| The Time Machine (2002) Dir: Simon Wells Cast: Guy Pearce, Samantha Mumba, Mark Addy, Orlando Jones, Jeremy Irons, Richard Cetrone. Rated PG-13, Approx: 95 minutes A Dreamworks/Warner Bros. Release |
| Matt's Rating: *** (out of 5) |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 03/16/02 |
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| Remakes are almost never the most exciting movie going experience a serious filmgoer. While certain, few, remakes actually measure up to the original (The Thing, The Fly and Invasion of the Body Snatchers to name a few), most emerge as unnecessary or insulting and embarrassing at worst (Psycho and Carnival of Souls are the worst of the worst-to date). One is often left wondering exactly what the point of such a project is, for remaking a classic film is quite an undertaking and unfortunately most of the time there is hardly a point to be made. With 2002's updating of H.G. Wells' classic science fiction novel "The Time Machine" (which had previously been made in 1960), the result is rather mixed. Far from a masterwork, this new version emerges as an enjoyable movie going experience as long as you're not too critical. Largely devoid of the necessary character development required to make this effort completely successful, this film is still a brisk piece of enjoyment. Featuring some truly excellent special effects, intriguing concepts and engaging performances (headed by Guy Pearce), this is easily a film worth checking if strong expectations can be left at the door. Guy Pearce is excellent as Alexander Hartdegen, a brilliant college professor and scientist intent on perfecting the science of time travel in the 1890's. Tragically, Hartdegan's fianc�e is murdered before him on the night he proposes marriage to her leaving the man an emotionally battered wreck. Now entirely obsessed with making time travel possible, Hartdegen perfects his 'time machine' over the course of four years so he can essentially return to that fateful night and prevent his fianc�e�s death. When Alex realizes that her life can't be saved (if she lives, Hartdegen will never be driven enough to invent the time machine), he travels into the future to search for an answer. After an accident in the year 2030, he is propelled 800,000 years into the future where humanity has de-evolved back into a primitive bunch called Eloi (slightly more intelligent-cavemen for all intents and purposes). The Eloi are dominated by a race of sub humans called Morlocks who hunt them for food, when Hartdegen realizes the Eloi won't fight back, he sets out to help them defend themselves against the savage reign of the creatures. The Time Machine may not exactly be a story full of surprises, and there are some plot holes to be sure but overall, it's a fun adventure. While all traces of Wells' satirical look at Aristocratic France have been jettisoned in favor of special effects and action, one gets a feeling that Wells' great, great grandson, director Simon Wells was attempting to do nothing more than entertain. Moving the film along at a very fast pace, it's incredibly hard to be bored with this film and while it begins more interestingly than it ends (and that's one of the film's main problems), it would be hard to imagine anyone calling this movie boring. It would've been nice to have spent more time with the movie, when it clocks in (under 90 minutes with closing credits aside), it leaves you with the feeling that you haven't quite seen everything special. When our hero travels to the year 2030 only to find that we have colonized the moon, we barely get an explanation for the end result. The moon winds up crumbling apart resulting in thousands of moonstones hurtling at earth, which eventually lead to the devastation of the planet, as we know it. This is a fascinating concept which we spend no time with (some shots of destruction were removed from the original version-particularly once scene of moonstones smashing into the twin towers), instead, it serves as merely a plot device to advance the story further. Another qualm lies within the character of Alexander Hartdegen, mainly his willingness to suddenly shrug off the obsessive idea of saving his fianc�e�s life and defend a race of people of the future instead. Aside from the clich�d idea that it's the "right thing to do", we never fully understand this decision (there is some explanation regarding a mother in danger, but this once again seems more like a convenience simply to advance the story more than anything else) and that's perhaps the greatest hindrance to the project. It may sound like this is a bad write up, but overall this film has a lot more going for it than against it. In the lead role, Guy Pearce brings a great deal to Hartdegen. It's unfortunate that we don't know this character as well as we should've, but Pearce manages to infuse him with more humanity than perhaps the script had featured. Always a great performer, Pearce (L.A. Confidential, Memento, Ravenous) is the reason Hartdegen is a character worth rooting for. Backing the star is an excellent supporting cast consisting of Mark Addy (The Full Monty) as Dr. David Philby, good friend of Alex's who can't explain his mysterious vanishing; Orlando Jones (the 7up guy) as Vox, an omniscient 'encyclopedia' of the future that knows everything; Samantha Mumba as Mara, an attractive Eloi of the future who teaches English to the humans; and in a show stopping small role, Jeremy Irons as the Uber-Morlock, the master Morlock who controls all the other creatures psychically. While Irons' villain is essentially an extended cameo (and it's a shame that we couldn't have spent more time with him), it's a great scene nonetheless. Intimidating and classy, Irons really acts beneath that makeup and his part alone is almost worth the price of admission. John Carpenter fans will want to look for Ghosts of Mars' villain Richard Cetrone (Big Daddy Mars in that film) who pops up in a small role as a hunter Morlock. The Time Machine may feel a tad rushed, but those not expecting a mind-blowing sci-fi film may enjoy anyway. Director Simon Wells does a great job of making sure things never lag (and maybe he tried to keep things moving a little too fast, it would've been to the picture's advantage to be a bit more fleshed out). With some great effects and a cast almost too classy for this type of adventure, Wells' film (Gore Verbinski took over for Wells in the last 18 days of filming when he complained of extreme exhaustion) certainly isn't going to make anyone forget the source novel or the superior 1960 version, but kick back and enjoy a great little adventure and you may just be surprised how much you enjoy yourself. |