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Review
This latest adaptation of H G
Wells’ 1895 novel The Time Machine is a little disappointing.
The movie as a whole seems to lack any real punch and makes very
little impact. The characters
are not developed enough to hold any real interest and the token
love-interest between the characters of Guy Pearce and Samantha Mumba is
only a token. Not enough time is given to develop any attraction between
them.
At the start there is no
anticipation or intrigue surrounding the inventing of the Time Machine and
the machine seems to appear after the professor scribbles a few formulas
on a backboard. Without much
of a “build up” not to mention “teething problems” the
Professor is whizzing through the years as he travels through time!
The costumes and makeup of the
Morlocks (the nasty subterranean people of the far distance future) were
great and there was at least one good action scene when the Morlocks
attacked the Eloi (the peaceful surface-dwelling people). But this
wasn’t enough to revive the movie. The ending seemed a little hurried
and was a bit of an anti-climax.
Samantha Mumba was making her
acting debut as Mara, one of the Eloi people and she was very good even if
the slight Dublin accent was a little out of place. I’m sure we will be
seeing her again soon. Samantha’s 12-year-old brother Omero was also
making his debut as Mara’s brother.
The
story The Time Machine has the makings of a great movie but
unfortunately this wasn’t it.
Reviewed by Niall Quinn
2002
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