The Time Machine - Die Zeitmaschine

The Time Machine wurde schön aufgenommen, er hat großartige visuelle Effekte und Guy Pearce hat sein Bestes gegeben. Inhaltlich ist es aber fast so ein Quatsch wie Wild Wild West. Zum Glück ist dieser Film aber deutlich kürzer und endet früher, sodass das Publikum nicht wütend wird. Wenn ich ein Auge zudrücke, in einem schwachen Moment der Zuschauernaivität und Bescheidenheit, gebe ich 3*. (16.06.2002)

A tragicomic example of how a good book can be turned into a first-class travesty. The first half hour is still fine, it has momentum, is quite imaginative and the time shift is masterfully executed. But from the moment Pearce gets to the far future, the film becomes hopeless, starting with a silly plot that goes against the book, and ending with the costumes of the Morlocks and the cardboard sets – an unbelievable shitshow. And poor Jeremy Irons looks like the bizarre guy who offered Nicolas Cage the S&M porn tapes in 8 MM. Simon Wells, I don't know, I don't know, great-grandpa wouldn't be happy. (27.12.2002)

I didn't expect anything from The Time Machine. But I certainly was not pleasantly surprised by the result. The film is missing one very important thing: Heart. The heart of director Simon Wells, who claims to be the great-grandson of the author of the book H.G. Wells. The film is made without any passion for the book, without a sense for arranging scenes, and as a result, I feel like I just watched some cold calculation that producers quickly devised and had this project rushed through. The beginning of the story is very promising when Alexander takes his first trip through time. Instead of portraying a person exploring and experimenting with their invention, the script strangely dictates that they instantly bond with the machine, accepting its capabilities as something entirely natural. The vision of the future might only captivate around the year 2037 when the Moon crashes into the Earth. But even this scene, where a perfect apocalypse could have been unleashed, was abruptly cut, and the film jumped forward to the year 800,000. So what’s it like? Just going back to the Stone Age is enough, and we'll end up the same way. The "pretentiousness" of Guy Pearce's acting at the beginning, where he attempts to portray a somewhat scattered scientist, brought a smile to my face. However, that doesn't mean his tough guy act as a world savior was any better. The Time Machine may seem like a grand spectacle, but upon closer reflection, it becomes evident that it's merely a film made to cater to the popcorn industry's demands. Poor H.G. Wells, he's probably turning in his grave. However, I can't sympathize with him because I haven't read his book. (07.11.2004)

Simon Wells ist bemerkenswert geschickt, dass er es geschafft hat, dieses zerfallende Spektrum an zeitlich bedingten Postkarten in eine zumindest halbwegs unterhaltsame Sequenz zu verwandeln ... Jedoch in dieser Frontalkollision des Planeten der Affen und eine Disney-Adaption von Jules Verne nach etwas überdurchschnittlich Haltbarem zu suchen, ist vergebliche Arbeit. Ich vergeb einen Stern für den sympathischen Guy Pearce ... und dafür, dass der Abend ganz nett verlaufen ist. (21.09.2009)

How to evaluate this matter? A high-budget film created as a calculated calculation of the studio and the director. The invested money is evident in the visual aspect, a number of tricks are interesting even with the passage of time, but the script is incredibly stupid and offensive. I have no understanding for this type of production, it only brings shame to my favorite genre. Scenes from the future seem like a deterrent case of creative dementia. Overall impression 25%. (25.11.2007)

An den Tricks habe ich nichts zu bemängeln. Dasselbe gilt für Pearce und Irons. Die Geschichte ist nicht mehr so gut, sie ist irgendwie fade (ich kenne die literarische Vorlage und weiß, dass sie auch nicht zu den spannendsten Werken gehört). Samantha Mumba ist eine schöne Frau. Ich würde mich wegen ihr aber wahrscheinlich nicht so wie der Hauptheld entscheiden. Ein leicht überdurchschnittlicher Film mit einer guten Musik. (18.09.2009)

But yeah, it's quite a nice mainstream idea - an effort to reach a wider audience, even though there is a film from 1960 that did it much better. This can only be justified by the fact that it tries to build on the legacy of H. G. Wells, but without understanding his attempts to criticize society a little bit. (26.11.2015)