By Amanda Giglio
If you had the ability to travel back in time, would you take the opportunity? And what would be the consequences? This is exactly what we will be finding out in producer Michael Bay’s new film Project Almanac, in theaters Friday, Jan. 30.
Project Almanac stars a group of high school students who discover blueprints for a mysterious device and use the time machine to fix their past as well as improve their future. However, changing the past can hurt the future along the way.
In this movie, teens learn about the heights and pitfalls of time travel. Courtesy of Paramount
I had a chance to speak with some of the actors from the movie about the upcoming release and their experiences filming a sci-fi adventure film. Shot in found footage style, Project Almanac has the feel of home video recording, with characters often speaking off-screen as if they are filming. This style of filming is similar to Chronicle, a film from 2012 featuring teens with super powers. When asked about how it was to work and adapt to that film technique, everyone agreed that it was very different. No one in the cast had done it before, but they agreed it was a great learning experience and found it exciting to embrace the fourth wall while acting.
Not only was the filming a new experience, but working with Michael Bay was also new for most the actors. Johnny Weston (Chasing Mavericks), who plays David Raskin, compared him to a father-figure, always watching over the rest of them. “You know he will make it a great film, so you didn’t have to worry about the end product,” said Weston to The Fordham Ram in a conference call. Considering Michael Bay has produced amazing movies, such as Transformers and Pearl Harbor, this newest film has the potential to live up to the greats, but is the time travel aspect a little overdone?
Time travel has definitely been a popular subject in comedies, sci-fi thrillers and romances. Movies like Back to the Future and The Butterfly Effect had influence on the film; a discovery from the past that impacts the future holds true for the film itself and the time travel genre in general. However, the dynamic created by the group of friends and the romantic interests bring a new perspective to the genre.
Centered around a group of teenagers dealing with high school drama and romance, Project Almanac is relatable to the high school experience. When asked about his personal high school experience, Weston says he was the opposite of his character. He liked being around people, absorbed by life and the people in it. Relating back to the movie, his character’s addiction to the time machine is comparable to how people get addicted to anything in life. The cast explains how the film is believably written and easy to relate to your own life. As a feature film, it was harder for the cast to bond, as there was not much time to get to know each other, but they made the most of it and came out as a family just like in the film.
With the movie being released everywhere this Friday, the cast was extremely excited for the fans to see the movie they have worked so hard to make.
When asked what they would do if they could time travel in reality, the cast’s answers varied widely. Sofia Black D’Elia, playing Jessie, wanted to go back to 2008 to see the Giants beat the Jets. Sam Lerner, who played Quinn Goldberg, would love to win the lottery; while Weston defies all expectations and plans to go back to the prehistoric age and raise a baby veloceraptor. If you see this movie, you will probably come up with your own answer to this question.
