More about this DVD  •  DVD Info  •  Movie Main Page  •  Message Board

It does not inspire confidence that the film steps wrong almost from the get-go. Despite elegant production design, the film quickly feels false and contrived, and is in such a rush to get to the big time travel effects scenes that we learn little of the milieu or the characters. A bumbling Pearce, complete with goofy accent that mysteriously disappears ten minutes in, makes his character immediately unlikable, but it's hard to fault this usually fine actor. He is given little to do except pout and pull lots of levers and buttons, and is stuck in a film that instantly becomes a dated anachronism. What should be the film's standout setpieces - a visit to two different versions of an apocalyptic, future Earth - play like remnants of an 80's theme park. It's no surprise Spielberg exec-produced; this is borrowed parts from his past better, more ingenious adventures, a bizarre mishmash of Young Sherlock Holmes meets Back to the Future with a dash of Hook thrown in to add to the pain.

Admittedly, once the film settles into its main story after all the time travel razzle dazzle, it becomes bearable, if only because it is so unintentionally funny. Pearce lands 800,000 years into the future, and there encounters some sort of quasi-primitive race, led by Sexy Future Chick (Samantha Mumba). Of course, she conveniently speaks English and the entire population shops at J. Crew, but at least they look cool. But it seems there is something sinister going on beneath the surface, as an evil race of "Morlocks" has the nasty habit of making our Earth dwellers their food source. A ludicrous confrontation ensues, and by the time of the incomprehensible, hollow climax, there is nothing to do but marvel at just how wrong a once-promising idea has gone.

Truth be told, I did secretly enjoy much of The Time Machine, just not in the way it was likely intended. There are some great effects, nifty Morlock makeups by Stan Winston Studios, and Pearce and Mumba eventually acquit themselves nicely in spite of the convoluted screenplay. Rumors of last-minute reshoots certainly don't help, so one can only wonder what this film might have been. But if you check your brain at the door and are in the mood for a guilty pleasure, you just might have some fun with The Time Machine. Just don't look too close under the hood...

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, typical for a DreamWorks disc this is a very nice transfer. However, I didn't think it is quite up to the reference standard achieved by many of their other titles, even if it does look good. With a sparkling, pristine print generally free from grain, there are no blemishes to distract, but the film still is rather spotty. Colors are usually vibrant if subdued in select shots, even within the same scene (for some reason, I found the opening sequences the most distracting in their inconsistency.) Blacks are excellent, but contrast is a bit too pumped up for my taste - falloff to black is harsh, leaving shadow delineation wanting. Detail is generally good, but I was also distracted by occasional compression artifacts and the transfer just never has that eye-poppping, three-dimensional quality I've come to except from a DreamWorks title. The film only runs 96 minutes, but with no less than 7 different audio tracks and copious supplements, perhaps this disc is just too overloaded? But such complaints aside, overall this is still a good-looking transfer.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Presented in both English Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround, like the transfer this is a perfectly nice set of mixes, but they're just not quite as exciting as I had hoped. Certainly, this is a big-budget studio soundtrack with all the bells and whistles you'd except: excellent dynamic range, crystal- clear dialogue and a spacious, lush score by relative newcomer Klaus Badelt. Separation of the music, dialogue and effects across the front soundstage is impressive, but I was hoping for a more aggressive use of the surrounds. We get some nice discrete effects, but the score is directed primarily to the fronts, and overall the lack of envelopment makes for a dull experience.

Even comparing three different sequences - the first time travel sequence, the "Morlocks attack" and the final chase - I noticed minimal difference between the DTS and Dolby Digital tracks. Neither boasts aggressive surround use, and the .1 LFE channel is comparable. There is some often powerful low end on both, however, so played at high volume this is still a pretty fun mix.

Also included are French 5.1 and English and Spanish 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, English Captions and Spanish subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

While not a huge box office hit, The Time Machine made enough cash to warrant at least a few extra goodies, so that's what we get here. Up first are two screen-specific audio commentaries by director Simon Wells and Wayne Wahrman, and a second track by producer David Valdez, production designer Oliver Scholl, and effects supervisor Jamie Price. Since about all this movie has going for it is its opulent set design and effects work, conceivably the crew track would be the most interesting, but perhaps I'm just getting tired of the same shtick? The shot-by-shot, rather dry breakdown of the various setpieces grows tiresome, and why do all DVDs these days seem to be only concerned with how cool CGI is? This certainly is informative in that regard, but likely will only be of interest to film students. The director and editor track is a bit more interesting, but alas like most filmmaker commentaries, Wells seems completely unaware of the weaknesses of the final product. Also virtually ignored is the considerable controversy over the film's reshoots, the last-minute appearance of Jeremy Irons, and rumored directorial "help" from Mouse Hunt helmer Gore Verbinski. (Now, that would be an interesting documentary!) Not a bad track, just pro formula.

Up next are 3 making-of vignettes that when combined add up to a nice HBO First Look-esque featurette: "Creating the Morlocks" (8 minutes), "Building the Time Machine" (6 minutes) and "Visual Effects by Digital Domain" (5 minutes). While most DreamWorks DVD releases are not usually known for their incredibly in-depth featurettes, what they do produce are as sharply- edited and well-paced as they come. Complete with that monotone, breathless narrator endemic to most EPKs, we get onset interviews with Wells, actors Guy Peace, Jeremy Irons and Samantha Mumba, and the effects crew, plus zippy behind-the-scenes material. Once again, it's all about the effects, with precious little about the legacy of Wells or the genesis of the story. Given this film's pedigree, the lack of a real documentary on the history of The Time Machine is a missed opportunity.

More extras include a single deleted scene presented in anamorphic widescreen and running nearly 7 minutes. Really an alternate opening, it's very Dead Poet's Society-esque and perfectly fine, and actually might have added to the final product had it been included. The Stunt Fight Choreography sequence runs barely a minute and is nicely edited, but doesn't offer much insight into the art of stunt fighting. Better is the Archives section, containing no less than 8 subsections of conceptual art. Unfortunately, some of these subsections are pithy - often only a couple of stills - but all told add up to nearly 100 images, and it's all visually snazzy and enjoyable enough.

Rounding out the extras are some brief production notes presented onscreen as well as in the enclosed 4-page fold-out, the usual DreamWorks extensive cast and crew filmographies, and the film's teaser and domestic and international theatrical trailers, all presented in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 surround.

DVD- ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts