The History of Time Travel

source: The History of Time Travel

This is one of the great pieces of cerebral humor one could ever hope to see. This is the kind of movie that needs to be screened at Kresge Auditorium at MIT so the student body can give the film a standing ovation after it is shown. The setup is perfect explaining a few simple theories about time travel. Then the movie establishes the protagonist's motivations and execution of their travel through time. This is where the movie excels. For each time travel event we see how the alternate timelines get established, but in a way that demands the viewer be an active participant in the watching experience. If you want explosions and car crashes this is not the movie for you, even though the movie does have explosions and car crashes, sort of. Time travel is possible but only into the future one second at a time. The key to great science fiction is that the viewer accepts the premise, in this case, time travel. This film allows us to accept the premise by keeping it simple and thus avoiding the usual time travel paradoxes or laughing at them when they invariably do arise. The end of the movie wraps everything up in a satisfying and convincing manner that is entertaining, subtle and complete. Someone somewhere was paying attention when they brought this 2014 movie to Amazon streaming five years after it was made. In a perfect world Writer and Director Ricky Kennedy would get a call from Hollywood wanting to know what other ideas he would like to work on and also asking how much money he needs for his next project.

I think some people aren't cutting this movie Enough slack, maybe in some cases, too much. Regardless, I highly recommend watching this movie without reading reviews. This is a really low budget movie and it's done in a very fun and inventive way, I cannot say enough good about it for what it is. Yes, it could have been exponentially better in some regards, it's budget does show at time. However, some of the plot holes that people have pointed out aren't plot holes at all, not even close, and they are easily explained within the time travel thesis the movie gives for itself. Some people on here need to give credit where credit is due. The details and slight changes in this movie are amazing and cannot be caught in just one viewing for most people. If you're a lazy movie goer and don't like think, do us a favor, and give this one a pass. One thing to keep in mind is we are observers, we are not involved in the goings on in this film, think of yourselves like God(not that you are), but you are able to understand and see everything these characters cannot. Those in the film, are not aware of the changes. You're outside of the events and able to see them as they are happening and are unaffected by them. If you keep this point of view, the movie will make far more sense. If there are any real plot holes here, they are small, and definitely they are not as bad as movies such as the last version of "Time Machine" or any of the hundreds of big-budget Hollywood time travel movies. In fact even the best of low-budget time travel movies don't have perfect time travel theory, but they usually much closer than Hollywood. People always bag on low budget movies because they don't have the big production values. Yet, the acting in this was pretty solid. There were some things that were a little strange such as some of the photos of the family seemed like they were digitally grafted together, I'm guessing they were. But other than that a lot of it felt pretty authentic as a "documentary". Most of the actors did well at being experts in their fields, I especially like the author and the General. I thought they gave it a good try at really creating something that was unique and something that gave a different perspective on time travel. On the whole I really enjoyed this movie, I watched it before going to bed and all night I dreamed about time travel and the problems that the characters find themselves in. It's not without a few minor flaws, but if you can look over those flaws in a big-budget film, I see no reason why it can't be looked over here, in a movie that has so much creativity and detail in it. On the whole this is definitely one of my favorite low budget time travel movies, and it has a great amount of detail, work, and creativity, put into it, and it certainly deserves a wider audience. It is a shame it was out of distribution until it ended up on Amazon Prime. ~Amy

A History of Time Travel is a very clever , fictional documentary about the creation of the worlds first time machine, the men who created it, and the unintended ramifications it has on world events. It takes a few minute to get into this film . Or should I say adjust to it . It's telling a fiction story about a family who invent a time machine but because they try to go back and change time the fictional documentary changes with it. The changes are very subtle. It might be the posters on the walls , badges of their lapels or the colour the countries are coloured in , on the globe but they are constantly changing , as is the story . It's basically a group of fictional talking heads explaining how , why and when and it's adapting as time is distorted . Although the production value feels very cheap , I really liked this . It makes your head hurt at times , trying to get your head around time travel and what can happen when you mess with it . I'd like to see something like this remade but with a much bigger budget . Who knows ? In Time that might just happen...

This is an amazing indie gem, well worth 10+/10. Just please, pay close attention. I've seen it 4 times already and every time it's goosebumps plus excitement. I want more of this. Added after a year and a bunch of rewatches. There are NO plot holes and NO continuity errors. Thank you.

I knew it was a mockumentary, but given it was about time travel, I really didn't know what to expect. It's definitely an interesting (if not confusing) endeavor. A second viewing would probably be best, but I honestly don't care to re-watch it. It's definitely more on the level of a student film than an independent film. Probably the most distracting thing is that some of the actors are just not convincing at all. It really takes you out of the "documentary" feel. It's definitely slow paced and subdued, like many History Channel shows. It's definitely more cerebral than any sort of thriller or action film, but its take on time travel paradoxes and consequences is definitely intriguing. It does take a while to get started, as one reviewer mentioned, but that's necessary for the story to be told. You do have to go in w a willing suspension of disbelief, but, come on, it's a "time travel documentary", you can't expect it to be completely sound to the laws of physics. Just enjoy it for what it is.

It is difficult to offer a review without spoiling it for others but I highly recommend this film. Pay attention to small details and evolving story lines and the title of the documentary at the end. Very well done and worthy of a watch!

It's start slow, but builds up, the twists and turns are unbelievable!

I had gotten to the point of being sick of time travel flicks. They were either the same theme rehashed yet again, or had no viable story, or were just completely stupid nonsense. There was nothing new and it was boring. Then comes along this gem of a film and proves there are still people out there with the ability to come up with something quite different. From the opening credits to the very last seconds of the film, this is presented as an actual documentary of time travel, including the history of the first time traveler. It includes everything from actual historic documentary footage to set props that emphasize what's happening throughout the film. Although presented in documentary form it is some of the most riveting science fiction I've seen in some time, with every minute making the viewer wonder what they're going to do next. For some this will be too cerebral. Others won't really "get" what's going on. They won't figure out the plot twists, won't understand the very subtle humor, will miss all the sight and set cues and gags. Such people generally post 1-3 star reviews on IMDB. ; ) But I believe the majority of true sci fi fans will understand this and applaud the unusual presentation and format of this film. It truly does present time travel in a different manner than most other such films. Kudos to the writers, director and everyone involved in this film. The only reason I don't give this 10 stars is because I was hoping a slightly more creative ending. Still, the ending made sense, held true to the rest of the "documentary", and was sufficient to the general theme. All in all I think this is some of the most innovative sci fi I've seen presented in a film. Well worth watching.

A HISTORY OF TIME TRAVEL is presented as an alleged "documentary" about time travel and various theories concerning the subject. It is based on the premise that such travel has already been achieved, and tells the story of how it came about, who was involved, and what repercussions took place as a result. This is a very intriguing and entertaining film. Played entirely deadpan, its humor seems authentic and naturally occurring from the "actual" events. The real fun comes from spotting the subtle and not-so subtle changes going on as the doc continues. This is a low, low budget well spent...