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This is a movie I've fallen in love with after having not seen it in so many years. The 1960 film is based off of H.G. Wells' 1896 novel by the same name. There are things that were in the book that were left out of the film, and there were things in the film which were never in the book, for example, some of the events of the 20th century.
The story focuses on British man with an American accent George (played by Rod Taylor). He's an intellectual, social scientist and an inventor. On the night of December 31, 1899, he has his friends over his place to demonstrate to them an experiment with a smaller version of a time machine that he's created. He said it took him 2 years to make. Of course, the sheer mechanics of such an invention were never discussed, but that's what suspension of disbelief is for.
When George successfully sends his miniature time machine model into the future as it disappears before the very eyes of him and his friends, his friends seem too perplexed to even be amazed by what they've just seen. Instead, they start rambling on about whether or not such an invention can be patented and sold. There's a war in South Africa after all! The frustrated George has a heart-to-heart with his bff David (Alan Young) who tells him to destroy the machine for his own good. The evermore frustrated George waits until Alan shows himself out the door, so he can head straight for his shed, uh, laboratory.
George lights a candle, sets a clock and says a prayer as he hops on his sled of a time machine and then goes forward in time by one hour and 39 minutes. George then tries his luck and goes forward in time even further, about 6 months further. He's amused by the ever-changing fashion style of the window mannequin across the street. As George is going forward in time, the room around him suddenly goes dark. When he stops his time machine, he ends up at September 13, 1917. George finds that his laboratory windows have been boarded up. He walks into his living room only to find that all his furniture has been covered up with blankets and that everything is dusty and cobweb-ridden. When he knocks down the boards of wood nailed to his front door, he walks across the street and encounters who he thinks is his friend David, but is actually David's son. David's son tells George that his father David died a year earlier in the war. The son becomes shocked when George asks "what war?" George learns that Great Britain has been at war with Germany since 1914 (WW1). The saddened George then walks back to his boarded up home to time machine on once again.
While going forward in the future, George suddenly feels shaking, like he is being rattled around. He stops his time machine which then lands on the date of June 19, 1940. George looks up to see planes in the night sky battling one another. George then realizes that this is a different war (WW2). George wants to see the outcome of it and so travels forward once again, but as soon as he does so his house is hit by a bomb and fire erupts around him everywhere only to have him end up outside. While outside, he sees reconstruction taking place over the years. Then suddenly he hears a strange noise. He stops his machine again and it lands on the date August 18, 1966. When he gets off his time machine he sees people running and sees government workers dressed in ridiculous chrome suits (because according to Spongebob, "everything is chrome in the future") ushering everyone into underground bunkers. George then runs into David's son, who is now a ripe old man. George refreshes his memory of when they last met, but David's son can't believe it since George hasn't changed a bit. Then an atomic satellite approaches and George is left all by his lonesome. There's a flash of light and in an instant, much of London has been vaporized. The curious George hobbles onto his time machine, only to see that the nuclear explosion has caused a geophysical reaction from nature as volcanoes erupt (where the hell did the volcanoes come from?!) and lava flows into what's left of the nuked city.
George travels forward in time again just as the area around him gets covered in lava and then cools down, forming a cave enclosure. George travels in time through the darkness which lasts centuries. He wonders to himself how long it will be until the elements wear away at the rock that has encased him. Suddenly, after hundreds of thousands of years, the rock wears away and George is free again. He looks and sees as nature begins to reclaim a desolate landscape. He sees that there are no seasons, and that there is no more war. He stops his time machine yet again and it lands on October 12, 802701.
In this brave new world, George finds that humanity has divided itself into two groups; the Morlocks and the Eloi. It's somewhat insinuated later in this film by the talking rings that the apocalyptic war that began in 1966 (WW3) ended up being a 326-year war. So, it ended in 2292 I guess. Apparently, the Earth became so polluted and unable to sustain life that a bulk of the survivors of the human race went underground in "large caverns" in order to start over. The rest of humanity took their chances above ground in the sunlight. Over time, somehow, the people who went below ground (the Morlocks) managed to get the upper hand on the Eloi (or as I like to call them, the Californians), the people living above ground. Over time, the Morlocks degenerated in mutant cannibal albinos who were physically unable to step into the sunlight, so they would only come out of their sphinx frat house at night. Never did understand why everything in the future looked like ancient Egypt. Eh, whatever. The Eloi on the other hand became very blonde and good-looking apparently from all that time out in the sun. I'd be worried about skin cancer myself. As it turns out, the Morlocks controlled the Eloi, raising them like cattle and luring a portion of them down into the caverns when they reached a certain age, only to eat them. George's love for Weena (a beautiful Californian, uh, I mean Eloi) is what drives him to fight the Morlocks and save the Eloi in order to build a new world.
If you haven't seen this film, I basically just spoiled most of it for you. But that's alright. It's even better than it sounds. Do pick up a copy for yourself. And while you're at it, read the 1896 book by H.G. Wells where George goes even further into the future if you can believe it.
Personally, I don't think we have to worry about the year 802701. Nostradamus apparently said that humanity had until the year 3797. Plus, I think we're living in the End Times as it is. But that's another story for another day.
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The Time Machine (1960) trailer
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Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021
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Top reviews from other countries
Anthony
Great film, great visual effects, classic version
Reviewed in Australia on January 8, 2023
Anthony
Reviewed in Australia on January 8, 2023
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claudio santarini
Un classico immancabile per ogni buon vecchio nerd che si rispetti.
Reviewed in Italy on September 24, 2018