One of the most popular motifs in the entire science fiction genre is time travel. That concept, although many purists doubt its scientific credentials, spawned many interesting novels, comic books and films in the last century. However, the big granddaddy of time travel, H.G. Wells’ novel The Time Machine, was not written with the intention to speculate about that concept or its consequences. The author, H.G. Wells, merely used it as a convenient way to express his socialist views and condemn the great social gap between the rich, idle capitalist class and impoverished workers. Whatever intentions Wells had, future generations of readers were less impressed by his political messages. Instead, they were fascinated by the idea that strange new worlds could be explored without travelling through space. The novel became one of the great classics of the science fiction genre, and it was natural for filmmakers to use it as inspiration. The first of them was George Pal, who in 1960 directed a film which would, through the years, become a genre classic in its own right.
The plot revolves around George (played by Rod Taylor), a Victorian scientist who discovered a way to travel through the fourth dimension – time. On the eve of the new 20th century, George gathers his friends in order to present them with his invention – a machine that would enable him to travel through time. They are sceptical, but that does not prevent George from carrying out his plan and travelling into the future. At first, he travels slowly, seeing London as it changes through the years and three world wars. Finally, after witnessing World War Three, he travels far into the future, hoping that he will cease to witness wars and senseless destruction. When he finally reaches the year 802,701 AD, at first glance the new world looks like a utopia – humanity is composed of young, beautiful, but idle Eloi, people who are fed, clothed and taken care of by unseen machines. But Weena (played by Yvette Mimieux), an Eloi woman, tells George about the other side of the coin – at night, her people are preyed upon by Morlocks, humanoid creatures from the underworld.
The Time Machine became a cinematic classic for the very same reason the novel became a classic in science fiction literature – the fantastic concept was a brilliant way for the authors to talk about the burning issues and fears of their respective times. For H.G. Wells it was the frightening threat of class struggle; for George Pal and his screenwriter David Duncan, who produced the film in the worst days of the Cold War, it was the constant and more imminent threat of nuclear holocaust, underlined by the negative references to war throughout the movie. Even modern audiences, who might be tempted to dismiss the film as old-fashioned, could find some value in its universal messages, fitting for every era. Compared with the genre films of today, The Time Machine holds up well, and could serve as a good example of how to make intelligent, thought-provoking films.
Of course, since this is a Hollywood product after all, The Time Machine delivers such concepts in the form of a classic adventure, sometimes sacrificing plausibility for the sake of attractiveness. For example, it is hard to imagine that someone would be able to understand perfect English a million years in the future; the same is true of the Morlocks degenerating into mutant monsters, while the Eloi remain indistinguishable from people of today. Some of the final scenes, which turn the Victorian scientist into an action superhero, are also rather unconvincing. But, on the other hand, the film is very well directed, cleverly paced and the special effects, although definitely old-fashioned, are more than adequate for this kind of picture. The acting is good, with Rod Taylor in one of his most remembered roles, while Alan Young brings a rather memorable performance as George’s trusted friend Filby. Yvette Mimieux, who plays Weena, on the other hand, would be remembered more for her looks than for the complexity of her role. However, despite all those flaws, The Time Machine is a very good piece of cinema, something that connoisseurs of quality science fiction films sorely miss these days.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on February 25st 1999)
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