Search - The Time Machine on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 07/23/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 36 mins Studio: DreamWorks Total Copies: 17 Genres: Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action

The classic science fiction novel by H.G. Wells becomes this big-budget adventure directed by the author's great-grandson Simon Wells. Guy Pearce stars as Alexander Hartdegen, a scientist, professor, and inventor in 1895 New York City who believes that time travel is possible. The sudden and unexpected death of his fiancée spurs Alexander to build a time machine, which he hopes to use in an effort to change the past. When he is unable to change the past, Alexander hurls himself more than 800,000 years into the future, seeking answers about the nature of time, but instead encountering a dystopian world where humanity has divided up into two races, the peaceful Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks. Befriending the beautiful Eloi woman Mara (pop singer Samantha Mumba), Alexander must set out to save her from the underground world of the Morlocks when she is captured by them. Along the way, he is aided by Vox (Orlando Jones), a bio-mechanical being from the 21st century. Ultimately, Alexander makes a shocking discovery about the true nature of the Eloi and Morlocks and decides that the only way to change the future is to alter the present. Due to exhaustion, director Wells was briefly replaced during the last few weeks of production by Gore Verbinski, director of The Mexican (2001). The Time Machine co-stars Jeremy Irons and Mark Addy. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Guy Pearce - Alexander Hartdegen
Samantha Mumba - Mara
Mark Addy - David Philby
Sienna Guillory - Emma
Phyllida Law - Mrs. Watchit
Jeremy Irons - Uber-Morlock

The past is history in the time-bending action remake The Time Machine. Dreamworks has done a very nice job at making sure this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is as close to reference quality as they come. With an array of well-saturated black levels and sharp, crisp, colors, this is a very solid transfer that should please fans. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in French and English, DTS Surround in English, and Dolby 2.0 Surround in English and Spanish. Both the DTS and Dolby 5.1 mix are very bombastic and striking with directional effects utilized during almost every scene. All aspects of the dialogue, effects, and music are free of any excessive hiss or distortion. Also included on this disc are English and Spanish subtitles. There seems to be a century's worth of extra features on this disc, starting with a commentary track by director Simon Wells (who is also writer H.G. Wells great-grandson). This is a very light track that features sports many stories about the film's troubled production and history. Three making-of vignettes take the viewer behind-the-scenes for a look at how some of the special effects were created ("Creating the Morlocks," "Building the Time Machine," and "Visual Effects by Digital Domain"). An HBO "First Look" is also included which features clips from the film and interviews with the cast and crew. A single deleted scene allows the viewer to catch a very brief glimpse at what was left on the cutting room floor. Finally, there is a short sequence on the fighting in the film, a section of archives which includes nearly 100 images of the conceptual art, some paltry production notes, filmographies, and trailers for the film. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide