I am an unapologetic fanboy of all things time travel, so this movie is pretty much written and directed for people just like me. Chris O'Dowd, the guy who plays Roy from the hilarious television series The IT Crowd, leads as Ray, a recently fired entertainment park worker who, depressed from his bad day, goes with his two coworker friends to pub to sit and debate his favorite topic: time travel. Lo and behold, in short order things start getting awkward as a time traveller named Cassie (played by Anna Faris) appears, and then an actual time travel hole is found in none other than the pisser, from which comedy and paradox ensues.
Any fresh perspective on time travel here? Not really. But from there, you get O'Dowd's lovable nerdiness and fascination as Ray, along with his cute romance with Cassie, as his friends much more begrudgingly try to hold on to their senses and figure the whole conundrum out. Best is Pete, the cynic nonbeliever who, as some sort of cosmic joke, ends up getting the worst of the travelling and becomes a paranoid survivalist. Allusions to other time travel movies are everywhere, including probably my favorite, a moment when the three discover that they are going to be important and famous historical figures, and trying to figure out what they will do to deserve it, one says, "Maybe we start a band..." and then the three of them think about it and decide that's ridiculous.
What really goes for this movie in the long run is O'Dowd's character's utter wide-eyed excitement and dedication to experiencing this thing that he's dreamed so much about, and how it ultimately drives along all of the characters as they tag along for the ride. It's a fantasy fulfillment movie for the nerd in all of us who just wants to see what the future's like, giant murderous ants or no, and O'Dowd is particularly good for the role because he is sort of like the Michael Cera form of humor where the actor probably has more familiarity with the character than just acting, and is relatable on that level. His role here, in the IT Crowd, and in The Boat that Rocked are all essentially the same, but that character is the always relatable underdog who, whether self-conscious or no, loves what he loves and wants to share it with other people.
However, I do not believe "Imagineers" is going to stick.
--PolarisDiB
Any fresh perspective on time travel here? Not really. But from there, you get O'Dowd's lovable nerdiness and fascination as Ray, along with his cute romance with Cassie, as his friends much more begrudgingly try to hold on to their senses and figure the whole conundrum out. Best is Pete, the cynic nonbeliever who, as some sort of cosmic joke, ends up getting the worst of the travelling and becomes a paranoid survivalist. Allusions to other time travel movies are everywhere, including probably my favorite, a moment when the three discover that they are going to be important and famous historical figures, and trying to figure out what they will do to deserve it, one says, "Maybe we start a band..." and then the three of them think about it and decide that's ridiculous.
What really goes for this movie in the long run is O'Dowd's character's utter wide-eyed excitement and dedication to experiencing this thing that he's dreamed so much about, and how it ultimately drives along all of the characters as they tag along for the ride. It's a fantasy fulfillment movie for the nerd in all of us who just wants to see what the future's like, giant murderous ants or no, and O'Dowd is particularly good for the role because he is sort of like the Michael Cera form of humor where the actor probably has more familiarity with the character than just acting, and is relatable on that level. His role here, in the IT Crowd, and in The Boat that Rocked are all essentially the same, but that character is the always relatable underdog who, whether self-conscious or no, loves what he loves and wants to share it with other people.
However, I do not believe "Imagineers" is going to stick.
--PolarisDiB