My favourite Geek Book:The Time Machine by HG Wells
My Absolute favourite book of all time is HG Wells The Time machine. I remember it sitting next to 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' on my Dad's bookshelf when I was eight and I was curious about this book, which my Dad promptly took of the shelf and said "It's very good, have a read'. Half a day later and I was in love. 30 years later and I was discussing this book with Clone 1 and Clone 2. Getting kids of the modern age to read more doesn't have to be hard. You just have to get them to read books they are actually interested in. Being children of geek parents of course they are interested in time travel and after describing the Morlocks I think Clone1 was sold on the idea.
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, has inspired so many time travel novels, films and series in its wake over the years, from the Back to the Future trilogy, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, 12 Monkeys, and Sliders to Futurama. H.G. Well is often times said to be the father of the modern time travel story and the first to refer to device that travels through time as a Time Machine.
Two film adaptations later and I still don't think they have captured the essence of the original book. I really like that in the book the time traveller stays unnamed, I doubt that would have worked for a visual representation of the story but I truly liked this.
In neither film version do I think the Eloi are truly represented accurately and the Morlocks are never as horrible as I imagine them in the book. In the 1960s film version, the Eloi are much closer to the book but as the creators of the 2002 film asked, why would the Time Traveller want to save them if they were so useless, so in the newer film they were given, a language and culture worth saving.
Time travel has enthralled audiences since the time of H. G. Wells. Both in books and film. The more notable 'Back to the Future trilogy' in which we follow the antics of the main character Marty McFly and see how dabbling in time travel can create more chaos than good. 'The Girl who Lept Through Time' is another example of the tragedy and the chaos that time travel can cause, an excellent animated tale that I thoroughly recommend if you love a good sci-fi time travel movie. My kids love this one.
My Top Twenty Time Travel Movies (in no particular order)
- Back to the Future I
- Back to the Future II
- Back to the Future III
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes
- 12 Monkeys
- X-Men Days of Future Past
- Project Almanac
- The Girl Who Lept Through Time
- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures
- The Terminator
- Terminator 2: Judgement Day
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Looper
- Groundhog Day
- Deja Vu
- The ButterFly Effect
- Safety Not Guaranteed
- Army of Darkness
- Time After Time
- Flight of the Navigator
The Time machine will always however remain my favourite. If you must watch one of the film versions, I highly recommend the first film adaptation from the 60s if you wish to see this on screen. The more modern version isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I suppose if you like Samantha Mumba, then this is the film for you. I am off to find the new mini series version of 'Time After Time'. Its worth a look I guess.
Have I forgotten to mention any great time travel films or do you have a favourite mini series. Comment and let us know
Alice T
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