Time travel movies can be extremely difficult to get right, not just because of the complicated science that’s involved, but because of the endless possibilities for plot holes and paradoxes. However,Project Almanacis one of the few time travel movies that manages to get everything right with the logistics of the story. Like all thebest time travel films, It avoids all the potential pitfalls that come with the genre, providing us with agripping, down-to-earth story that holds itself togetherand keeps us on the edge of our seats.
The story ofProject Almanacfollows protagonist David Raskin and his friends, as they discover his late father’s time travel blueprints. When they get to work building the device, the friends quickly realize that they’re out of their depth asthey uncover the dangers of bending the laws of time. It’s a hugely entertaining and unpredictable story that uses its sci-fi premise in an inventive way, somehow avoiding all thecommon mistakes that time travel movies frequently make
Project Almanac Has A Very Realistic Approach To Time Travel
The Characters Behave Surprisingly Accurately
One of the biggest problems with time travel movies is that the characters rarely tend to act realistically once they get their hands on the technology. Sometimes they travel back to prevent huge disasters, other times they travel to the future and bring back an important invention, but they almost always save the day somehow. InProject Almanac, however,the characters act much more authentically and believably with their new device, using it to make themselves rich and improve their own lives. This makes the character much more relatable, which in turn makes the story more compelling.
10 Best Time Travel Movies That Don’t Involve Sci-Fi
Time travel is most commonly seen in sci-fi movies, but horror movies, romcoms and psychological thrillers have all used it in creative ways.
Whether we want to admit it or not, selfishness comes hand-in-hand with time travel. Watching this movie for the first time, I was shocked how the story never shied away from showing howthese characters are tempted by the endless possibilities of time travel, but it never paints them as bad people. They’re just real, overwhelmed by the technology they’ve discovered and eager to figure out how they can make their lives better.
Project Almanac Adds A Sci-Fi Twist To The Found Footage Genre
It’s A Blend Of Genres You Don’t See Often
Another great aspect ofProject Almanacthat sets it apart from the crowd is its found-footage style. This wassomething I’d never really seen before in the time travel subgenre, which usually comprises big-budget blockbusters likeBack to the Future, or indie films with an immense scope likeThe Butterfly EffectorPrimer. But this is something totally different; whilefound footage is common in horror movies, it’s not something that’s often translated to science fiction.Project Almanac, however, blends the two genres with ease.
It’s not a story of moral heroes saving the world, like many time travel movies like to portray, but rather young people roped into a world that they can’t understand and trying to find some way to benefit from it.
Breaking the fourth wall by using found footage allows audiences to really get inside the heads ofProject Almanac’s characters, which is crucial for understanding why they act the way they do. It’s not a story of moral heroes saving the world, like many time travel movies like to portray, but rather young people roped into a world that they can’t understand and trying to find some way to benefit from it.
Other Time Travel Movies To Watch After Project Almanac
There Are Several Other Great Movies With Similar Styles
Time travel movies are one of the most difficult genres to get right, but there areseveral examples of great sci-fi adventures likeProject Almanacthat subvert expectationsin fun and interesting ways. The first that comes to mind isLooper, which takes place in a world where criminals are sent back in time to be executed for their crimes. But when an executioner’s future self turns up to be killed, things get extremely complicated.Loopersimilarly abandons the idea that most people would use time travel to save the world, focusing instead on the selfish uses of the technology.
Another film that subverts the expectations of time travel isSynchronic, which follows two paramedics investigating a series of mysterious deaths. This film has a much darker and more mature tone thanProject Almanac, but it’sperfect for anybody looking to explore the grittier side of time travel. It’s a cautionary tale of bending the universe to your own benefit, which is a lesson that theProject Almanackids could’ve learned. Similarly, films likePrimerandTwelve Monkeysarevery logical time travel moviesthat delve into the darker side of time travel, exploring the dangers of manipulating the timeline.
Project Almanac
Cast
Project Almanac is a 2015 science fiction mystery about a group of friends who build a time machine after finding secret plans for one. Project Almanac marked the directorial debut for Dean Israelite and was shot as a found footage movie. Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and Sam Lerner lead the film.
