A very nice sci-fi thriller based on the time travel concept. Malcolm McDowell does a great job playing H. G. Wells. A must watch if you like time travel movies.
Classic and inventive yarn about H.G. Wells (Malcom McDowell) using his time machine to travel to the the future (1979) to stop a man he once considered a trusted friend, Dr. John Leslie Stevenson,(played sexy to the hilt by David Warner) AKA Jack the Ripper. Also stars Mary Steenburgen
H.G. Wells chases Jack the Ripper through time, and ends up in the 1970s. As wacky as this plot sounds, it's really a great time travel thriller that takes itself seriously enough to earn my respect. Another great find! Corey Feldman was in it as just a wee one!
Another rare one. Malcolm McDowell(Alex DeLarge of A Clockwork Orange) plays H.G. Wells in his present time, when Jack The Ripper steals his time machine and journeys into the future to 1979 San Francisco. 'George' must go into the future to find him before Jack reaks further havoc in a different, much more populated time. George befriends a woman played by Mary Steenburgen (Back To The Future III - Clara), and Jack The Ripper ends up trying to attack her.
H.G. Wells traveling through time to stop Jack the Ripper is the kind of plot that seems specifically made for me. I find it really hard to discredit this movie in any way.
A brilliant concept and imaginative effects accompany this Sci-Fi thriller from the late 70's. Nobody plays their roles for camp which would be difficult not to when given such lines as, "My name is H.G. Wells. I came here in a time machine of my own construction. I am pursuing Jack the Ripper, who escaped into the future in my machine."
The plot has more than its share of loopholes, which is common among films involving time travel (especially those containing a machine--seriously, just go back to the day before it all happens and prevent it!) and it dragged on a bit towards the end, which I found very unsatisfying. It's still worth a look if you're in a Sci-Fi mood but it's more Twilight Zone than Aliens.
This movie is a little dated now, since it was made in 1979 and involves time travel, but it is a superior thriller that is suspenseful, funny. and wonderfully inventive. Jack the Ripper escapes into the future only to be tracked down into a confrontation with H.G. Wells, the inventor of the contraption. Malcolm McDowell is very enjoyable as Wells, and watching him try to integrate himself into modern times is quite entertaining. Nicholas Meyer made this film and another (The Seven Percent Solution) about two historical figures co-existing in the same storyline (in that case it was Sigmond Freud and Sherlock Holmes). Based on the greatness of both films, moreso this one, I really wish he continued to make movies of that nature.
A mix of two very interesting British themes; Jack the Ripper and H.G. Wells. The mix of the two acting talents of McDowell and Warner is just perfect.
I loved this movie. And not just because it had a brief scene with a REALLY young Corey Feldman (although that did help). It was a great story, and I loved all the characters and actors (David Warner is so good at being menacing). And it has one of the best lines ever: "This is delicious, far superior to that Scottish place I breakfasted...MacDougalls."
The time-travel element makes it look a little dated now (the "present" just screams 1970s), but otherwise it's a nearly perfect movie--one of my all-time favorites. It's got a clever and original plot, weaving together history, fantasy, murder, romance, and charming fish-out-of-water humor thanks to Malcolm MacDowell in the role of H.G. Wells, while David Warner turns what director Nicholas Meyer intended as a mere "plot device" (Jack the Ripper) into an Oscar-worthy (but overlooked) performance. This is the movie that made me a fan of his ever since it first came out in theatres!
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L !!! I am NOT a fan of 'love stories' AT ALL, but this movie is not so much just a love story, as it is also about pure evil (jack the ripper) & the triumph of good (after much hardship & set-backs). You actually Care Deeply about the characters...they just walk right into your heart...H.G. Wells?! Into your heart?! YOU BET!!!
A superb film about time travel, Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells, tracking down Jack the Ripper, who escaped to 1979. A great thriller film for everyone to see. Mary Steenburgen also is great as Amy.
Malcolm McDowell and David Warner star in one of the most imaginative sci-fi thrillers of all time, with McDowell as a meek H.G. Wells and Warner as a swaggering Jack the Ripper. Warner steals a time machine invented by the former and goes to San Francisco in the WAY DISTANT FUTURE of 1979, hoping to continue his murderous vendetta against prostitutes there. Much of the movie focuses on Wells's struggle to come to terms with such modern devices as telephones, airplanes, and "motorcars," so much so that the film actually suffers a bit... Wells seems remarkably unconcerned with finding Saucy Jack for a long period of time after he arrives. He does manage to fall in love with a sweet bank teller named Amy, though, who eventually gets drawn into the Ripper's plans. Some clumsy foreshadowing lets us know the eventual fate of the Ripper quite early in the film, but McDowell's marvelous portrayal of a 19th Century English gentleman is more than enough to carry the movie over the occasional bump. Written and directed by Nicholas Meyer, who would explore some very similar territory (time travelers being forced to come to terms with "modern" San Francisco) in the fourth Star Trek film, which he also co-wrote. Flawed, but fun.
Dated, yes, but still a very entertaining film. Casing Malcolm McDowell as a good guy, and a fairly wimpy one at that, was pure genius. And of course David Warner always excels as the villain.
MCT:October 2, 2008
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