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H.G. Wells’ novel is brought to the big screen here with an excellent Rod Taylor as a Victorian Englishman who feels that the key to the human races’ present problems (Britain was facing defeat in colonial South Africa) is by heading into the future. The new year’s day of 1900 section of the film is wonderfully done, it’s clearly a lavish production, as Taylor’s scientist friends including Vertigo’s Tom Helmore are invited to his home, brimming with timepieces of all shape and sizes, and the log fire on a snowy winter’s day keep things cosy. The first time travelling sequence is superb as Taylor ascends through both world wars and onto a nuclear holocaust in 1966 (!). However, the destruction of Earth (complete with fire wardens in snazzy suits) starts the films’ fast decline in quality, the effects are very, very dated. Taylor eventually ends up in the 810th century, complete with an Aryan- like race and Star Trek style creatures and falls in love with a very pretty Yvette Mimieux but by then, the film is unfortunately starting to drag. Overall then, a film that is very much of its time (no pun intended) and a decidedly mixed, but pleasant, bag that's visually very nice.
3/5
