The Time Machine (2002)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

So many inaccuracies and problems with the layout of this movie. I'm giving it 3 stars because 1) when he first arrives "800,000" years in the future, the Time Machine clearly says well over 9.8 million years. 2) also when he arrives, Mara says that they all learn the old language, yet they act as if they have no idea what he said. 3) why would anyone detonate the moon? Of course, large explosions are going to have an effect, what about scientific study and the scientific method? I feel as if once Alexander left the 2030s any kind of tech is just out the window, for good. With no valid explanation why. Sure you can assume it's because the moon was blown apart, but come on, there'd be enough remaining knowledge documented to rebuild most if not all of what was there. Which brings to my next point. 4) He had to have everything required to make said Time Machine documented as well. And in the end, when it finally shows back to 19th century, they just leave all his stuff there. 5) Given this fact, from the point he built the Tine Machine it would have already existed, they go about through the different time periods like they don't know what he's talking about happened in the past. Sure "he disappeared into the future", but like I said all of his scientific papers with practical application would have been seen and improved on, from that point. With all these points, this movie is pointless, just like this review and my life. Anyways thanks for reading the analysis if you did. *Since this is a semi-nonlinear film, my reasons are also nonlinear. Byte!

I was interesting in seeing this movie if only because my brother likes it so much. I even went so far as to see it with him and he wanted the volume up and everything else. I had heard pretty bad things about this movie and wasn't expecting something great. After watching the film, my brother basically said that he realized it didn't hold up. That's nostalgia for you. I guess if I read the book version or seen the original movie, I would have liked it. There are definitely good scenes in this movie, but it just comes off as way too silly. It tells the story about this guy who travels back in time to save his girlfriend's life, but she dies anyway.He then comes to accept that he can't save her, but then travels into the future to find out why he can't. Then he accidentally travels much further where people live in tribes and there are these giant noseless hairy people who hunt after them. The worst part is that half of the movie takes place in this time. I wanted to see more of a futuristic setting. It was just silly with how these guys look. Their leader is some white and blue guy who looks nothing like them. This film was just too silly for me to take seriously, but I do like the scenes where the main character accepts his fate. Time travel fiction can do much better. **

Short and not so sweet, here were go. I love everything science fiction/fact. I've always been curious about time, time travel and paradoxes, so I thought I'd give this movie a watch. I have nothing to compare this film to because I haven't seen the original, but this particular film went from great, to somewhat boring. I enjoyed the atmosphere throughout the first quarter to half of the movie, and then it went very far-fetched and uninteresting (to me). I wish this film stuck to the 1800's - 2000's era because that's where the interesting story-line was. I wanted to see more time traveling as well, because the scenery changes throughout the years were very intriguing and borderline eye-candy to a sci-fi fan. The characters were pretty average and difficult to grasp onto. Visuals were nice. Plot wasn't overly enjoyable. It's worth a watch once, but I don't think I'd watch it again. So many other movies to watch. Mediocre. 5/10

The newer version of The Time Machine was interesting, but could have been so much better. Granted a "fleshing out" of the story is mandatory, based on the brief novella by H.G. Wells, by both versions of the movie. Some strange directions the newer version took were the Eloi being darker-skinned people, with many "African themes" throughout, their cliffside homes, and the Morlocks are now a threat both night and day (!) Lead actor Guy Pearce was miscast in my view, and just didn't project as the hero/adventurer in this film as expected. I also didn't understand the physics of the dramatic ending; how the time machine could self-destruct and only destroy the lair of the Morlocks and nothing else (?) There was one memorable scene, very well done, that had me wishing the entire film had been this innovative: at the end where it shows past and present superimposed on each other, Guy Pearce's friend and maid, along with Guy Pearce in his new life role.