A brief history of time travel... it’s a bloody mess! Trying to tackle the subject in films is like trying to respond when your pregnant partner asks you if she’s getting fat. It’s such an endless minefield of things to trip and hang yourself upon that really you’re better off just running out the door screaming “I forget to pick up the pickles” hoping you got away with it. Yet every now and then there’s someone brave enough or foolish enough to tell her truth about her increased proportions and ride that wave of reactions across the space time continuum into relationship history. A few even come out of it with credibility and genitals in fact by following the golden rule; take the focus away from the bulging tummy/time travel itself. Make your story about what your characters chose to do with the temporal displacement and how it affects them and the world around them to make seeing that more interesting to an audience than over considerations of predomination, causality and the rest of the wibbly wobbly glossary (we enjoy Doctor Who not for where & when he travels but what he does when he gets there). The latest past mastering attempt, Project Almanac, may look like a flimsy offering but it will surprise you with how much it’s done its home work and at least skimmed through a copy of “What to expect when you’re expecting to time travel”. Yet sadly it does get a bit too carried away to its own downfall.
After seeing his grown up self in footage of his 7th birthday party the 17 year old science genius, David (Jonny Weston – John dies at the End, Taken 3) finds parts and plans of his father’s for a time machine locked away in his basement that opens up a whole new world of possibilities for him and his friends until the changes they make in the past spiral out of control with disastrous ripple effects in the present.
First things first let’s address the big Dolorean in the room and state the obvious. With a youthful, found footage focused approach and of course being produced in its aftermath; Project Almanac is a clear and blatant approach to replicate the critical and cultural success of Josh Trank’s Chronicle (superpowers with found footage) into a time travel format. I doubt even writers would deny it and most importantly that’s by no means a bad thing considering what a great film Trank’s outing was. Some of its strengths have even rubbed off in the translation starting with a very fun and likeable set of characters. Right from David’s opening video MIT application we’re presented with quite a loveable bunch of screw ups that raise a lot of smiles and laughs as they start to assemble their device out an x-box, smart phones, half inched school science supplies and Toyota Prius power supply of all things; especially when they start to test it out using with varying degrees of success. Next up it actually lets them be kids and enjoy themselves with their new found power rather than going straight in with serious. In fact by far the best sequence in the film sees David surprising his friends with a 3 month trip back to a big music festival they all missed made all the better with their future knowledge (like cheaply after purchased VIP passes). As they have the most incredible day of their lives to the sounds of Imagine Dragons and more blazing in the background you can’t help but get swept up in sheer joy of it. Finally there’s some great honouring and referencing of past time meddling films. The likes of Time Cop, Looper and Terminator being name checked, the group replicating the stopwatch tests of Back to the Future and even the aforementioned Wild Stallions actually being watched for inspiration. It all helps to make their reactions and approaches feel completely in keeping with how kids of modern culture would view the subject. If you screwed up that perfect moment with the object of your affections of course you’d try to fix it.
As for the bad, well that begins with the bad as the Project seems to leave the aftermath and consequence section of its report until the night before forcing a last minute cram job. The flickering and disappearance of encountering your past self is given almost zero explanation and even the more discussed rippling consequences of their decisions just punches plot whole after plot whole in itself as David’s increasing corrective trips back strain the believability too far as he quickly should have started running into himself enough times to start his own boy band (even a Simpsons Halloween special covered this better). Despite having great characters you have to mark it down on story as well. Although it’s nice to see the group focusing on their simple life problems there’s a real feeling of squandering the infinite potential its concept offers. Despite being able to travel forwards/back to the present not a mention or thought is given to venturing into the future. Many sections are crying out for a Ground Hog Day montage of repetitions to keep things moving along but as their continuous play style of found footage does not permit that some parts do sadly drag as the story dwells more than it should on the trivial and irrelevant.
As with most found footage films, it’s the use of said technique that becomes deal breaker; this sadly leaves the jury toying with a less favourable verdict. It does quickly justify the constant camera presence once work on the machine begins and scientist David wants everything to be documented. Even more so the group decides to self record their travels as a safety feature against big changes. Yet while these credentials get the shaky cam an interview it still can’t impress when it matters under pressure. It’s by no means bad but offers no form of innovation or anything that hasn’t already been overdone. Overall its inclusion feels more of a hindrance rather than catalyst. For every moment it dramatically enhances there’s another it deteriorates. Most of the best moments actually come when the camera’s placed down for a fixed shot.
Leaving Chronicle behind Almanac is also best positively compared to last year’s underwhelming “found footage Twister” film, Into The Storm. It shows the same degree of handheld competence and sketchy storytelling as its overblown counterpart but is massively more watchable for the witty and likeable cast it delivers. Weston struggles with the later fear and anxiety but does great as the socially stunted brainiac trying to get the girl. Said crush being Sofia Black D'Elia’s (Skins, Betrayal) Jessica who also loses her way in the darker but makes for fun viewing as she toys with a clueless David. Accompanying them Sam Lerner (Monster House, Suburgatory) brings some great comic relief as Quinn and Allen Evangelista ‘s Asian stereotype (“don’t sweat it I’m inherently good at video games”) Adam covers the bases as David’s science wingman. Finally, though she spends much of the film behind the camera, Virginia Gardner’s (Glee, The Goldbergs) sister Christina is quite charming and enjoyable.
When it’s letting rip and playing with the fun of kids with 4th dimensional powers its great (their botched lottery win is just brilliant) but when it becomes serious and dramatic it blows its batteries and sees its power drain away. Seeing Michael Bay listed as a producer explains all the product placement but thankfully this is not an effects-fest. It’s ending by definition is intentionally predictable but still not a satisfying as it could be yet despite several faults many may actually be surprised by how much they enjoy Project Almanac and though sequels are the cancer of time travel films; its open door may yet see something better walk through it.
Recommended for fans of light and fun character films that can accommodate its sci-fi concept rather than genre die hards and anyone that wishes they could’ve had a second attempt at a few High School moments.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!