but the future world of Eloi and Morlock is a bit of a letdown. It takes the H. G. Wells world and makes a Planet of the Apes movie out of it. In the end, the well-made movie is let down by this. Also there is an uncompelling action ending. The movie just has nothing profound to say, and is a barely functional action movie.

Since Herbert George Wells(1866-1946)' "The Time Machine" happens to be one of my favorite novels I was interested in this film mainly to see how the old man's great-grandson would handle his legacy.This film left me with mixed feelings.Many good points and many bad ones.

The Good:I truly enjoyed the 19th centurie scenes with Alexander and Emma.Her tragic death and Alexander's wish to change it provides our Time Traveler with serious motivation that he seemed to luck in the book.His obsession with his work is another good point.When you turn all your efforts towards one point then it is more probable that you will achieve your goals.The scenes while the machine is operating are visualy beautiful.Alexander as a "wandering fool" and his amazement at the 21st centurie achievements are well done.The Uber-Morlock was quite impressive, his seing the memories, dreams and nightmares of others seem to have left him with a lot of wisdom.His lack of emotions in a matter of survival for himself and his race is understandable.Why should he be shocked?Humanity has fed on flesh for milenia.We knowed and we don't get shocked by it.Why should he be?He actualy seems evolved rather than devolved as the other Morlocks.

The Bad:In the original novel humanity supposedly reached a golden age.The upper-class used the lower-class to achiebe its dream.A life with no worries.The upper-class lived in magnificent towers while the lower class was forced to live below the earth, in tunnels.As time went on the upper-class evolved to the Eloi living in a paradise.Childlike in appearance and in nature.Their luck of problems left them with no need to studie and eventualy all the wisdom of their founders was lost.They were left using achievements they couldn't understand and couldn't maintaine.The lower-class evolved into the Morlocks.Forgotten by the Eloi they were left to feed on each other and eventualy reached the surface and started feeding on the Eloi.Both races were devolved when the Time Traveler arrived.The only person from this time he actualy likes was Weena a young Eloi girl he saved who grew attached to him.In the novel they wander around studying the state of decline the human races had reached.

Unfortunately all this history of the two races is lost in this movie.The plot about the Moon falling was rather ridiculous and hardly explained the evolution of the two races.The Eloi of the film are much more inteligent than those in the movie but nothing interesting is truly done with them.I was hoping to see Alexander trying to teach his new roomates some of his wisdom.But nothing like this happens.Why would Alexander be interested in those two races isn't explained.Why would he pass two chances to return to his time isn't expained at all.What gives him the right to kill the Morlocks is left equaly unexplained.The "Happy" ending leaves him living in a time that shouldn't held any interest for a science-loving man.Nothing to explore or study.After his experience with time travel I don't think he would just be content left in one or the other point of the time stream.Rather unfortunate progress.

It could have been a classic if only the finale didn't resemble stupid adventure movies rather than the original novel or any other piece of fiction with an actual interest in the concept of time traveling.Alas the Wells family seems to be devolving too.