User reviews

Alexander Hartdegen (Guy Pearce) is a scientist living in 1899 NYC. He proposes to his girlfriend Emma, but she's killed in a robbery. Four years later, he builds a time machine. However when he tries going back to rescue Emma, she is killed in a different way. Disenchanted, he travels forward in time to 2030 to search for a way to change the past. However he finds nothing about time travel. He jumps forward another 7 years to find the world in collapse and chaos after the moon is destroyed. He tries to use his time machine again but an explosion knocks him out. The machine keeps running until 802,701 AD when he regains consciousness.

The movie works well for awhile, but the future world of Eloi and Morlock is a bit of a letdown. It takes the H. G. Wells world and makes a Planet of the Apes movie out of it. In the end, the well-made movie is let down by this. Also there is an uncompelling action ending. The movie just has nothing profound to say, and is a barely functional action movie.

I was interested in seeing this remake simply to find out if it was as bad as a myriad of critics have suggested it to be . I did love the 1960 version and I am not keen on people remaking my favourite movies , but surely last year`s remake of HG Wells romantic fantasy wasn`t going to be as bad as painted was it ?

Herbert George Wells wrote the source novel so why not call the hero Herbert or George ? It`s also a Victorian sounding name so why`s the hero got a name that resembles Steve Martin`s character in THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS ? This screenplay just like David Duncan`s from the 1960 version lacks an opening hook but it does speculate that even if time travel did exist it would be impossible to change ones destiny , an interesting thought . Screenwriter

John Logan adds a post modernist sequence featuring both HG Wells and STAR TREK . I didn`t think the humour worked very well but I had to admire his cheek , and since everyone cycles everywhere Logan suggests that in the mid 21st century America has elected a president from the green party which no doubt caused civilisation to collapse . Like most other movies set in the far flung future there are illogical gaps in the screenplay . For example remnants of the present day would still exist . Put it like this : The pyramids of Egypt are a few thousand years old and at the present rate of degeneration they won`t exist in a few thousand years but Alexander goes 798,000 years into the future and the skeletal remains of 21st century New York still remain ! , but as I said this is a common flaw in time travel stories as is the ridiculous notion that hundreds of thousands of years into the future people will still be able to understand and speak English , so this can be forgiven on the grounds of dramatic license . My only real criticism of the screenplay is that John Logan borrows a bit too much from Duncan`s earlier screenplay , otherwise this is a fairly good adaptation on Wells groundbreaking novel . Adding the ubermorlock is an inspired idea that works very well

I`m in two minds who to credit / criticise as director . As you may know Simon Wells left the project days before the project was completed and was replaced by Gore Verbinski so for the purposes of this review I`ll refer to the director simply as " The director " , and the director does manage one show stopping moment as the camera pans out from Alexander at the end of the 19th century across an ever evolving landscape eventually stopping on a lunar colony . The most controversial aspect of the film seems to be the casting or more especially the casting of dark skinned actors as the eloi , but I fail to see what the problem is . The eloi live on the surface in bright sunlight so why shouldn`t they be dark skinned ? It`s also in keeping with the social darwinism of Wells novel . The eloi have evolved due to environment the same way as the ubermorlock has evolved , and social darwinism is totally amoral so there`s no right or wrong , or good and bad involved . I do wish people would stop playing the race card . As for the ordinary morlocks they`re superbly designed with some great make up involved but the director throws a massive spanner in the works by having them running a hundred miles an hour and being able to jump great heights which suddenly makes them unconvincing which is a great pity , they would have worked better as men dressed up rather than CGI supermen . I did like Jeremy Irons as the scene stealing ubermorlock though . A word of warning for those of you who suffer from photo sensitivity , sadly once again this is a movie that heavily features strobe lighting . I`m not epileptic which is just as well because I wouldn`t want to risk a seizure watching THE TIME MACHINE . Sadly there seems to be more and more films being produced with this technique in style used and sadly I`ve had to keep saying - Stop using strobe lighting in movies . It`s totally irresponsible for directors to do this .

To sum up the 2002 remake of THE TIME MACHINE was light years away from the debacle I`d been led to expect . It`s fairly good in its own right but not as good as George Pal`s 1960 version , maybe because it lacks the charm of the former , a charm that movie had in abundance , but this version is still pretty good as remakes go

This updating of the HG Welles book and the original 60s movie is a better film than i had expected. While nothing earth shattering or special, the film is fairly entertaining with Guy Pearce as a scientist who invents a time machine in an attempt to save his murdered fiancee. Of course he is unable to right the wrong and instead winds up 800,000 years in the future.. Solid visual effects and entertaining action sequences keep things moving and Pearce is fine as the time traveler.. While the ending seems a tad too predictible and pat for my tastes, the ride is still fun along the way. GRADE: B

Comment: As a huge sci-fi fan, I was thrilled to finally watch "The Time Machine" and it did not disappoint. The film's premise of time travel is executed brilliantly and the pacing is just right, keeping you engaged from start to finish. The movie also features impressive visuals that transport you to different time periods and bring the future to life.

While the characters may not be the most fleshed out, they serve the story well and provide an interesting perspective on the concept of time travel. Overall, "The Time Machine" is a fantastic addition to the sci-fi genre and a must-see for anyone who loves science fiction. So buckle up and get ready for a mind-bending journey through time!

Regenerate response.

Well written and produced film , it is an acceptable rendition from H. G. Wells novel . In fact , a picture of H. G. Wells is watchable in starring's house in various shots . Before being filmed by George Pal/Byron Haskin with nice protagonists as Rod Taylor , Sebastian Cabot , Whit Bissel, and Alan Young who has a tiny role in this 2002 second version . Here the star results to be Guy Pearce who gives a good interpretation . The film deals with time travel because his girlfriend -played by Sienna Guillory- has been killed and Guy Pearce invents a device in which tries to go back in time with the aim to reborn her . His travel machine to transport him within the dimensions of time and ahead for a future world . But the time travel machine is occasionally got frustrated when he wasn't allowed to go the appointed place and he was ahead at future world where the brutish Morlocks inhabit and rule over the good Eloi . There Guy Pearce lives dangerous and frustrating experiences . As he travels forward into time , it reveals a dark and dangerous society. 0 to 800,000 years in 1.2 seconds. Where Would You Go? The Future Awaits . Jump-Start the Future . Be Careful What You Wish For . The greatest adventure through all time! .He was searching for the answer to his past. He became a hero for the future.

This exciting movie mingles noisy adventures , franctic action , a love story , drama , breathtaking special effects and it results to be entertaining enough . The release was modified to a subsequent date because of a decision whether to change a scene involving a visible meteor shower which fell on New York . The financers were concerned that such a scene may stir records of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center . Filmmaker provides an interesting and adequate adaptation by prestigious screen-writer John Logan , co-producer too , who equally wrote the Eloi language .

Guy Pearce stars the main role giving a cool acting , he even did most of his own stunts . In fact , Guy Pearce broke a rib and suffered wounds during the shooting when he tackled the Morlock from the side . The support cast is agreeable , singer Samantha Mumba is nice in his film debut , Mark Addy is fine , Jeremy Irons plays an incredible villain person and Orlando Jones delivers a humorous acting , as always . The cinematography by cameraman Donald McAlpine and musical score by composer Klaus Badlet are excellent , direction by Simon Welles (H. G. Wells'descendant) is first-rate . However , Gore Verbinski was brought in to take over the last twenty days of shooting , as Simon Wells was suffering from real exhaustion and extreme stress ; later on , Wells went back for post-production . The creation of the Morlocks were created by three companies : Industrial Light & Magic made digital versions of the Hunters when they run and performing heavy action , KNB Effects Group provided the make-up effects , and Stan Winston Studios created the spy Morlocks and the evil hunter Morlocks .Rating : 7 , entertaining and charming remake . Better than average , the picture contains all the ingredients that make it a fun Sci-fi movie . It's still highly amusing and maintains its sense of wonder.

The movie is definitively worth being watched.

Somehow I was all the time thinking of A.I. while seeing the high quality of the pictures and the somehow "philosophic" sense of this movie.

But consider to have a look on the original from 1960, first. Then have a look at the version from 2002 and then have a look at the old one, again! :-)

I first watchd this flm with my parents who, when rewatching it with me, felt so nostalgic. I didn't get that feeling obviously being younger, however I can tell how magical this film would have been to them previously because I felt it even now.

I really liked this film. I thought the great storyline of time travel and the sets I thought were amazing. The time machine itself as a prop and his I think its like a study or an office I thought was gorgeous in the way it looked.

Brilliant acting I thought from everyone, intersesting concepts and just overall a very enjoyable film to watch.

I strongly reccomend!

H.G. Wells is spinning. No doubt about it.

Really, this would have been a decent sci-fi/adventure movie, if it hadn't been based on a classic novel and directed by the author's grandson. I kept hearing about how this would be the definitive version of the novel. What resulted was a pathetic and simpleminded bastardization.

The novel is a great sci-fi story but what a lot of people miss when they read it (probably because they read it when they're very young) is that it's overflowing with social commentary. The Eloi and Morlocks are a satire of the class distinctions of Victorian England, and the overall message of the film is that EVERYTHING DECAYS AND DEGENERATES, a satiric jab at Victorian complacency and their belief that their civilization would last forever. There's no love story, no romance with a beautiful Eloi woman....in the novel, the Eloi are 3-foot-tall childlike beings with a mental capacity not far above that of an animal. The Time Traveler does befriend an Eloi woman but it's clear he thinks of her more like a pet, and anyway she's killed before the novel ends.

This movie first tries to give us a totally stupid backstory as to "why he wants to travel through time." The treacly romance and the Lessons He Must Learn are enough to make film fans vomit.

The journey into the future is punctuated by a future disaster. OK, not bad, but it would have had more punch if we had been allowed to see that mankind just generally degenerates, as in the book. More a reflection of the times, I guess, as the George Pal version had a nuclear war take place.

The general story? Ugh. A total misrepresentation of the novel. The Eloi are too competent and warlike. The Morlocks are too intelligent. The UberMorlock is an embarrassment, and there's no setup. He just shows up in time to be killed. Yawn.

Samantha Mumba does OK. Guy Pearce is one of my favorites but he often seems confused and in pain. (Reportedly he broke a rib while filming this.) He also looks unhealthy and overly thin, as if he had been ill for a long time before making this.

A sad, sorry film version of one of the world's classics. H. G. Wells deserves better....MUCH better.

I have a theory that if you can watch a movie twenty years or so after it was initially released, it's probably a good movie.

A lot of folks complain that it wasn't "the original", and that's okay. The original is a good movie, and this doesn't really need to be it. Instead it takes a story, updates and tweaks it just a bit and creates a delightful world of it's own. Sure, there are a few plot holes, and yes, there are a few scenes that could have done better. But they aren't hell-worthy trespasses, and are forgivable for the sake of propelling the plot forward.

Other than the spot on casting, which is enjoyable and fun and really well portrayed, what brings you into this film are the sets and sceneries. This movie came out before CGI was used to replace the world rather than augment the world, and so you have real sets in real woods and real costumed creatures, and it just pulls together nicely. The music fits incredibly well to capture the tribal setting that humanity has found itself back into without it being too anachronistic.

All in all a fun, enjoyable film to watch, and much better than a lot of movies that have been coming out lately that force the narrative, rather than letting the story unfold.

Judging from the initial reaction to THE TIME MACHINE, it seemed official to me that people have forgotten how to have a good time at the theaters these days. But the surprising box office performance in the week following its release seems to now suggest otherwise.

This is a really fun movie. It's a tad slow at first, but since it's only a short 96 minutes, things get going pretty quick. Guy Pearce is well-cast as the slightly-nerdy mathmetician, Alexander Hartdegen, and the special effects were very well-done (some were shown unfinished in the trailer and in the TV spots, so don't let that deter you.) Two of the best sequences are the two forward-traveling sequences, the first when Pearce begins his journey into the future, with the change from Victorian era to the future flashing by before us during a terrific pull back from the time machine all the way out of Earth's orbit and around to the far side of the moon, where a ship is coming in for a landing on a colony. The second is when Alexander is knocked unconscious by an explosion tremor in the distant future, when explosives mining on the moon have knocked it from its orbit and have caused it to come apart, showering the Earth with moonrocks, and the time machine speeds forward into the very distant future. It's a terrific sequence in which we see the geological evolution of the area in a matter of moments, from cliffside rock formations taking shape to environmental changes and everything in between. A truely awe-inspiring moment that is one of ILM's finest effects sequences.

I also liked how they kept a lot of elements from the original: good friend Mr. Philby, the spider making a web at the top of Alex's greenhouse, the constantly-changing store window mannequin that appears in the building across from Alex's house, the stop at one point in the future to discover that a disastrous incident is occuring (nuclear war in the original, the moonrock shower in this version), and the entrance to the Morlock's underground lair. Even the "talking rings" in the original are sort of brought back, though this time in the form of a holographic New York City public library computer (Orlando Jones), whom Alex first encounters in 2030 and again later in the film, set nearly 800,000 years later. The Eloi this time around are not all blonde and lifeless. In the original, they calmly walk into the Morlock's lair when the horns sound. Here, they run fearing

for the lives when the Morlocks come to hunt. And the Morlock's are no longer the lumbering bodybuilders with green body paint and white fright wigs. Here they are taller, more-muscular deadly creatures with an animal-like ferocity, with incredible physical abilities and capable of fast speeds.

I think this movie is a good example of what remakes should be. Keeping the concept and elements of the original, while bringing to the material something new. Pearce, as I said, is well-cast as the time traveler, who builds the machine first out of his desire to right a tragedy in his past, then ends up traveling into the future. Samantha Mumba does a fine job in her first feature film role. I'm not too fond of singers who try to make the move to acting (witness the debacles of Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and countless rappers), but Mumba was pretty good. I have a feeling we'll be seeing her more in the near future. Jeremy Irons' role was too brief, though. Being the Uber-Morlock, I was hoping for more screen time, as well as a lengthier confrontation. But he was still good. If I didn't know it was him, I never would have guessed it. Much to my surprise, his performance is a very restrained one, never exploding into one of those bursting, over-the-top speeches about wanting to overtake the planet. I was also expecting him to attempt to use the time machine to travel back to the past and take control in a time when there were more resources, but that idea (again, much to my surprise and delight) never even comes up. He seemed pretty content just doing things in the time he was in. Still, I would have liked for him to had more screen time.

I was also very impressed with the score by newcomer Klaus Badelt, who has worked mostly in association with composer Hans Zimmer, providing "Additional Music" from films liked HANNIBAL and GLADIATOR. His score here is full of action and emotion, with a heroic main theme and a really nice African tribe-like sound for the Eloi. I look forward to the release of the soundtrack, and I'll be keeping a watch for his future projects. He sounds very promising.

My only real complaint is that it all goes by too fast. A full two hours would have been great.

In comparison between this one and the original film, I suppose some people would say it lacks the charm of the first. The original, despite some dated effects, is still a good movie, with the always-reliable Rod Taylor. I grew up with it on video, so I consider it a childhood favorite. But I also enjoyed this version for the fun-filled action-packed piece of entertainment that it is.

Frankly speaking, when I hired the movie I was expecting something much worse. It is a fantasy film, that's all. Not even science-fiction, as even in the story itself the reason why time machines are impossible is explained. So we must consider the film as just an evasion moment. Not a social analysis, as the original novel was. In fact I prefer to think on it as a film "inspired" in the book, as I use to do will most of "adaptation" films. I have been disappointed too often.

Strong points: the character's motivation and 3D of some supporting characters of 19th century; special effects (otherwise inexcusable, in this computer era!); the Eloi town; Vox the photonic one.

Weak points: lack of tempo at some moments, as well as lack of sense of wonder; 2D of support characters of 800th century; a poorly developed second(ary?) love story (OK, Samantha is cute and he hasn't seen a woman in 800.000 years, is that enough? I don't think so!); Jeremy Irons and the "heroic" (boring) final fight.

In summary, a film I enjoyed and I would recommend, although I would not stop my daily life to watch it again on TV.

I thought it was very clever that by moving far into the future it was like moving into the past (this is a new approach in time travel movies).

However, that is really the only thing I liked about the movie. I thought the movie lacked believability, and I didn't really understand the main character's rationale for making certain decisions once he arrived where he was.

Too bad, because I had been looking forward to this movie since I found out it was being made months ago.

Fully enjoyable and entertaining family movie based on the HG Wells Time Machine story. The two hours went by so quickly. Becoming a big Guy Pearce fan after I watched this movie and Momento.

You have to stop and wonder how a film that was made 42 years before this one, based on the same book and with less dazzling special effects can be better than this one! The secrets of time travel will have been discovered, indulged in and rejected as boring before I see this spectacular disappointment and colossal waste of...time again. It's a listless, plodding, mumble of a film that gets so bogged down in special effects that it never comes close to capturing the adventurous spirit of the classic H.G. Wells story. The good news is that this journey might span 800,000 years, but it will only suck 90 minutes out of your life.

Having read the original Time Machine [okay, just the abridged version but hey, I'm pretty sure it stuck close to the original] I ignored the critics' warning of the movie and went to see it anyway. My conclusion is that if I hadn't read the book, I would have loved the movie [I'm easily pleased] but since I have - I was pretty disappointed and kept screaming "That wasn't in the book!" at the screen. Usually, in most film adaptations, parts of the book are cut out to shorten it.

In "The Time Machine", the opposite happens - most of the movie wasn't actually in the book, so that the only thing retained was the very loose plot. For example, the main hero had no name and was just called "The Time Traveller". He also had no fiancee. The Eloi were completed change - instead of being short, pale, blond looking people, they resembled some kind of African tribe, with Samantha Mumba's character being the unofficial leader [also managing to get her brother a part too]. Another important point that I could understand was ignored was that none of the Eloi could speak English. Also, in the book they were child-like, and lived in ruins [not demolished by a meteor shower as invented for the movie] because mankind had grown weak due to the lack of war, famine and disease, and only the arts had survived.

However, those were only minor changes which didn't really matter so much. The change I found the most ridiculous was the addition of Jeremy Irons' character, the "telepathic" Morlock which I just found pointless and made him look like some kind of albino drag queen. Him being pathetic, was enough to make me scream "Tack-o-rama!"

However, some additions were good - I enjoyed the part with Orlando Jones as the holographic librarian, and a glimpse of the world in the future. However [this is my favorite word!] I thought that ending was a little hard to understand for those who had not read the book and know that by travelling through time, you do not actually physically move - therefore Alex's time machine located 800,000 years into the future would be in exactly the same place as it was to start with.

In all, I did think that this was a pretty good film, with the usual mind-blowing effects and all. But I found it just too short, so that a few of the book's elements [i.e. the dinner party] could have been included. The only thing that really puzzled me was why didn't they keep to the original storyline?

Surely this movie was a joke. It simply must have been a spoof. For anyone who is unwisely considering this movie instead of the book or at the very least the Rod Taylor film...all I can say is please reconsider. If however you have already read the book, seen the Rod Taylor movie and are assuming this might be a worthy way to spend a few hours, all I can say is that your sock drawer needs tidying and your refrigerator could do with sorting...anything rather than this soiling your eye-balls with this rubbish.

********Potential Spoiler (if it's possible to spoil this dross) *********

I won't bore you with a blow-by-blow account of every failed detail...instead let's simply cut to the last act of this film and say it left my mouth hanging open. Both the Eloi and the Morlocks are totally misrepresented in a shambling travesty that completely undermines the conclusion of the story. Firstly the Eloi in the novel are supposed to be a child-like, naive race that kind of resemble human cattle, superficially living in a paradise but actually reverted back to an almost brain-dead state of obliviousness. But that's not quite the oppressed 'noble savage' bullsh*t we get in this film, making their wicker village in the trees and speaking perfect English, ending up like a cross between a sh*t Endor and that bloody atoll in Waterworld.

With the Morlocks however, the only problem was the way they look, act, sound, move......oh to hell with it, everything is wrong with them!!!! They look like a cross between the trolls in Fraggle Rock and that annoying naked brown lump called 'Station' from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Savage and terrifying?? Only if you are a 5 year old bed-wetter who hides behind the sofa watching Scooby-doo. Instead we get these boggle-eyed muppets jumping out of the ground like a budget remake of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Sweet Jesus!! Oh and as the cherry on that cake we finally have a bleached Jeremy Irons desperately trying to pretend he's doing Shakespeare or something......rather than p*ssing his career down the same drain that Dungeons and Dragons offered him. Jezzer - in future, just say no.

Avoid this film like the plague unless (like me) you enjoy classic Hollywood mistakes.

This movie was a unique experience into a world of mass destruction. A fact quickly found that you can not change the past, but only the future. This climax is a bit much as we jump 800,000 years into the future. Overall good casting by Guy Pearce and Jeremy Irons, but a dense aspect of love, which I normally don't dig in movies. But how can Alexander (Pearce)fall in love 800,000 years later after only moments of his fiance's death. A bit cheesy at parts but all together a good time messing with time itself. Prediction of time travel movies: Sadly, this will be our only good time travel movie until Minority Report and The Matrix: Reloaded...not Clockstoppers.

The four of us are in the 40 - 50 age range, and we are fairly tough what we like and do not like in films. It was Friday night and we wanted entertainment. We read the comments below - mostly, but not all negative - and decided to take a gamble. Arriving at the cinema, we were prepared for a bad movie but hoping for 'a good relaxing time'. Well, we *did* like this film! Not a top box office smash or even an 8 out of 10, but entertaining nevertheless. The MUSIC was superb. ACTING was fine. HISTORIC life portrayed in old Cambridge Massachusetts was realistic - even the snow and cold weather was real. The ROMANCE was acceptable. The STORY, while not closely following H G Well, was good enough. The SPECIAL EFFECTS were very good indeed. It is worth a gamble, to see this film. But go with a light heart and an acceptable frame of mind, and keep your expectations below that of a 10 out of 10 film.