What a Load of Morlocks (The Time Machine [2002] (DVD))

Member Name: wyrdsister

Product:	The Time Machine [2002] (DVD)
Date:	05/06/02 (267 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: -

Disadvantages: -

The concept of time travel is an intriguing one. What would a traveller find on such a journey and could he change the future? H.G. Wells’ the time machine was published in 1895 and was immortalised on celluloid in the1960. With the latest trend in remaking classic films, it was only a matter of time before The Time Machine got its Hollywood make over…However, if you are expecting a remake of this classic science fiction movie, or even a modern screen adaptation of the book, you will be disappointed. This new updated version has very little to do with Wells’ original masterpiece…well, it does have a time machine in it…

Australian actor Guy Pierce (Pricilla, Queen of the Desert) takes on the role of gifted and introvert New York physicist Alexander Hartdengen. His life would have been quite ordinary, had it not been turned upside down by the senseless murder of his fiancée. Grief stricken, he decides to put his theories of time travel into practice in order to prevent the tragedy from ever occurring. After four years of strenuous work, Alexander is finally ready to change his haunting past and save his beloved from her attacker. It should have been a happy ending, but it soon becomes apparent that his fiancée is destined to die at that moment and that he is powerless to stop it. With all his knowledge and technology, it appears that he cannot change the past. Not about to simply give up, he decides to search for the answer in the future. His quest eventually take him 900 000 years into the future where the human race seems to have regressed technologically to a more primitive society, lead by a young learned woman called Mara (Samantha Mumba). Just as Alexander thinks he has found an idyllic age, the horrible truth is revealed to him.

Guy Pierce is believable as grief stricken inventor Alexander. However, it must be said that the role is played with very little dimension and Pierce doesn’t offer much emotional de
velopment throughout. In short, one would expect a bit more from him. He plays the role in much the same way from beginning to end, showing little amazement at his achievement or excitability at the times he visits, however briefly. Following the streak of singers turned actresses is Irish born Samantha Mumba, and sadly her performance is merely passable and fairly uninspiring to say the least. The last big name worthy of mention is Jeremy Irons. His onscreen time is very slight, and he seems to be making more of a guest appearance than taking on a well thought out part. Frankly, he is wasted here, in very much the same way as the entire film feels like a wasted opportunity.

Overall, the acting is very average, which is possibly due to the bad scripting and the absence of character development offered in the story. It feels rushed from beginning to end, the supporting actors have little to do but provide uninspired one liners and the viewer sometimes get the impression like they are nothing more than part of the set. This is really disappointing, considering the literary work this movie is supposedly based upon, as Wells provided ample material from which the scriptwriters could have drawn inspiration. And the non-existence of a solid and interesting tale behind the concept is really what lets the film down. Because of the obvious impetus for building the machine, the intentions behind time travel become no more than pedestrian. This, for a start, reduces the film from a potentially creative and intriguing one, to a feeble one-dimensional treatise on heartbroken scientists. The few stops in the future seem to just emphasize the fact that the machine works, and that there is a future, and it looks different. At no time are there any relevant discussion or thought about man’s technological or sociological evolution, a subject which is paramount in Wells novel. Obviously, the writers didn’t aim for an intellectually challenging film, and to a cert
ain extent, it needn’t have been, but a bit more substance would have been welcomed.

If the story leaves a lot to be desired, The Time Machine is not without some merits.
Of course the main attraction of most Hollywood remakes rests on the special effects. Well, they’re good, and they are possibly the movie’s only saving grace. The time machine itself is exquisite: it looks strange and remains in design fantastical and old worldly. The CGI are well incorporated in the live action and are visually stunning in parts. The mood of New York at the turn of the century is well depicted. There are some intriguing concepts introduced, such as the library computer, and some clever and subtle moments, such the references to Well’s and the 1960’s cinematic version of his novel.

The notion that man could travel through time and witness the past and future is fascinating. However, the self-absorbed motivation of the main protagonist tends to put aside any real treatment of the subject, and leaves the viewer with a sense of despondency at what might have been. The fast pace of the film merely disguises the fact that the film is rushed, hurried to its disappointing conclusion. For the most part, the Time Machine is a dull effort. The plot is predictable and devoid of any depth, and it is a real shame. Still, it is entertaining to a point: the visual effects and actions scenes are competent. This, however, cannot outweigh the fact that the film relies on them too heavily, which, combined with a weak story, serves only to make The Time Machine a mediocre, if slightly entertaining movie.

Summary: