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Of course, films famous for their special-effects also pose a tempting
target for ideas-starved filme executives - as merely updating a film
stylistically and technically is often thought of as a just remake. It
boggles their minds to consider that the best remake of recent times was
Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven - which remade a relatively poor
film into a funky success.
H.G Wells' The Time Machine, published in 1895, is a novella that
ultimately paved the way for science-fiction to tackle the idea of
time-travel, and so is quite rightly considered the grandfather of this
overused sci-fi device. His book was successfully adapted to the silver
screen once before by George Pal in 1960, but now Simon Wells
(great-grandson of H.G, no less) is adapting this great work of
literature once more for a contemporary audience.
In fact, screenwriter John Logan has actually decided to remake the
original film, which is held in such high regard by filmgoers already.
As a consequence, the movie is less the second adaptation of a great
novel, and more a weak retread of an existing film adaptation (with
niftier effects, obviously).
To be fair, Logan makes some pleasing additions to the overall plot (a
better reason for Guy Pearce's hero to actually invent time-travel,
amongst others). Director Wells updates the environments and creatures
to fine effect, while still managing to retain a style the original
movie had - particularly regarding the Time Machine's design and effects
wizardy whilst travelling through a "speeded up" world.
Guy Pearce, fresh from critical acclaim in
Memento,
is pleasingly na=EFve as the supposed genius Hartdegern, although he's quite
clearly on autopilot in a role that isn't too difficult to play. Samantha Mumba
is surprisingly good as the female lead - playing Mara, a member of the
futuristc Eloi race who understands Pearce's ancient English language.
Again, no acting here is really a sizeable test for any true thespian,
but Mumba acquits herself very well in her first starring role - as does
her younger brother Omero Mumba as Kalen.
Jeremy Irons delivers a pleasing rasp of evil to proceedings as the
"Uber Morlock", but his expected beefy role is criminally just a one
scene moment (believe it!). A special mention should go to Orlando Jones
- whose role in this movie is the sole example of true originality and
wit, managing to shine in his brief sequences as a holographic librarian
(for want of a better word!)
The Time Machine is an enjoyable, lightweight romp that should please
kids under the age of twelve, while those old enough to remember the
ground-breaking original film, or who have read H.G Wells' novella, will
be left wanting. By and large, the changes made to this remake are sound
enough, although the addition of a romantic tragedy for Guy Pearce is
never a wholly satisfying starting point for the adventure.
However, save for a few bad moments, the special-effects are generally
quite good - although it's a shame the Moon disaster sequence has had to
be cut to shreds in light of September 11th (featuring, as it was
supposed to, the destruction of New York skycrapers by flaming
moonrock). The cannibal Morlocks are a huge improvement over the
lumbering dolts of the original film, and the weedy Eloi of Pal's movie
are also far more believable in Wells' remake.
It just doesn't quite gel together somehow. Wells' pace is fast and
spirited, but just when it gets interesting the film rushes into a
climax that, ultimately, just leaves you perplexed it's over so quickly!
Indeed, Jeremy Irons role in this film should have pushed things to the
next level... but he instead signals the imminent end!
Overall, it's difficult to hate The Time Machine, especially if it
were a TV-Movie Special (which it resembles in scope and style
throughout). Thankfully it does improve on some key elements of the book
and George Pal's movie, while the special-effects are pleasing - but
pedestrian by today's standards. Sadly, all the depth, nuance, and
social commentary of the book is totally abandoned, together with the
inherent charm of George Pal's effort, while the thrill of the
time-travel never truly excites as it should.
Curiously, I always hated the original film once star Rod Taylor arrives
in the Eloi/Morlock future Earth... but with this 2002 remake things
actually started to improve around this exact same point... only to
falter because of an unnecessarily abrupt finale, the stupid waste of
Jeremy Irons, and an unsatisfying conclusion. But, this is nowhere near
the worst remake I've ever seen, but I can't help thinking they should
have adapted the book again, and not just remade George Pal's movie with
a few 21st Century bells and whistles...
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Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
