With the more deftly handled time-jumping movie “Predestination” now available in stores, there is no pressing reason anymore to go see “Project Almanac.” However, if one is dying to revisit the halls of high school in a new light, “Project Almanac” may have something to offer moviegoers.
David Raskin, played by Johnny Weston, is a loveable nerd whose acceptance to MIT is marred by his inability to secure a full scholarship. In an effort to impress the board and secure the grant, David searches through the belongings of his deceased father — an inventor who died in a tragic car accident — for ideas. David sees the image of his current self in a mirror within the footage of his father’s video recording of his seventh birthday. In order to explain the occurrence, David searches further and comes across the instructions to assemble a time machine. He recruits his best friends, Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista), to aid him in the assembly. His sister, Christina (Virginia Gardner), tags along to document the proceedings. Jessie (Sofia Black D’Elia) joins the squad a little later as David’s love interest.
“Project Almanac’s” extended exposition prevents the plot from really getting going until the time machine is finally built. With it, David and his posse fulfill all their desires — they win the lottery, buy expensive cars, get back at a bully and visit Lollapalooza. The many scenes in which they play around with their new machine are inventive and, most importantly, fun to watch.
However, what starts off as an intriguing exploration into dream fulfillment devolves into an incredibly weak love story. With nowhere to go, the writers force David to make an unbelievable decision — something he would never do — to correct a mistake he was fully equipped to address. David’s decision is so outside of his character, it breaks the the film’s realism.
After this jarring moment, the film struggles to find its rhythm. What follows are the disastrous results of playing with time. Of course, messing with the proper flow of time will have unintended consequences, and if such a plot progression is tackled well as was done in “Back to the Future,” it can result in an engaging and rewarding film. “Project Almanac” attempts to follow in the latter film’s footsteps but does not succeed. Sadly, with the reality of the film broken, little is gained by this plot development, which ultimately leads to an unsatisfying climax.
“Project Almanac” is weighed down by its poorly realized story and flimsy characters. The time machine mechanic can only engage so much, and the movie is not produced well enough to demand extraordinary praise. With the additional languid pacing and the induced nausea from a shaky camera, “Project Almanac” is just not worth the time.
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