‘Project Almanac’
Grade: B-
As a Whovian, time travel isn’t a new idea for me. Once you’ve gone through a season or two of “Doctor Who,” you know just about everything you need to know, or at least what you can comprehend, about the “wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff” that makes up the complex science of ?time travel.
Even though I thought I’d seen everything there is to see in terms of time travel, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with “Project Almanac.”
The film centers around recent MIT admit David Raskin and his group of high school friends who stumble across the blueprints for a time machine in David’s basement.
So, what does one do when one finds the plans for a time machine? Well, if you’re as smart as David, you build it.
After several failed trials and one felony, the group of friends is going back in time.
Some of their time traveling antics are pretty typical, such as winning the lottery.
But the majority of their travels are things only high school students would deem worthy of defying physics, such as passing a test you neglected to study for, putting a bully in her place, attending Lollapalooza and fixing an embarrassing moment ?with a girl.
Eventually, the consequences of time travel begin to catch up with the group. Every jump they make, every change they cause, has a rippling effect that becomes dire. Plane crashes and forest fires break out and friends are injured and go missing, leaving David with the responsibility to save the world, even if that means relinquishing his dream life and the dream girl.
“Project Almanac” is filmed purely with handheld cameras, shot as though the characters were holding it, which roots it in a documentary format similar to that of 2012’s “Chronicle.” It deepens the connection between the characters and the audience, as your vision is limited to whatever the character holding the camera is seeing.
Though the film succeeds in creating a realistic portrayal of the impossible through a teenage-driven plotline and the documentary film style, the authenticity is tainted by one aspect: only one of the main characters is played by a teenager.
Casting adults as teenagers isn’t a new or uncommon occurrence in film, but it is getting annoying and downright exhausting. I’m not sure if Hollywood casting directors have just forgotten that teenagers exist in real life, but I would highly recommend they take a day trip to the local Hollister for a reminder, and maybe stop for some fro-yo on the ?way back.
“Project Almanac” is a clever and believable tale of what teenagers with a time machine would be like. It’s no “Doctor Who,” but if you’re a big enough sci-fi nerd, it will fill the black hole in your heart.
