DVD Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveller’s Wife - An Alliance Films’ Release

http://www.thetimetravelerswifemovie.com/dvd/index.html

DVD Release Date: February 9th, 2010

Rated PG for violence, nudity, and coarse language.

Running time: 108 minutes

Robert Schwentke (dir.)

Nick Cassavetes (dir.)

Bruce Joel Rubin (screenwriter)

Audrey Niffenegger (novel)

Mychael Danna (music)

Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire

Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble

Ron Livingston as Gomez

Our reviews below:

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By John C.

** (out of 4)

This is the story of Henry, a man with a rare genetic disorder that make’s him travel time. Like with other time travel premises, it’s fascinating stuff to analyze. But more so, this is a romance about how hard it would be if you were the time traveler’s wife.

The premise, though mildly confuzzling, is intriguing, but I don’t think the execution fully utilizes it. I only read about 80 pages of the intimidatingly long book, and the movie version seemed to be different and, while still kinda creepy, less controversy inducing.

In the beginning it seems like when Henry shows up naked somewhere, no sooner than he gets clothes on, he disappears. This had me wondering if perhaps certain cloths induce time traveling, and if that’s how he always stays grounded during intercourse.

I know they want to show us how hard it would be to live with a time traveler because they’re always disappearing, but I don’t think a montage was the best way to illustrate this. It just became laughable.

There’s never a moment where Henry painfully realises that some things he can not change. In a better version of a story like this things would start to get better once he realises that some things just have to happen. Instead the tone of the film is dreary romance rather than heartbreaking, magical wonder.

The acting is good, and the story gives you lots to think about and pick apart, but I found the film to kind of fall flat. Though it’s mildly worth checking out, it’s nowhere near as good as other romance or time travel films. I thought it was alright, but really nothing special.

The DVD includes a featurette on the film’s journey from page to screen, with the director, screenwriter and two leads. It is also available in a double-pack with the 2004 Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Notebook - A romantic film which I’d give at least a star more than this one.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Erin V.

**3/4 (out of four)

This was another Summer movie featuring time-travelling Eric Bana. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him as an angry Romulan mad at Spock this time... Instead, he was running around, in love, turning up naked in various places as he ended up disappearing over and over again in one time and location, and then reappearing in the next.

Essentially, the story is about an artist named Clare, who first meets her future husband as a 6 year old, when he comes from the future to visit her. By the time they actually meet as adults, she has fallen madly in love with him, and the story kind of plays off of the tension she feels when the man she loves keeps on randomly disappearing for days on end - right in front of her eyes. Also, he has to deal with the fact that he ends up knowing more about the future than he might have initially wanted to.

It is interesting enough to watch, and I suppose those who love a tragic romance will quite enjoy this film, or those who are really interested in anything that has to do with time travel. The thing is that the time travel is done more confusingly, and certainly not in as cool a way as a great film like Back to the Future. In order to recommend it, I would have to say rent it, or if you’re going to buy, get it in the two-pack with The Notebook.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Time Traveler’s Wife is an interesting, and slightly confusing story about a romance between an artist, and a man who can travel through time. The time traveler, Henry, can’t control when he will show up, and so inadvertently arrives through different times in his wife Claire’s life. When he time travels, he loses his clothes, and so he has learned to steal clothes from people’s homes. This is not as troublesome or disturbing as when Henry shows up (Naked of course) in front of 5 year old Clare, (though nothing sinister is intended here). His time travel has advantages though, as he can visit his late mother, who he lost in a car crash as a child. But Henry does not have the ability to change the past or future, which disturbs him as he helplessly watches his life’s fate.

While an interesting premise, this bleak tale is a little long at 1 hour and 48 minutes. This DVD also comes with The Notebook, which also stars Rachel McAdams, and is a far better movie.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

The concept of time travel is an interesting one. What if one partner knows in advance how their romantic relationship is going to unfold? In The Time Traveler’s Wife, Henry (Eric Bana) is a time traveler. He disappears and reappears without warning, in the past, present and future. He meets his future wife, Clare (Rachel McAdams) when she is a little girl. Their relationship and love is destiny.

While the storyline had potential, I found the story confusing at times and found the fact that he reappears naked a little weird especially when meeting Clare as a child.

Overall, this is an okay love story, but not amazing. Check this one out if you are a fan of the lead actors or find the concept of time travel fascinating. A better romantic movie starring Rachel McAdams is The Notebook.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife DVD Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

The Time Traveler’s Wife is an unusual romance between Henry (Eric Bana) and Clare (Rachel McAdams). Eric has the ability to go forward and back in time to different parts of his life, though he can not control when it happens. His body suddenly disappears, his clothes falling to the ground, and reappears at another time and place, often followed by a desperate attempt to find clothes, even if it means breaking into a place to steal them. Unlike many other time travel stories, he can even meet older or younger versions of himself, though visits to the past can not change his destiny. Having first met Henry when she was a child, Clare has always loved him and accepted his sometimes long absences at inconvenient times.

Time travel films are really tricky to pull off. The Back to the Future trilogy is the most successful, with every loose end eventually tied up, and Groundhog Day in its own way is also very satisfying. Despite some confusion at times, The Time Traveler’s Wife manages this quite well, and the story is just sweet enough to appeal to a wide audience.

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Consensus: The Time Traveler's Wife, though mildly worth checking out, is not as good as other romance or time travel films. **1/2 (Out of 4)