Overview and Background
“Project Almanac” is an American science fiction thriller film from 2015 directed by Dean Israelite in his feature-length debut. The film is produced by Platinum Dunes, which is owned by Michael Bay, and was distributed by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jason Harry Pagan and Andrew Deutschman. The film is about a group of high school students who build a time machine and face the consequences of their actions, using the found-footage style of filmmaking.
The film underwent multiple production delays and re-shoots, which pushed back the release date. The film was originally titled, Welcome to Yesterday. The film is approximately 106 minutes long with a PG-13 rating due to language and some thematic elements.
While the film had a production budget of 12 million, the film grossed 33 million worldwide. Although the film was not a blockbuster hit, it was able to garner a following and was recognized among time-travel and teen sci-fi fans.
Plot Summary
The plot revolves David Raskin, an academically gifted high school graduate accepted to MIT, but cannot afford to attend. While sifting through his deceased father’s belongings, David and his sister Christina discover an old camcorder. To his astonishment, while watching the footage, David sees a younger version of himself in a mirror at his seventh birthday party.
This revelation sparks curiosity in David and his friends, Quinn, Adam, and Jessie, who later develops a crush on him. They all set out to explore his father’s basement, which leads them to discover partial blueprints of a time machine, incomplete plans for a “Project Almanac,” a secret government project.
Excited and intrigued, the group constructs the machine from the found parts. They succeed after several attempts at sending a toy car through time. Motivated by their triumph, they commence short time jumps for, at first, innocent attempts to undo failed tests and attend Lollapalooza.
Ultimately, they are able to use the time machine to win the lottery, resulting in instant reward and indulgence. Nevertheless, the present begins to change in dangerous and unexpected ways due to Christina’s and David’s reckless conduct. Their carelessness culminates in Christina getting hurt in one timeline. A plane crash occurs as a result of the ripple one jump causes. Relationships are beginning to deteriorate, particularly between David and Jessie.
Filled with guilt and ruin, David begins to shift the no solo time travel back rule, the group had unanimously voted on. In the attempt to fix things, he only further complicates the problem. He ends up going back to the moment of his seventh birthday: the moment the camcorder was first used. His goal is to destroy the time machine and in doing so, avoid the sequence of events triggered by it.
He eliminates the complicated history of the timeline. The movie’s closing scene features David and Christina once again finding the camcorder, but this time in a timeline that has never experienced the time traveling events. The movie ends approximately where it began but with David hinting to Christina that he remembers parts of the erased events and has the intention to rebuild the machine.
Characters & Performances
David Raskin (Jonny Weston): An emotionally troubled but gifted teen obsessed with correcting his past blunders, David Raskin. Weston’s performance blends brilliance with turbulent youth.
Jessie Pierce (Sofia Black-D’Elia): David’s romantic interest, whose timeline-shifting involvement brings both romantic tension and subsequently, heartbreak.
Quinn Goldberg (Sam Lerner): One of David’s best friends and the film’s comic relief, eager to take part in the time travel experiments.
Adam Le (Allen Evangelista): Also part of the core group, he serves as the calm and rational member.
Christina Raskin (Virginia Gardner): David’s sister, the first to find the camcorder who later takes part in the time-traveling efforts. She raises ethical concerns about the group’s actions.
With plenty of energy and relatable relatability, the previously unknown cast brings authenticity and chemistry to the high school setting, blending naturalism with a youthful sensibility.
Cinematography & Style
The film utilizes the found-footage technique in the form of handheld cameras, phones, and video diaries to make it seem like the characters are documenting their time-traveling experiences. While the stylistic choice provided a sense of closeness and urgency, it was also criticized for unsteady imagery and angle diversity in supposed single-camera moments.
Considering the film’s small budget, the visual effects are modest but still rather effective. Time travel is illustrated via stutters, light flares, and blurs, which communicate the chaos and risk of time manipulation.
Themes and Analysis
The Butterfly Effect
The film’s primary focus is the exploration of how even small actions in the past can have monumental effects in the present. A plane crash can occur due to a missed social interaction or poorly timed conversation. Friendships can also be destroyed, and physical harm can happen all due to these small actions.
Consequences of Power
This narrative shows the effects of giving adult powers to childish minds. A group of friends who time travel for harmless escapades concerning themselves evolves into a wreckless and morally bankrupt group, demonstrating what can happen when power is exercised without responsibility.
Trust and Betrayal
David’s travel secrets and solo trips lead to him keeping secrets from the group, spawning a new betrayal of the rules. The fracturing of trust and betrayal of rules serves to demonstrate the dangers of individualism in collaborative efforts.
Regret and Redemption
The emotional arc of the film focuses on the emotions of regret and wanting to fix what is wrong. In the end, David makes the decision to destroy the machine to undo all his past actions which supports the theme that accepting mistakes is more better than trying to erase them.
Box Office & Reception
In January 2015, Project Almanac was released in the U.S. and earned $8.3 million in the opening weekend. It grossed over $33 million globally, but was a box office disappointment given the wide release in almost 2900 theaters.
Reviews from critics were mixed feud over the film’s concept. Some praised the youthful energy while others slammed the camera work, overused plot, and shallow characters. It was often mentioned alongside Chronicle and The Butterfly Effect, but most agreed Project Almanac fell short on the originality and depth compared to those movies.
Older viewers were more forgiving, especially teenagers and young adults. The cast was more relatable to that age-group and the audience polls showed satisfactory ratings, especially for the blend of science fiction, romance, and the thriller genre.
Conclusion
In a high school setting, Project Almanac is a simple, fun, teenage sci-fi thriller that skills the storyline of time travel. It is not a groundbreaking film, but it is something fast-paced and filled with intense emotions about friendship and the consequences of manipulating time.
The film’s greatest allure comes from the young cast and their captivating charm. Finding the footage shot adds a touch of urgent realism, though this comes at a cost of clarity and coherence. In the end, Project Almanac tells a delicate and unintentional story: some memories are best not interfered with, even when the power to alter them exists.
Ideal for anyone searching for light-hearted coming of age dramas with a hint of sci-fi, this film poses an important question to its audience: if you had the ability to go back in time and alter your memories, would you do it, and is it advisable to do so?
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