I have never read the original novel by H.G Wells, people told me its a classic. But two things stuck in my mind after watching this movie. First, the special effects were great. Second, I really wished that I could have my own time machine, to get back 90 minutes of my life that this movie stole from me.
There's a slight spoiler ahead in this review, but there isn't anything in this movie that anyone hasn't seen before, so I wouldn't worry about it.
At first I honestly thought that this was going to be an intelligent time-travel story. When the movie starts, it has an interesting premise of a doomed love story about a couple that can never be, and its potential for a moral perspective of one man's desire to change history without understanding its implications. When the scientist is hurled 800,000 to the future, we see grand spectacles of the Earth changing landscapes ... very, very nice. Sadly, once we got to meet the Elois, those trusty old Hollywood formulas rears its ugly head once more (no surprise there). The tiresome good guy vs bad guy plot even makes the word cliche seems so overused and old. You can tell from the pacing and plot that this movie was made in a certain way to get the green light from Hollywood's great formula makers. Halfway through, the nerdy and bumbling mathematician suddenly turns into Mr. Terminator and plays it macho that would make Ahnuld proud ... and of course, along with the compulsory "run out from the cave to escape the explosion behind you" scene, the hero saves the day and everyone lives happily ever after. It's as if Hollywood thinks the audiences are made as soft as custards, unable to bear the pain of tragic or open-ended endings, which are sorely missed nowadays.
This is from someone who hasn't read the book, so just see the movie and decide for yourself.
There's a slight spoiler ahead in this review, but there isn't anything in this movie that anyone hasn't seen before, so I wouldn't worry about it.
At first I honestly thought that this was going to be an intelligent time-travel story. When the movie starts, it has an interesting premise of a doomed love story about a couple that can never be, and its potential for a moral perspective of one man's desire to change history without understanding its implications. When the scientist is hurled 800,000 to the future, we see grand spectacles of the Earth changing landscapes ... very, very nice. Sadly, once we got to meet the Elois, those trusty old Hollywood formulas rears its ugly head once more (no surprise there). The tiresome good guy vs bad guy plot even makes the word cliche seems so overused and old. You can tell from the pacing and plot that this movie was made in a certain way to get the green light from Hollywood's great formula makers. Halfway through, the nerdy and bumbling mathematician suddenly turns into Mr. Terminator and plays it macho that would make Ahnuld proud ... and of course, along with the compulsory "run out from the cave to escape the explosion behind you" scene, the hero saves the day and everyone lives happily ever after. It's as if Hollywood thinks the audiences are made as soft as custards, unable to bear the pain of tragic or open-ended endings, which are sorely missed nowadays.
This is from someone who hasn't read the book, so just see the movie and decide for yourself.