The Time Machine (2002 film). What did you think of the movie?

[Dream]

Just watched the movie staring Guy Pearce and it was terrible. It took like half the movie to get to the "real" plot in the future. I don't understand why there were so many changes to the original story.

Why the dead girlfriend that needed saving?
Why the hot Eloi woman? Too many changes to the Eloi race.
The Morlocks effects were pretty bad.
Shouldn't have Alex figured out himself why saving his girlfriend was impossible to save after the first failed attempt?
Why the need for the SUPER Morlock with the answers to all Alex's questions? This made the movie feel like a video game with Alex needing to encounter the final boss to end the game.

I just checked out some of the production info and the director wasn't able to finish directing due to exhaustion, needing Gore Verbinski to take over, I don't know if the blame of the movie should be on Simon Wells or the writers. In the end I think the director should have stuck with animated movies like "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story" movie and "Mars Needs Moms".

I would have preferred a more faithful adaption of the novel than this overblown romance action "blockbuster".

 

[theenglish]

I remember trying to watch this on multiple occasions when it was on HBO (or maybe Cinemax?) and falling asleep every time. I finally caught the ending but don't think I've ever seen the middle.

I wish the actual Time Machine would receive the modern big screen treatment sometime soon.

 

[DWF]

I didn't think it was a bad update on the story, in this version it was the death of his fiance was the reason for his passion to build the time machine. It's also cool to see MArk Addy and Orlando Jones years before their recent series work.

 

[Dream]

I watched the first "Step Up" staring Channing Tatum yesterday, and I enjoyed that more than the Time Machine.

 

[wulfio]

I like the Eloi village. It was like the Ewok village but on a cliff face.

 

[Tosk]

I liked it. I still wish they would adapt the novel more faithfully, but for an alternate take on the material I enjoyed it.

"We all have our time machines, don't we? Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I remember enjoying this movie back in the day, being a fan of Guy Pearce. I remember the scene where the moon breaks up being very eerie for some reason and I thought the effect was pretty cool.

I never did understand why he tried to save his wife one time then gave up May be time for a rewatch

 

[Tosk]

I never did understand why he tried to save his wife one time then gave up May be time for a rewatch

He tries to save her heaps of times, we just don't see most of them. From memory, we only see the first two attempts.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The scene where all hell is breaking loose and you see the moon breaking up is awesome, one of my favourite movie moments of all-time. It captured my imagination.

The rest of the movie isn't a masterpiece, but it's entertaining enough. I rewatch it every few years. The hologram guy was great.

 

[Beagleman]

I like it alot. Some nice scenes (moon breaking up), Guy Pearce is great (as always) and the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful. As King Daniel said, not a masterpiece but good entertainment.

 

[Disco]

I enjoyed t but not a patch on the original.

 

[HIjol]

While I did not hate it, and I am a Guy Pearce fan, to me the simple fact is that Guy is not "Leading Actor" material.

 

[1001001]

The scene where all hell is breaking loose and you see the moon breaking up is awesome, one of my favourite movie moments of all-time. It captured my imagination.

The rest of the movie isn't a masterpiece, but it's entertaining enough. I rewatch it every few years. The hologram guy was great.

Agreed. That's pretty much what I think too.

Orlando Jones was my favorite part of the film. Jeremy Irons, not so much...

 

[Pindar]

It was terrible. It was so bad I took it back to the shop for a refund, which they gave me.

 

[DonIago]

In general I enjoy it up to the end of the "big jump forward" sequence.

The music is great, great enough that I bought it for friends even though they hadn't seen the movie.

Guy Pearce does what he can with the film, I think.

The time travel effects and Morlock effects were pretty decent for their time, at least. Not sure how well they hold up now as I haven't seen the film in awhile. Oh, and the time machine itself is a pretty piece of technology even if I have no idea how it's supposed to work. I do think they probably erred on how it would appear to an outside observer though. I very much wish we could have seen how the film would have looked if it hadn't been toned down due to 9/11.

I was taken aback by how good a performance Orlando Jones gave (especially in the far future). Was not expecting that at all. I think the system they used for him was much, much better than how things might have played out if they'd gone with him being an android.

While I can see how YMMV, I kind of love that they reference the book itself in the film.

 

[Richard Baker]

I liked the film enough to add it to my collection- it is not perfect but has some good visuals. I still prefer the George Pal version though.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

It played here on local TV a couple of days ago and I have the same problem with it every time it comes on - the first half up to the point where the moon breaks up it pretty decent; Guy Pearce and Orlando Jones do some good work but once Pearce gets to the year 800,000 the movie falls apart and I have a hard time sitting through the rest.
It has some nice visuals, the Eloi village being one; but the lead actress is dull and Jeremy Irons overacts, and the Morlocks move about like the vampires in Will Smith's 'I Am Legend', which was made 7-8 years later. It does get one thing right though and that's the Morlocks being albinos after spending centuries underground.
I still prefer the George Pal version. I have that one on my shelf along with his version of 'Was of the Worlds'.

 

[Galileo7]

Yet another attempt at a remake of the original 1960 film that fails to improve upon the original. A prior 1978 tv-movie remake was more entertaining building on the original film than this 2002 film that for me as a whole failed.

 

[Blamo]

Good points:-
* The time travel special effects.
* The time machine musical. I was actually sad it was cut off.
* The scenes in the future.
* Some excellent lines.
* The music


Bad points:-
* Destiny as a time travel mechanic. Just no, not ever, I've never liked this time travel cliche.
* While I'm not against romance or dead lover as motivation, I felt like it took away from the character of the time traveller. In the books he was doing it for the science (and perhaps the adventure).
* The Eloi.
* The Morlocks.

One of the problems I had with both the George Pal version and the 2002 remake, is they didn't include the bit where the time traveller goes even further into the future.

Personally I want to see a Sherlock type adaption of the Time Machine. A short, but well written TV show, with a nameless (male or female) scientist from the early 21st century.

And I do mean short, not a ongoing time travel series.

 

[Galileo7]

^Agree.