If you're a fan of Ray Bradbury's blend of fantasy and science fiction, you will undoubtedly find this small, endearing movie a pleasurable experience. The screenwriters do an exemplary job of incorporating hard science and child-like wonder into the story's DNA without bogging down the more intimate and important story of a family dealing with things beyond their understanding. The actors also do an exemplary job at playing believable human beings. This is something I rarely see in both family and science fiction films, with notable exceptions like ET and THE TERMINATOR. As a white, upper middle-class family they were entirely believable. The ideas regarding genetics, time travel, intellectual curiosity, and the endurance of humanity are refreshingly stimulating and thought-provoking. Some if it may go over your children's heads but there's enough whiz-bang to keep them planted in their seats.
Unfortunately, Bob Shaye's direction isn't up to fully rendering the subtleties and thrills of the script. His framing is ugly and claustrophobic, his staging is awkward, and his take on the futuristic world is downright uninspired. Had this been in the hands of someone like Tim Burton, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, or Brad Bird, this may well have been a tiny masterpiece.
Unfortunately, Bob Shaye's direction isn't up to fully rendering the subtleties and thrills of the script. His framing is ugly and claustrophobic, his staging is awkward, and his take on the futuristic world is downright uninspired. Had this been in the hands of someone like Tim Burton, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, or Brad Bird, this may well have been a tiny masterpiece.