12-10-2009
Remember when Eric Bana was interesting? When he was a hot, young-ish Aussie actor who'd just appeared in a "Hulk" film you weren't quite sure about, and was co-starring in that gay-ish Brad Pitt sword and sandals film... What happened? Time Travel.
Remember when Guy Pearce was a young, hot-shit Aussie actor with a spot-on American accent in "L.A. Confidential"? Remember how surprised we were to learn he wasn't American... What happened?
Time Travel.
Remember when Hugh Jackman was a sizzling hot-off-the-dirt-track-presses Aussie actor who'd seemingly come out of nowhere to be the perfect Wolverine? An overnight star and an overnight heartthrob...
HOWEVER
Time Travel had something to say about that.
Time Travel destroyed the movie-making careers of three hot young Aussies (and anyone else who went near it, apparently):
The Time Machine (G.P.)
The Time Traveler's Wife (E.B.)
The Fountain (H.J.)
Kate and Leopold (H.J.)
In the 1980's, one could produce a big budget film about time travel and make ridiculous bank. Hell, time travel could be the basis for a hit TV show!
What in the name of Banderas's Beard am I talking about? Take these, for example:
Back to the Future
Back to the Future II
Back to the Future III
Time Bandits
Quantum Leap
Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure
Classic '80s time traveling entertainment.
Unfortunately, the '80s are over... and so is Time Travel. Deader than John Hughes and Ally Sheedy.
Let's plot a line with two points. Point one will be called "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Point two will be called "The Lake House." These points are connected by a line we'll call "Keanu Reeves."
The line called "Keanu Reeves" tracks the fall of time travel as an entertainment subject that can entertain.
In the golden age of science fiction, time travel was a mind boggling concept that, when placed in a story, could instantly engage the interest of the reader/viewer. Now when you're in a dark theater, and you realize "time travel" is a major plot point in the trailer your watching, you get a feeling similar to the one you get when a relative is about to ask you for money: sick, empty, disappointed.
I suppose the flagging popularity of time travel in the '00s could possibly mark an increased preoccupation with the here and now by the masses; the world seems to be changing fast, and we can't take our eyes off it.
The present is a mouthful, in other words. The past and future... superfluous.
So, if you're an investor, and you'd like to lose millions of dollars, sink your money into a movie about time travel (or anything featuring Robin Williams in a uncredited part.)
If not, stay away from time travel! It's over baby!
