A Máquina do Outro Mundo

'My Science Project' was a fun idea. John Stockwell is Michael Harlan, a slacker car jock who's got to come up with a real science project if he wants to pass his class. Digging around in some condemned military land, he finds a wierd gadget that causes major van damage. In the course of trying to figure out the extent of power of the little electrifying gizmo, his hippie science teacher, Bob (Dennis Hopper) is sucked into a time warp. But, he doesn't leave before figuring out that the thing that Mike Harlan found opens up all time warps. So, now Harlan and his friend Vince Latello (Fisher Stevens), Ellie Sawyer (Danielle von Zerneck), and a hopeless nerd named Sherman (Raphael Sbarge) have to fix the time dimensions while getting chased by strange guys from the government and dinosaurs and midevil warriors, and everything else. Mike's got a real mess on his hands.

It's probably one of the few films I really liked John Stockwell in because he didn't have to try to hard to be Mike Harlan, slacker car jockey who doesn't say much and likes to be left alone. Although, the better character in the movie was his big shot friend, Vince. But that's a typical kind of character for Fisher Stevens, who's always good in comedy.

And yes, as one viewer already mentioned, it follows a long line of 80s science fiction comedy or 80s sci-fi teen movies like 'Real Genius' (teens build a super laser); 'Back to the Future' (teen travels to past, present, and future via a Delorean time machine); Weird Science (teens make a girl on their computer); 'Peggy Sue Got Married' (adult goes back in time to relive being a teen); 'Mac and Me' (teens find friendly alien family), and so forth.

I like the idea for 'My Science Project,' but having all of the people and creatures from different time periods land in the present-day lacked a lot of fun that could've been achieved from a movie (perhaps a longer movie) like this. The finale battle scenes against the enemies from different time dimensions all took place in the school. So, the setting was static, and somewhat boring after awhile. Probably, too, because it was done so cheaply. A lot more could've been done if they were allowed to expand the setting by allowing Harlan and his friends to travel through time, too.

Nonetheless, if this be your cup of tea, then cheers!

Movies come in phases now and then where a bunch of movies with similar themes come out at about the same time. There was the underwater craze of 89 ("The Abyss", "Leviathan", and "Deepstar Six") and there was the body switch craze ("Big", "Vice Versa", and one with Dudley Moore). This movie came out during the comedy with a science twist. The other two movies that came out during this phase are "Real Genius" and "Weird Science". I liked this phase as I enjoyed all three movies quite a bit. This one was no exception as it combined humor and science fiction very well. This one has a couple of kids finding this strange device that I think ended up being some type of engine. Anyway when this thing gets hooked up with power and turns on all sorts of strange stuff starts happening. The thing seems to be able to move time or open portals. The end is great as the thing really goes berserk and it turns the school (I think it was the school) into a battle zone complete with different times. There is a dinosaur and mutants. All in all I am probably in the minority in liking this one, but I thought it was really good.

I noticed a few bad reviews. One person said it was the Citizen Kane of bad movies. Seriously? This is hardly the worst movie, but I guess that might all depend on how life was affecting that person at that time. I mean their girlfriend or boyfriend might have left them and this movie might have been playing on the television as all that went down. SO I can understand that it may have been guilt by association. If this is a bad movie then I know what a guilty pleasure is now. I thought it had a nice charm to it overall. It was a decent plot. The leads all had personality. I thought the cute romance had some chemistry. Matter of fact, although its not the Breakfast Club of teen interpretation, I knew all these kids in high school. There was a Fisher Stevens character and I knew a Harlan type as well. It has a humor that is winning to it, especially the Fisher Stevens character. Of course it always comes down to a matter of taste. But when I saw this movie went down as one of the worst movies I had to champion it. To me whoever made it seemed to have a bit of love in their heart for it. Its a personal favorite for that reason. I must have seen this movie three times in the theatre. Granted its not the Godfather, or Close Encounters, or 2001 caliber. But the movie is well made with great special effects for the time. Its on youtube free. GIve it a chance if you don't have high expectations, or even if you do. With so much respect, the person who said this was the Citizen Kane of bad movies needs to see more movies. Gotta say, loved it. This movie has a small following. I hate to see myself as a follower, but just watched it recently and it holds up great. I hated the 80s. It may be nostalgia, but this is a fond memory from that time. Sure its mindless. But it sure is fun.

High school student Michael Harlan (John Stockwell) is a kid with a fairly narrow focus: he's a car junkie. His girl dumps him because she thinks he spends more time tinkering with cars than with her. To get his science teacher Bob Roberts (Dennis Hopper) off his back, Mike scours a local military junkyard for any piece of junk that he can pass off as a science project. Well, the item that he steals is no ordinary junk: it was discovered back in the 1950s and is apparently an alien device that can create time-space warps. When Mike, his buddy Vince (Fisher Stevens), and Bob start messing around with the thing, an immense amount of havoc ensues as the high school is inundated with characters and animals from the past and a possible future.

Debuting director Jonathan R. Betuel, who'd written "The Last Starfighter", does alright with this first feature. It doesn't display *that* much imagination (we get cavemen, mutants, and a dinosaur, but not that much more), but it does have some good energy. Nicely shot in 2.35:1, it gets off to a solid start, and the characters are amusing to watch. Stockwell is likable in his first top billed role (after playing the best friend to car junkie Keith Gordon in "Christine"), and Danielle von Zerneck is appealing as his leading lady. Stevens, and Raphael Sbarge as the nerdy Sherman, are very much playing stereotypes, but they do give the roles 100%. The adult actors are largely wasted - Barry Corbin as Mikes' dad, Ann Wedgeworth as the dads' new wife, Richard Masur (who gets to be broader than usual) as a detective. The true standout performance in "My Science Project" comes from Hopper, who's perfectly cast as the former hippie who's all too happy to relive his protest filled youth. Robert DoQui, Michael Berryman, Pamela Springsteen, and an uncredited Al Leong all have small roles.

The music by Peter Bernstein is appropriate, the visual effects are well done overall (especially that dinosaur, the work of Doug Beswicks' team), and there are some funny lines here and there. All in all, the movie is juvenile, silly, and ridiculous, but it does do a respectable job of entertaining its audience. Stevens's line (used as my summary), when asked why he's wearing shades indoors, is truly a howler.

Seven out of 10.

A kid makes a strange science project that leads to time travel.

Forget the over-rated "Bill And Ted", forget the "Back To The Future" movies, if you want a 1980s time travel flick you will find it here in "My Science Project".

For the life of me, I will never know why this film is now so forgotten and unknown while the above mentioned movies get free-to-air reruns every six months (atleast in Australia)!!!!????

What makes "My Science Project" so much better than the above films? I guess it partly comes down to the characters in the movie. From nutty Dennis Hopper, to the kid who keeps referencing all those 1960s/1970s shows/movies, and to the lead character who just comes over as pleasing (in a non Michael J Fox-sort of way).

But also the ending, which I dare not give away.

Granted, this is missing the mighty opening theme tune of the "Back To The Future" movies, but with the exception of the music, "My Science Project" wins hands down!