I recently finished reading Audrey Niffenegger's best-selling sci-fi romance The Time Traveler's Wife, having been aware of the book and its imminent movie adaptation for awhile. Consequently, this will be one of those movies that I can't help comparing to the book, which I'm pleased to say was a fantastic piece of work, and not at all the "girly" trash ignorant men assume it is (purely, because it has "Wife" in the title, I guess.) If you like your time travel with emotion, characters and a logical attention to temporal dynamics (and have just cum in your pants at that sentence), then read on...
The story concerns a librarian called Henry who has a genetic disorder that causes him to randomly jump around in his own timeline, and the ensuing relationship with his true love Claire. It's an idea that's not unique in the genre, but it's presented in a very engaging manner and certainly influenced the popular Lost episode "The Constant" and Doctor Who's "The Girl In The Fireplace". The pitfalls and dilemmas of a romance where the man is unstuck in time is handled incredibly well by the book, with non-spoilery situations like Henry first meeting Claire when she's just a little girl and there being occasions where two Henry's exist in the same timeframe. A love-story told from both linear and non-linear viewpoints, basically.
But enough about the book; what about the movie's trailer? Y'know, I have my concerns about this, exascerbated by the fact this film's been delayed for over a year (which is rarely a good sign...) The great news is that Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams appear perfectly cast in these roles, and it's difficult to see how the screenplay could ruin the basic momentum of the book and its various surprises. So, it should at least be engaging. My concern is that the trailer goes overboard with its rom-com style editing and choice of backing tracks, and slightly gives away a few of the book's surprises in the second-half. If I hadn't read the book, I'd probably dislike this trailer and be expecting something of similar quality to The Lakehouse (another time-travel rom-com starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.)
It's only my knowledge and adoration for the book that has me intrigued to see this, and I hope it's a faithful and entertaining translation. The horrible thing about all film adaptations that go badly is that 95% of people will forever associate the film with that story and those characters, and the remaining 5% that first read the book will spend their days defending it to non-bookworms. It's directed by German director Robert Schwentke, whose only notable credit has been the Jodie Foster thriller Flightplan. I'm already envious of The Lovely Bones' fanbase, as their high-concept best-seller is being worked on by Peter "Lord Of The Rings" Jackson, but... we'll see. Still, to be safe, I urge everyone to read the book first! Click the Amazon link on the left, pleeease. You get your best experience of being told a story the first time, so go straight to the source.
Release Dates: 14 August 2009 (UK/US), 5 November 2009 (AUS)
HD Downloads: 480P (48MB) | 720P (116MB) | 1080P (170MB)
To play: right-click link, "Save As...", rename
file "whatever.mov" and double-click.
file "whatever.mov" and double-click.
