Review 

On the last day of 1899, George, a Victorian scientist, invites his friends over for a demonstration of a new invention. It is a miniature machine that can travel through time. His friends watch a demonstration of his machine but remain skeptical. It turns out that George has created a full-size version of the machine that can carry a person through time. After his friends leave, George uses the larger machine and embarks on a journey into the future.  

After several short hops into the future where George witnesses the effects of three world wars, he arrives in an idyllic landscape populated by two civilizations: the peaceful Eloi and the savage Morlocks who prey on them. George befriends an Eloi woman named Weena and fights to protect her and the Eloi from the Morlocks. However, as he travels even further ahead, he witnesses the bleak fate of humanity and a devastated Earth.  

Director George Pal was already a special effects legend, having earned several Academy Award nominations in the category. He could not convince any American studios to sponsor the project but managed to convince the British MGM studio to accept the project on a tight budget and schedule. After considering several veteran British actors, Pal selected Australian actor Rod Taylor to play the time traveler. It was Taylor’s first leading role. Yvette Mimieux was selected to play Weena despite her complete lack of acting experience. Her lack of experience turned out to fit the character quite well. 

The Time Machine was based on the on the 1895 novel by H.G. Wells. Like most adaptations of classic literature, the film version introduces several new concepts to the story. In the novel, George travels to the same year (802,701 AD) but the film spends more time in that year. The film also alters the Eloi from a weak, unintelligent species to an intelligent but childlike community cultivated by the Morlocks for food. The film also adds a love interest to the story. This allowed the film makers to change Georges motives from purely scientific to something more personal.  

For its time, The Time Machine included outstanding visual effects, particularly the iconic portrayal of time travel. The film used time-lapse photography to rapidly change the scenery as George traveled through time. Gene Warren and Tim Baar won the 1961 Academy Award for Special Effect for their work on the film. 

Despite its Oscar win for Special Effects, the film was met with mixed responses from the critics. Some criticized the production values caused by the film’s low budget. Others felt it was a melodramatic and slowed down too much once George reaches the distant future. On the other hand, Rod Taylor was generally praised for his work and other critics recognized the film’s special effects and interesting storyline. At the box office, the film was a moderate success. Over time, the film’s groundbreaking special effects have kept it an audience favorite with a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 79%. 

Like the original novel, The Time Machine is a cautionary tale, highlighting the dangers of societal decay and technology running amok. While H.G. Wells would not have recognized the danger of nuclear war, the ongoing Cold War helped audiences appreciate the warning contained in the film. 

Why You Should Watch It 

Modern audiences might find the special effects a bit dated, but the Time Machine is a wonderful example of what creative film makers can do on a limited budget. 

Fans of classic science fiction literature will appreciate this film staying much closer to H.G. Wells original novel than the 2002 remake. 

Things to Watch For 

As London is destroyed by nuclear war, the streets run red with lava. The lava is oatmeal. Another compromise due to the film’s low-budget. 

Also due to budget constraints, the air raid costume and the large sphere in the talking rings room were reused from the film Forbidden Planet (1956). 

Did You Know? 

The film was on such a tight budget that it could not be filmed on location in London. Many of the scenes were filmed in Culver City, California with painted backgrounds. 

George Pal considered actors David Niven and George Mason as George but selected the younger Rod Taylor to portray a sense of athleticism, passion and idealism. 

Rating (13)

Overall (4) An enjoyable film with interesting special effects and based on a science fiction classic. 

Star Power (2) While Rod Taylor went on to a successful career, he was a newcomer at the time of this film as was his co-star, Yvette Mimieux. 

Movie History (3) An interesting science fiction film that was a welcome change from the giant insect and space invader flicks of the 1950s. 

Innovation (4) Time-lapse was not completely new, but this film used it in many interesting ways to simulate time travel.