“Wasn’t too sure what to make of this at first glance. It seemed kinda amateurish, and I’m also not a big fan of found footage. Still, it gave off a Chronicle vibe, and that one turned out really well (and also propelled Dane DeHaan and Michael B Jordan into the spotlight). Besides, what else was I gonna go see, Mortdecai? *shudder*
It didn’t even take five minutes to hook me. The film introduced our characters by showing a video they were putting together for admission to MIT. Sitting next to a fellow MIT alum, the two of us were laughing hysterically, recognizing the same nerd qualities we see in ourselves. That illusion busted a few minutes later, when upon being accepted he lamented that he didn’t get enough of a scholarship to be able to afford it. The driving force behind much of the film was him trying to impress the school into giving him more money. Why did that bust the illusion? MIT financial aid is all need based. If you’re good enough to get in, that’s enough. And if this kid is the child of an unemployed single mother, they school is sure as heck gonna award him more than the meager amount in the film. But really that was just a slight hiccup.
Right so our kids find the blueprints for a time machine in their basement, left behind by our leader kid’s dead dad. So of course, they build it (gotta impress MIT afterall!). After a few initial jumps back in time, they start going further and further back, returning to find things changed in their world. Now they have to go back and fix it.
Sure, there were some flaws in the film, some logic issues around time travel and around the found footage format (a usual problem, which is why I typically don’t care for it). But what really sold it were the kids. This was a group I would love to hang around. They were smart and funny and just really enjoyable to watch. And yes, they (or at least the one who cared to) would have gotten along just fine at my old MIT dorm. Is this film gonna be a big awards winner? No. Never. Was it a worthy way to kill two hours? Absolutely. Nerds rule.
Project Almanac – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n”