Wouldn't it have been easier for Wells to go back in time 15-20 minutes and ensure that Dr. Stevenson/the Ripper didn't escape the police? Yes, it would have ruined the whole premise, but that proves just how weak the premise was.
H G Wells would have been 22 when Jack-the-Ripper was on his killing spree; his last known victim was killed in November 1888 and Wells was born in 1866. Malcolm McDowell, who plays Wells, was 36 when he made this film and David Warner, who plays Dr. Stevenson/the Ripper, was 38. Stevenson was, "approximately 37"; the actors playing these characters are two years apart in age, yet we're to believe that they're 15 years apart in the film?
The time machine is set for 11:15, and, when comparing his pocket watch to the clock in the museum, notes that it is "8 hours off". The clock showed 2:28, suggesting that he arrived at about 2:15 or so. Either he did not arrive at 11:15 (London time) as he set the time machine to do, or the setting of the clock on the museum wall was wrong. If the former, it was not explained; if the latter, it was a serious lapse in continuity. Either way, this was a glaring error, unfortunately typical of this poor production. I thought it possible that this was due to the autumn time change, but Britain and the US both changed their clocks on 28 October of 1979, so it could not have been from that. Nor is it GMT as there is 8 hours' difference between GMT and PST when the autumn time change is made.
Stevenson must have been carrying a crap-load of British pounds or precious metal of some sort or another. Had he hidden anything in his doctor's bag, it would have been useless, as he left the bag at Wells' place. Later on we see that he still has the musical locket; surely he could have commanded a very high price for that!
Certainly Stevenson did not have a credit card which allowed him to book a room at a nice hotel. As for the British Pounds (from 1888 or earlier) that Wells converted at the bank that simply would not have happened; they would have been taken out of circulation years before and would not be convertible at a currency exchange/bank. The value in those bills would have been found at a coin dealer. The fact that the banker even advised Wells of that makes me wonder why they didn't simply send Wells to a coin dealer to get (quite likely) much more US money for his bills. Very poor script-writing!
The letterhead upon which Stevenson writes a note for Wells, is from St. Bartholomew Hospital (where the Dr. practiced in 19th-century London). Even though Dr. Stevenson ditched his clothes to look more modern, we're to believe he held onto a piece of letterhead that might have been in the pockets?
When Wells shows the time machine to his "girlfriend", he sets "point of origin" as the 7th of November; he only arrived on the 5th. We're to believe that all of the stuff that had taken place to that point happened in just two days?! Come on!
Also, she read a headline in the "future" newspaper that showed her as having been killed; if she were alive when she went in the time machine, how could she have been killed? Would she not have been "nowhere to be found" between the date when they went into the time machine and when they arrived in the future? I don't purport to understand the whole quantum theory thing, but even that seems a stretch.
They were talking about the murders that the Ripper has committed in SF and Wells said that they were too late to prevent the murder of the 3rd victim, but could prevent the 4th. Couldn't he simply travel back in time and prevent all four murders? Again, that pesky back-in-time thing!
Finally, he removes the "vapourising equaliser" at the end and Stevenson is sent into infinity? Not only did it appear that Stevenson hadn't done anything to set the dials to any alternate time, but how come he travelled initially without the equaliser, and simply ended up at a point-in-time with no machine for time travel, yet this time he's gone to infinity? Maybe I missed something, but that seems a rather convenient plot element (delivered completely from left field).
I know one is supposed to suspend belief, but that doesn't mean throw out all common sense.
H G Wells would have been 22 when Jack-the-Ripper was on his killing spree; his last known victim was killed in November 1888 and Wells was born in 1866. Malcolm McDowell, who plays Wells, was 36 when he made this film and David Warner, who plays Dr. Stevenson/the Ripper, was 38. Stevenson was, "approximately 37"; the actors playing these characters are two years apart in age, yet we're to believe that they're 15 years apart in the film?
The time machine is set for 11:15, and, when comparing his pocket watch to the clock in the museum, notes that it is "8 hours off". The clock showed 2:28, suggesting that he arrived at about 2:15 or so. Either he did not arrive at 11:15 (London time) as he set the time machine to do, or the setting of the clock on the museum wall was wrong. If the former, it was not explained; if the latter, it was a serious lapse in continuity. Either way, this was a glaring error, unfortunately typical of this poor production. I thought it possible that this was due to the autumn time change, but Britain and the US both changed their clocks on 28 October of 1979, so it could not have been from that. Nor is it GMT as there is 8 hours' difference between GMT and PST when the autumn time change is made.
Stevenson must have been carrying a crap-load of British pounds or precious metal of some sort or another. Had he hidden anything in his doctor's bag, it would have been useless, as he left the bag at Wells' place. Later on we see that he still has the musical locket; surely he could have commanded a very high price for that!
Certainly Stevenson did not have a credit card which allowed him to book a room at a nice hotel. As for the British Pounds (from 1888 or earlier) that Wells converted at the bank that simply would not have happened; they would have been taken out of circulation years before and would not be convertible at a currency exchange/bank. The value in those bills would have been found at a coin dealer. The fact that the banker even advised Wells of that makes me wonder why they didn't simply send Wells to a coin dealer to get (quite likely) much more US money for his bills. Very poor script-writing!
The letterhead upon which Stevenson writes a note for Wells, is from St. Bartholomew Hospital (where the Dr. practiced in 19th-century London). Even though Dr. Stevenson ditched his clothes to look more modern, we're to believe he held onto a piece of letterhead that might have been in the pockets?
When Wells shows the time machine to his "girlfriend", he sets "point of origin" as the 7th of November; he only arrived on the 5th. We're to believe that all of the stuff that had taken place to that point happened in just two days?! Come on!
Also, she read a headline in the "future" newspaper that showed her as having been killed; if she were alive when she went in the time machine, how could she have been killed? Would she not have been "nowhere to be found" between the date when they went into the time machine and when they arrived in the future? I don't purport to understand the whole quantum theory thing, but even that seems a stretch.
They were talking about the murders that the Ripper has committed in SF and Wells said that they were too late to prevent the murder of the 3rd victim, but could prevent the 4th. Couldn't he simply travel back in time and prevent all four murders? Again, that pesky back-in-time thing!
Finally, he removes the "vapourising equaliser" at the end and Stevenson is sent into infinity? Not only did it appear that Stevenson hadn't done anything to set the dials to any alternate time, but how come he travelled initially without the equaliser, and simply ended up at a point-in-time with no machine for time travel, yet this time he's gone to infinity? Maybe I missed something, but that seems a rather convenient plot element (delivered completely from left field).
I know one is supposed to suspend belief, but that doesn't mean throw out all common sense.