Hey folks, Harry here... Eraserhead chimes in with a different point of view on Simon Wells' THE TIME MACHINE, a reconception and reconceived version of his Great Grandfather's classic science fiction novel. Well here's a more balanced look, one that doesn't call it great nor the worst, but simply a film that needs some work, and due to the film being pushed from its original December release date, they have more time to iron out the kinks.... or add a few, depending on what's needed! Here ya go...
Hey Harry,
Last night (Thursday), I got the chance to be among the "first American audience" to experience Simon Wells' THE TIME MACHINE. Reading the review filed by Kurt Hectic, I was compelled to chip in my two cents on the flick.
First off, I knew very little to nothing about this remake, as I went into it. I later discovered that my opinion of the film would have been a bit more enthusiastic, had I done a little reading up of its story and history. With that said, the film isn't great, no... but in no way, shape, or form should it be referred to as "one of the worst movies of the year," with gems like GLITTER lining the low end of the spectrum. Even without having seen the aforementioned masterpiece, I can tell you that chances are slim that THE TIME MACHINE would even come close to its caliber.
Do not be fooled, I am in no way claiming THE TIME MACHINE is a cinematic masterpiece, either. It has many a flaws... quite a few actually. As I'm sure you're aware, THE TIME MACHINE is directed by Simon Wells, a member of the H. G. Wells family tree (though I'm not sure which precise branch, exactly). One would expect a blood-relative of the author of this classic novel to give its filmic rendition a better treatment than he did. I'm not going to comment too much on the story or plot for various reasons--a detailed-enough rundown of the story is given in another post. However, I'd like to throw out my thoughts on some other aspects of the film.
As has been said, the performances in the film are large contributors to its not-so-hot buzz. Let's just say in no way is THE TIME MACHINE going to go on Guy Pearce's "career highlights" reel. And with that said, I am inclined to add that his performance was still the best among the cast in the film. I wish I could pinpoint a singular flaw, but overall, the chemistry between the characters completely failed to make me care about any of their fates. As an exception to this rule, tho, I'd like to add that Orlando Jones turns in a surprisingly well-executed performance as a futuristic humanoid knowledge database.
The strongest part of the film is the first third or half--up until the demise of Emma, Alex's beloved pseudo-fiance. Starting with her death (which is executed especially weakly), the film as a whole begins to take a downward spiral.
As this was a working print, a lot of the visual special effects were incomplete. I am taking this into consideration while saying the following. Although the time travel sequences had their moments, they were still lacking any refreshingly new or exciting "bangs." I heard that a particular scene that details the moon getting ready to crash into the Earth was cut short because of "recent events." That's too bad. Having been left alone in its entirety, it could have had the potential of being one of the stronger segments of the time travel sequences.
As pointed out previously, the latter part of the film--those shot on "Disneyland-esque" sets--were seriously lacking in creativity and compelling storytelling. As I said, I didn't much care for the characters from the beginning, but when Alex arrives to this post-post-apocalyptic world set in the year 800,000+, that's where I completely stopped caring about any and all characters. Just to give you an idea in the weakness of the story, in this new world English is a lost language, only spoken by a very select few... yet they all speak it perfectly without any accents or signs of antiquity, whatsoever. Maybe it's just me, but that bothered me for quite some time.
So, why should you go see THE TIME MACHINE? I know it seems like I'm ripping the film to hell, but on some strange level, it does have some entertaining elements and moments--ones which may be enough to attract specific crowds. Asked to curtly describe THE TIME MACHINE, I summed it up as "THE MUMMY meets BACK TO THE FUTURE." I think that is a fairly accurate description of its entirety and pretty indicative of the demographics to which it will appeal.
Overall, THE TIME MACHINE doesn't really pack any punches or offer up anything you haven't seen before. Nor does it manage to captivate and intrigue to the point of enticing post-viewing conversations or debates. But, to say that it is one of the year's worst films would be a drastic overstatement. No, THE TIME MACHINE is in no way tailored for film geeks or true appreciators of cinema, but it definitely has the potential of entertaining the needs of the general movie-going crowd; in particular, those seeking MUMMY-esque Hollywood fare.
Rock on,
Eraserhead
