Les voyageurs du temps

This time travel yarn was well done. The story was compelling and the acting was fine. Sam Groom (an alumnus of the Time Tunnel) plays a doctor drafted by the government to search for a cure to a flu virus that apparently had previously presented itself around the time of the Great Chicago Fire. Research indicated that a doctor (played by Richard Basehart) back then had cured scores of people but this cure was lost to time. (It was also good to see Basehart adding gravitas to the production.) The special effects were understated and the period clothing and sets were serviceable, both were believable. My only quibble with the show was that there did not seem to much to the time travel apparatus itself. There were a few computer flats with blinking lights and a room with a staircase that lead to the past. Adequate, but not awe inspiring like the Time Tunnel. The Time Tunnel set was massive in reality and also in the terms of the show. It created a true sense of wonder. Too bad they could not have married the two concepts. Good show nonetheless.

Irwin Allen's "The Time Travelers" is a surprisingly good TV film. As previously mentioned in other reviews, Allen's record with sci-fi might lead the casual science fiction enthusiast to bypass this film. That, however, would be a mistake.

Without going into too many details, the film's slow moving story about present day doctors (in 1976) seeking a cure for a deadly flu virus outbreak just prior to the 1871 Great Chicago Fire (believe me, that is not an insult) builds methodically to its satisfying, if not a bit predictable, conclusion.

Based on a Rod Serling tale, this is the stuff of old style SF that is sorely missed in a lot of today's productions.

The cast is top-notch. The four lead actors, actors Sam Groom (an alum from Allen's "The Time Tunnel," Trish Stewart *, Tom Hallick and especially Richard Basehart provide a warm, thought provoking charm to this small scale but involving tale. One of the nice touches are the bit roles filled by relatively unknown, but experienced actors one might recognize from many of the TV/film productions of the 1970s.

*Stewart played Jane Henderson-- in another review here mistakenly identified Francine York filling that role.

This reviewer highly recommends this small, somewhat obscure film. Fortunately, it can be found on the boxed DVD set to Allen's "Time Tunnel." Incidentally, on that same DVD is the 2002 filmed pilot, an attempt to revive "The Time Tunnel." It too, is VERY satisfying. It is really too bad this production didn't make it as a new TV series.

I was really captivated by this wonderful pilot.

I am an enormous fan of the time travel genre, and intelligent sci-fi genre (not the cyber cowboy-cum-Star Wars-action-shoot-em-up kind of sci-fi)...and an avid fan of history and historical chronicles on film.

I should probably give credit where it is due, and that would be to ROD SERLING whose story was the solid germ which inspired this pilot/movie. We can't ever go wrong with SERLING, his was a great and yet in his time, woefully under-appreciated talent. Had the rest of the stories of this potential series been principally from his mind, I would venture to say it would have been a big hit.

I am so disappointed that it never went off the ground and I am perplexed at this fact after seeing this today. Another reviewer said that it would become dull eventually. I disagree vehemently. Was Quantum Leap dull? It was not and never jumped the shark! I am writing this just because the industry really needs to revisit this genre in a big way. We are bombarded all the time with time travel movies these days...and there must be a writer out there with deep knowledge of this genre and its foibles-to-avoid enough to make for intelligent television! We need MORE INTELLIGENT SCI-FI around. Not what the present SYFY garbage channel churns out in the past few years. SCI-FI is being DUMBED DOWN instead of lifting us up like the greatest OUTER LIMITS, TWILIGHT ZONE, OUT OF THE UNKNOWN, JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN, SCIENCE FICTION THEATER, TALES OF TOMORROW, ONE STEP BEYOND and a few others.

We need more INTELLIGENT TV, period! I recommend this movie for all ages.

Our beloved filmmaker Irwin Allen was obsessed by time travel as much that had draft the classic series THE TIME TUNNELL a conceptive format where the travelers never returning to starting point, always randomly jumping thru the past and future eras, in this new picture Irwin stablished a new approaching, the travelers always return after a specific task, it sounds a bit conflicting due the series had a huge complex facilities underground of desert, otherwise the small back room installation using the same high advance computers from Time Tunnel is able to a safe returning.

A Rod Serling adapted story takes place at New Orleans in 1976 when a new unknown virus spreading fast cross-country, two doctors assigned to find an immediate cure forthwith, turns out that at Chicago in 1871 a local doctor had found a medicine that proved effective to tackle the deadly virus, strangely there's no records available, thus they are send back at this period of time aiming for got the successful formula.

Although as expect the defiant Irwin Allen would not let it so easy to the adventures, they reach there on day prior the great Chicago fire and the doctor is on duty struggling against the outbreak ongoing, an old acquaintance of us in the casting with Francine York, Richard Basehart and betting in new faces as Sam Groom and Tom Hallick, let it see easy in Irwin Allen's low-profile production.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1989 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.5.

This review comes to you from the future. Having watched this movie in 2019, I hasten to let you know it's a charming movie and enjoyable to watch.

This message is mainly produced for those fans who watched this movie some 8 years ago and earlier. You might come across some other messages from my era as we are able to time travel without moving at all.

Signing off and going back to my time. Goodbye and good luck!