First off for my Time Travel research I thought it would be best to research into the whole idea and science behind it. I thought it would make me researching the topic a lot easier if I have a better grasp on what it is. Also it'll give me a better idea of whether the
Time at the moment can not move faster or slower than the speed it's already going. But as an idea there have been some rules that we might have to follow if it was actually possible. So lets begin shall we? The first theory we have of Time Travel is that it's a flexible time-line that can be re-written at will (McDonnald, C. 2011). This was the idea that was used in the famous films, "Back to the Future" by Robert Zemeckis (1985). So lets say for example you make a sandwich, you eat it and it was amazing. So amazing in fact that you want to eat it again, so you go back in time to eat it again. However, you going back in time was based on the decision that you wanted to eat your sandwich again before past you got to eat it, so now you have created a paradox and wiped yourself from time. Not to mention your past you never got to eat that amazing sandwich.
Another idea of Time Travel is a single fixed time line that can't be fixed. This idea was used famously in the film "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by Alfonso Cuaron (2004). This film was based of the book by J.K. Rowling which was published in 1999. Lets use the sandwich again shall we? Say you walk into a room and see lots of yummy sandwiches and you eat them all. They were so lovely that you want more so you decide to go into the kitchen and make more sandwiches. Once you've made them though you start to wonder where the other plate of sandwiches came from. You look down to see that the plate of sandwiches you've made now are exactly the same as the ones you eat. You quickly go back in time to the point before you eat the sandwiches and place them on the table so past you can eat them.
"To travel into the past, to observe it, perhaps to influence it and correct mistakes of one’s youth, has been an abiding fantasy of mankind for as long as we have been aware of a past." Time Travel? (Dese,S & Jackiw,R. 1992)
I think this quote really sums up to why the idea of Time Travel came to be and why it is so popular. It really explains to fundaments to why Time Travel was really invented. It was a way to correct our mistakes, to changes the paths we've made, to change our pasts to make a better future. We all want the best for ourselves and we always hope for a happy, healthy and easy life to enjoy. Unfortuently we don't always get that so this fantasy was made in the form of "Time Travel". I think it's one of the main reasons to why it's such a popular subject. It has even become a popular subject not only in genre but in science too. It has influenced many great scientists into researching this and trying to make it actually scientifically possible.
One way that science says that we could travel through time is with Wormholes.
"A wormhole is a hypothetical tunnel through space" The fabric of the cosmos (Greene, B. 2005)
As the quote explains a wormhole is a tunnel through space and time. It's not like a normal tunnel though. Say the English channel tunnel for example, the tunnel is already filling an existing space (under the water/earth) were as a wormhole is a tunnel through the fabric of space. If the English channel tunnel didn't exist the space were it was would still be there, if the space were the wormhole wasn't used for the wormhole that space would be destroyed and wouldn't exist. Slightly confusing I know so will get an image up.
What the hell is a Wormhole and why you might like to find out... (Kramer, R. 2000)
This is what you might think a Wormhole is but this is actually a wrong interpretation (Sorry Robbie Kramer). This is more of a accurate representation of a Wormhole;
The idea of wormholes originally came from Albert Einstein. In 1915 he created his theory of "General Relativity". In this theory he explains how the space-time can actually be curved by the influence of matter. This theory is used to explain everyday actions, such as how you don't feel like your moving when your travelling in a car.
"Einstein proposed that the measured interval between two events depends on how the observer is moving. Crucially, two observers who move differently will experience different durations between the same two events." -How to Build a Time Machine (Davies, P. 2006)
This quote sums up perfect what I mean about the theory of General Relativity. Time before Einstein was always seem as a solid principal, it couldn't be altered or moved. It was an absolute in science. It's quite interesting to think of how an event to one person looks different to another. It still kind of baffles me so I'm sorry if I have confused you. It's a very tricky subject to understand and it probably why scientists have such a hard time trying to do their research and work on solutions to it.
This idea of wormholes has become very popular in Science Fiction and is often used to explain how they can travel such large distances in such a small amount of time. One of the most popular examples is in "Star Trek" (Roddenberry, 1966) when they make the jump to "Warp Speed". This means that they have entered a wormhole and the space between the entrance and exit of the wormhole is the hyper space. It makes travelling around space very easy doesn't it?
Star Trek (Mirza, S. 2008)
As you can see the spaceship "the Enterprise" is travelling through space at an alarming rate. The stars are not dots but lines and the light is all distorted and stretched. This is the general idea to how wormholes would look if they were real. I personally feel like it's a great example to how it would actually look if you were travelling through a wormhole. The light would be altered like this due to Einstein's theory of General Relativity (1915), plus if travelling quickly they would be travelling near to (or even existing) the speed of light.
As you can see the spaceship "the Enterprise" is travelling through space at an alarming rate. The stars are not dots but lines and the light is all distorted and stretched. This is the general idea to how wormholes would look if they were real. I personally feel like it's a great example to how it would actually look if you were travelling through a wormhole. The light would be altered like this due to Einstein's theory of General Relativity (1915), plus if travelling quickly they would be travelling near to (or even existing) the speed of light.
Another example of wormholes being used for travel (rather than travelling through time) is the famous puzzle game, Portal (Valve, 2007). The game uses a gun that creates "portals". You can place the portals were ever you like and use them to get to ledges and areas you wouldn't be able to get on your own. It has taken this idea of wormholes and used it as a very clever mechanic in this game. The game has done very well and has even had a sequel, "Portal 2" (Valve, 2011), which won "Game of the Year" at Golden Joysticks this year (2011).
Portal (Mayes, T. 2010)
This proves that even small elements of Time Travel are just as popular as the idea its self. Portal (Valve, 2007) as a games series is very popular and has created a very large and dedicated fan base. They buy DLC, they buy merchandise, they buy soundtracks all based on the games. So far I seem to notice that the fundamental idea of Time Travel is popular and even small aspects of it are too. This is very promising for my research into the popularity and media of it!
Scientifically though the idea behind Einstein's wormholes is unfortuently unstable, such as Stephen Hawking. Scientists have taken this theory and worked on it, improving it and even made it some what possible. Travelling forward into the future is actually possible but traveling back into the past is a lot harder. Travelling forward in the future requires one thing, to travel to the speed of light. As soon as you hit that speed time begins to slow down for the person who is travelling that fast.
"Suppose that Sally and Sam are twins. Sally boards a rocket ship and travels at high speed to a nearby star, turns around and flies back to Earth, while Sam stays at home. For Sally the duration of the journey might be, say, one year, but when she returns and steps out of the spaceship, she finds that 10 years have elapsed on Earth. Her brother is now nine years older than she is. Sally and Sam are no longer the same age, despite the fact that they were born on the same day" -How to Build a Time Machine (Davies, P. 2002)
This means that Time Travel is very much possible, but only for the future. Infant, any rocket ship we have now could technically travel into the future in this way. This really excites me, the idea of Time Travel has suddenly become something that could technically become real. Sure it's not in an amazing way like in the films or books but it is technically and scientifically real. In the future we may be able to send a space shuttle up and conduct experiments to see if it's possible or not.
This uses Einstein's famous theory of "e=mc2".
E=mc2 (Jha, A. 2010)
"E=mc2 is an equation. As we have been at some pains to emphasize, to a physicist equations are a very convenient and powerful shorthand for expressing relationships between objects. In the case of E=mc2 the "objects" are energy (E), mass (m), and the speed of light (c)." -Why does E-mc2? (Cox, B. Forshaw, J. 2009)
I could go into all the scientific meaning into this but I would rather talk about the actual equation. Now many people know the famous equation of "E=mc2". I bet that you could go up to anyone on the street and 90% would know it. Not everyone would know exactly what it means though. To be honest I didn't know what it meant until I read up about it in a book. To me this is how I think Time Travel relates to everyone. They know about Time Travel but they don't know the science behind it, just like E=mc2.
The wormhole idea is the only way we have so far of travelling to the past. Unfortuently with wormholes though you can decide were they would end up, you could end up going back a few minutes to before you originally entered the wormhole or end up in a whole other universe and time! Plus wormholes aren't that big, for someone to be able to fit in one and travel through one it would have to be bigger. Stephen Hawking discovered that if you did create a wormhole big enough you would have the problem of light, particles and radiation passing through it. The more radiation that leaked through the more it would damage the wormhole and it would eventually collapse. Travelling to the past may be scientifically possible but it may not also be. I found this quote while reading a book;
"The general theory also tells us that it is impossible to travel back in time to a moment earlier than the moment that the time machine was invented, which may explain why there are no visitors from the future on Earth today." -In search of the Multiverse (Gribbin, J. 2010)
I do believe that the quote is true, if we in the future do invent a way to travel in time then why not inform ourselves in the past? Maybe due to morals or maybe due to paradoxes, maybe even due to the future being so horrible that we don't want to inform ourselves in the past? I'm not really too sure but we have the science to back up that travelling into the past is very difficult and may not be scientifically possible. Still if scientists have been trying to work out and solve if it is popular then it must be a popular and interesting subject to people. Why else would you research into it if it was boring and impossible?
I guess to show how popular the idea of Time Travel is I will tell a small story. When I first planned to do the word "Time Travel" for my research I asked whether my sister had any books relating to the matter. She walked into her bedroom and brought out a total of 6 books! She didn't do physics in school/college and did a degree in Psychology at University. I guess this proves that there is a large interest for, at least, books explaining the science behind the whole subject even if you don't have a educational background in the matter.
Not everyone reads books though, in fact now days books have unfortuently become less popular. For my media research to be complete I will take a lot into how popular it is in other media areas too.
All my sisters books (Bibby, E. 2011)
I have a feeling though that this subject will be very popular in all forms of media. If I was able to get my hands easily on 6 books about it I'm sure I can find several good examples of it's popularity in other media. Lets begin!
-:Jacob Von Hogflume:-
Recently a couple of guys by the name of Dave Askwith and Alex Normanton put up this plaques as a joke.
Jacob Von Hogflume Heritage Sign (OpenPlaques, 2011)
"Jacob Von Hogflume was said to have invented time travel and has been honoured with a blue plaque and was known to have lived in various parts of the UK before his death and after his death as well." (Chapmen, S. 2011)
It is based of their book "Signs of Life" (2005). The character is a Time Traveller who has lived in several places over several years. Jacob Von Hogflume is slowly become a popular fictional character and even has his very own Twitter account, with 332 followers (15/11/2011, this figure might have changed since then).
I really quite like this idea, I think it's genius! I quite like the idea of a caharcter such as Jacob going around in time and living in several places. I am curious to what the creators have in store next for Jacob. Maybe more photos of Jacob rather than plaques?
-:Hot Tub Time Machine:-
Hot tub Time Machine DVD cover (IMDB, 2010)
Screenshot of the stats of this movie taken on 03/12/2011 (IMDB, 2011)
Screenshot of the stats of this movie taken on 03/12/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
“The reviews for HTTM are clearly mixed and not
everyone will enjoy it.” (Morais, T. 2010)
“Hot Tub Time Machine hits the bull's-eye: it's
a rude, crude comedy with enough smarts and emotional sweetness to make it
completely entertaining. Seeking to bring some youthful optimism back to their
failed, miserable lives, three middle-aged guys--Adam (John Cusack), Nick
(Craig Robinson), and Lou (Rob Corddry)--go to a mountain resort where they
spent some of their wildest days (reluctantly dragging along Adam's nephew,
Jacob, played by newcomer Clark Duke). A drunken accident in the titular hot
tub sends them swirling back to 1986, where each of them decides to risk
changing the future (and possibly erasing Jacob from existence) by doing things
just a little differently. A plot summary doesn't capture the movie's
rambunctious, daffy spirit as much as… well, the ridiculous title: this is a
movie called Hot Tub Time Machine! Any expectation you may have will be met and
surpassed. John Cusack delivers another underplayed yet marvelously funny
performance, his best since High Fidelity; Clark Duke, from the TV show Greek,
proves a promising young comic talent. But the movie really belongs to Robinson
and Corddry, who've been floating around the edges of tons of comedies--some
have been good, some have been bad, but they've both been consistently funny
even in crappy movies. Hot Tub Time Machine gives them center stage and lets
them reveal the comic chaos they can deliver. It helps, but is not necessary,
to have lived through the '80s to find Hot Tub Time Machine exquisitely silly.”
(Fetzer, B. 2010)
The "Hot Tub Time Machine" (McEwan, R. 2010)
-:Back to the Future:-
The game's promotion poster (Lefkowitz, J, 2010)
Screenshot of the game's two main characters (McElroy, J. 2010)
-:Doctor Who:-
Reviews and ratings of the box set of "Doctor Who" series 6 (Amazon, 2011)
"This for me was a brillant series which not only had some great episodes and moments but also brought to an end the storyline of River Song who first came to our notice during the time of David Tennant and Russell T Davies." (Pennant, B. 2011)
"So, where does Doctor Who go from here? Obviously, it will continue and there's still a strong fan base who appreciates what Moffat has done with the show. But for me, I'm on the verge of switching off, and I don't think I'm the only one. The show now has too little of the charm or consistency that made it so special one time. We have the perfect Doctor in Matt Smith, who's sadly given too much lacklustre writing." (Wood, R. 2011)
A wallpaper of the two different Doctors (BBC, 2011)
This is a fan
created t-shirt by
Mallory Dyer and is a delightful pun on the wording of the show "Dr
Who". I found it on a site called “Threadless” which lets designers submit
their own designs to be printed on shirts. It shows all the Doctors from the
show in Owl form to link to the "Who" and "Hoo". This
design has been liked on Facebook over 27,000 times. It also scored an average
score of 3.95/5 and that was by 933 people (statistics taken on the 06/12/2011).
-:"Tardis" Lunch box:-
TARDIS - Doctor Who Lunch Box (unknown, no date)
-:Dr Who costumes:-
A collection of costumes I found on Amazon (Amazon, 2011)
Cosplaying the 11th Doctor (CaptainImaginary, 2011) Cosplaying the 10th Doctor (CaptainImaginary, 2010)
-:Tardis DVD cupboard:-
A Tardis style bookcase/DVD cupboard (Moulden, H. 2011)
A selection of images I found via Google by searching "Steampunk" (Google, 2011)
A "Steampunk" version of the "flux capacitor" from "Back to the Future" (Doctorow, C. 2007)
There's
a strong use of bold colours such as red, gold, brass and wood. It's
very industrial with exposed wires and cogs, showing the bare mechanics
of machines (rather than hiding all the technical parts of machinery
behind plastic like we do today). It's a very artistic sub gerne though
and it allows for great creativity for anything. I can see why people
tie Steampunk in with other gerne's like romance, it has an elegant and
old fashioned feel to it all.
-:The Girl who leapt through Time:-
-:The Time Travellers wife:-
The Time Travellers Wife (IMDB, 2009)
I'm starting to notice a theme here, there seems to be love ties with Time Travel. With the other film as well it was about a girl who could leap through time and ends up not being able to be with the guy she loves. This one is about a girl who can't be with the man she loves because he keeps travelling through time. Both have the same concept but with some little twists. It's quite interesting that the science fiction genre has been mixed with the romance genre.
-:Never Shout Never: Time Travel:-
-:Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time:-
The Wii cover of the game "Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time" (Amazon, 2010)
"In case you're confused, the latest game features those pesky Rabbids making mischief throughout the history of the world. Hopping from timeline to timeline in a washing machine (you couldn't have found a cooler ride, like a DeLorean?), the bunnies don't follow a storyline of any consequence; unlike the last endeavor, Rabbids Go Home. Instead, Travel in Time returns to its mini-game focused roots and you're dumped in a museum comprised of several hub worlds to explore." (Steimer, K. 2010)
The basis for the game is that these little creatures called "Rabbids" are able to travel through time in a washing machine. This forms the different areas that they can go to and play mini games in. This means that their is a wide selection of time era's that players can play through.
The ratings for the game "Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time" on 11/12/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
"Personally I would have preferred another Rabbids Go Home style game, with the same gameplay and control method, but Rabbids Travel In Time is more of a party game with lots of little sub-games. They're all pretty good fun, and there are some hilarious moments, but it's just not quite as good as I'd hoped." (Lake, S. 2011)
"This is a great game, loads of levels to complete. It's fun to play and quite addictive,it'll keep the kids(& adults)entertained for hours!" (Walter, J. 2011)
The reviews seem to be rather mixed. On an average it got 4 stars on Amazon but quite a few people still only gave it 2 or 3 stars.
I guess the fact that it's simply a mini game completing game means it has no story or drive for the player to want to complete it. I bet it's quite fun to play with friends and the mini games sounds quite silly. The fact that it has time travel in it too means that they could play games literally in any era of time. I quite like that idea but it seems like this game didn't really hit it off with players.
-:Rabbids 3D:-
The 3DS cover of the game "Rabbids 3D" (Amazon, 2011)
"Rabbids are going back in time again for their first 3DS game. The aim is simple in this side scrolling platformer - get your Rabbid to the end of each level, avoiding obstacles and defeating other Rabbids." (Scullion, C. 2011)
A screenshot of the game "Rabbids 3D" (Amazon, 2011)
The game also made it's way onto the 3DS in 2011. Well the same concept did anyway of them being able to travel through time. On the 3DS version though instead of playing mini games it was more of a side platformer. The top screen was the screen you looked as and saw your progression through the level. The bottom screen is used as a map and shows you were abouts you are in the level.
-:Rabbids merchandise:-
Rabbids travel in time full box (aimedhigh, No date)
This is an item I found on eBay. Each sale comes with 1 poster, 2 playing cards and 1 figure of a Rabbid.
Merchandise like this means that there is a market for this, plus merchandise like this will also promote the game. The poster looks quite good and shows the "rabbids" dressed from different time eras so show that the game has an element of Time Travel in it. This would defiently aim for more of a kids market than an adult market. This is mainly due to the bright colours and the cartoony like rabbits.
-:Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time-Travel Adventure:-
Coming soon...
Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time-Travel Adventure (Amazon, 2010)
This is the third book in a series of children’s stories from the writer Georgina Byng. The story is that she ends up travelling back in time and meeting her 3 year younger self.
The ratings of the book "Molly Moon's Hynotic Time-Travel adventure" from Amazon 12/11/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
"I thought this book was fantastic. It was action packed but 'child proof'!
There was not a dull moment and i couldn't put the book down. I have read all three books in the series and I am going to read 'Molly Moon's Hypnotic Holiday.' I hope it is as good as the other three." (Fortune, J. 2007)
With
this information does that mean that the book didn't do as well because of the
time travel? Unfortunately I won't know for sure as I haven't read the books.
Maybe time travel is a bit too complicated for a younger audience? The book did
get some good reviews too so I shouldn't forget that. The Time Travel in this
book seems to be the major point as the main character ends up going back in
time against her will. With this book it proves that there is a market though
for Time Travel and children. Even though I had already established this with
Doctor Who it proves that there's more Time Travel related things for the
child's market.
-:Star Trek:-
The poster for the movie "Star Trek" (IMDB, 2010)
The ratings of the film on Amazon on 11/12/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
"Many people are not happy with the new film but I really don't understand why? It is a fantastic way to refresh everything and while it rewrites history it is done in a completely explainable way and I look forward to many more films with hopefully the same actors who play their respective characters to perfection." (Pike, J. 2009)
"Abrams has also succeeded in doing something no previous Trek did - Star Trek is now sexy. The original crew we ancient by the time they started making films, and by the time they made Nemesis, the Next Generation crew had too many wrinkles and expanding waistlines. In this film, the hem lines of the skirts are that little big higher, Kirk is caught in bed with a green alien, and the USS Enterprise is very much suited to the iPod generation. The film is also quick paced and action packed, with some fantastic special effects." (MacLellan, C. 2009)
"But, I can understand why some people may not appreciate it; it is a big shift in concept and implementation: the film is VERY different from olde Star Trek. But frankly; get over it, Star Trek needed a rejuvenation, and this is a superb one." (McManus, C. 2009)
The movie first came out in cinema's in 2009 and was an instant hit. There hand't been a Star Trek in awhile and this was a new, interesting twist on the original series and characters.
"On the day of James Kirk's birth, his father dies on his ship in a last stand against a mysterious alien vessel. He was looking for Ambassador Spock, who is a child on Vulcan at that time, disdained by his neighbors for his half-human nature. Twenty-five years later, Kirk has grown into a young troublemaker inspired by Captain Christopher Pike to fulfill his potential in Starfleet even as he annoys his instructors like young Commander Spock. Suddenly, there is an emergency at Vulcan and the newly commissioned USS Enterprise is crewed with promising cadets like Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov and even Kirk himself thanks to Leonard McCoy's medical trickery. Together, this crew will have an adventure in the final frontier where the old legend is altered forever even as the new version of it is just beginning." (Chisholm, K. , No date)
(Warning, spoilers!)
The movie creating a whole new spin on the original series and characters by using the element of Time Travel. Spock from the future ended up travelling into the past by mistake. Another enemy also ends up travelling to the past and changing the course of history, creating an alternative future from the original Star Trek series. J.J. Abrams, who directed the film, has taken a new spin on the old franchise.
(Spoilers ended)
A toy replicate of the communicators they use in "Star Trek" 2009 (Amazon, 2011)
This toy is a replicate of a communicator from the Star Trek films. I found it on Amazon. It is £14.99 and plays sounds bites from the characters Spock and Captain Kirk. It also lights up.
From the reviews above I think the movie was that the franchise needed. It seemed to have become rather old fashioned and it needed a boost, an update, a re-visioning of it. I personally really loved the movie, it was visually very well made, had an amazing cast and a fantastic script. I think the modernisation of Star Trek was really needed and most of the fans seemed to love it. The element of Time Travel is used to link the old series of Star trek to this new movie, letting people who haven't seem anything to do with Star Trek a chance to see it's beginnings but at the same time being faithful to its old fans with well known characters that they love.
-:The Terminator:-
The poster of Terminator Salvation (IMDB. 2009)
The ratings of the film "Terminator Salvation" taken 11/12/2011 (IMDB. 2011)
"In 2003, in the Longview State Correctional Facility, the criminal Marcus Wright that is in the death row is convinced by the cancerous Dr. Serena Kogan to donate his body to her research and he accepts. In 2018, after an unsuccessful attack to a Skynet facility, only John Connor survives, but he discovers that Skynet is developing the powerful new model T-800. Out of the blue, Marcus appears naked and with amnesia in the location. Marcus befriends the teenager Kyle Reese and the girl Star that help him to survive to lethal machines and they travel together in a Jeep. Meanwhile the resistance discovers a signal that might turn-off the machines and John offers to test it. When Kyle is captured by a machine and brought to the Skynet headquarter, Marcus decides to help the youngster and heads to Skynet; on the way, he saves Blair Williams that suggests him to meet John Connor first. But Marcus steps on a mine and is submitted to a surgery, when a secret about his origins is disclosed." (Carvalho, C. No date)
The DVD cover of the film "Terminator Salvation" (Amazon, 2009)
The ratings of the film "Terminator Salvation" on Amazon on 11/12/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
"The film has some excellent special effects, the story is good and so is the acting. Connor could have been made more 'human' but he gets away with it. Theres even a brief performance by a familiar Terminator! Well worth watching and watching again." (Salter, J. 2010)
"Seriously. I dont know who decided on this awful combination. Christian bale and sam Worthington prove that not even good actors can make a bad movie good. The storyline for starters has more holes then swiss cheese." (Boets, N. 2010)
"Terminator Salvation is a very different movie compared to the first three, however this doess not mean it ruins the saga as many people have claimed. Besides, most fans feel that Terminator 3 already did that job. You would be best off thinking of this as the first in a new line of Terminator movies, a bit like the new Star Trek picture. Salvation is a basically a post-apocalyptic action movie based on the Terminator film, and a very good one." (Snow, N. 2010)
There seems to be a mixture of reviews with this film. The quote above states that this film also tried to take an existing franchise and try and create something new and interesting with it, just like with the "Star Trek" (Abrams, J. 2009). The look compared to the old "Terminator" is very different.
"Budget: $200,000,000 (estimated)
-:The Sarah Connor Chronicles:-
The "Terminator. The Sarah Connor Chronicles" promotional poster (IMDB, No date)
"This series is set after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. After the sacrifices of Dr. Miles Dyson and T-800 Model 101 Terminator, the Connors find themselves once again being stalked by Skynet's agents from the future. Realizing their nightmare isn't over, they decide to stop running and focus on preventing the birth of Skynet. With the aid of Cameron Phillips, a beautiful girl who has a mysterious past also linked to the future; Derek Reese, a Tech-Com soldier from the future whose past is linked with the Connors; Riley, a beautiful schoolfriend of John; and FBI Agent James Ellison, who was assigned to capture the Connors but joins them after his own encounter with one of the machines. They begin a quest to stop the United States military and a shadowy conspiracy from the future from creating the program that will stop at nothing to bring humanity to an end." (Ron. No date)
The DVD of "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" containing season 1&2 (Amazon, 2009)
The ratings of "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" DVD on Amazon on 11/12/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a TV show that ran from 2008-2009. The show unfortuently got axed due to poor TV ratings.
"The news that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been axed is about as shocking as finding blood on a slaughterhouse floor. The ratings were poor, and only got worse and when fans finally get done bombarding the Fox offices with ball bearings, or whatever other doomed scheme they come up with to keep the series going, the finger pointing will undoubtedly begin." (Turton, S. 2009)
The show seemed to have fantastic ratings from both Amazon and IMDB though. It seems surprising that the show has been axed.
"What a surprise this was, I was looking for some TV series to watch and bought this, Dollhouse and Fringe... I have to say i didn't expect this to be the best of the 3! In fact this has turned out to be the best TV series I have seen for years, probably since Firefly, another cancelled series, same network!" (Riches, M. 2011)
"I like the series, sad, that it has been cancelled in the States. Fine price, both seasons in this box. Glad to have it." (Janda, A. 2010)
"The Sarah Connor Chronicles however evokes a feeling which was strangely lacking in T3. Excitement. The idea of ignoring the events of the third movie, which this series seems to be running with, seems a wise move. I enjoyed every moment of the pilot immensely." (Anderson, A. 2007)
After reading the reviews left by fans it seems to have been a very good show and was a great lead off from the movies. The reviews too were very kind and it seemed to have been received greatly. It's unfortunate that the show was axed after only just a year. Maybe the genre wasn't appealing enough for people, or many people weren't too keen on the idea of a TV series based off the films. Unfortuently the element of Time Travel doesn't seem to be used in this at all. Wel the Terminators come from the future, like they always do, but nothing more is added. The characters themselves don't seem to be able to travel through time and neither can the Terminators. It's a shame that this is the case but I thought I would research into it anyway due to it relating to The Terminator.
-:Jacob Von Hogflume:-
Recently a couple of guys by the name of Dave Askwith and Alex Normanton put up this plaques as a joke.
Jacob Von Hogflume Heritage Sign (OpenPlaques, 2011)
"Jacob Von Hogflume was said to have invented time travel and has been honoured with a blue plaque and was known to have lived in various parts of the UK before his death and after his death as well." (Chapmen, S. 2011)
It is based of their book "Signs of Life" (2005). The character is a Time Traveller who has lived in several places over several years. Jacob Von Hogflume is slowly become a popular fictional character and even has his very own Twitter account, with 332 followers (15/11/2011, this figure might have changed since then).
I really quite like this idea, I think it's genius! I quite like the idea of a caharcter such as Jacob going around in time and living in several places. I am curious to what the creators have in store next for Jacob. Maybe more photos of Jacob rather than plaques?
-:Hot Tub Time Machine:-
“I went to a screening of this
film and didn't expect very much out of it. However, this is probably one of
the funniest movies I've seen in a while. I laughed almost the entire length of
the movie, which is something that hasn't happened in a long time.” (Benedict, M. 2010)
“I had the misfortune of seeing
this stinker because a friend wanted to go. I paid for the tickets and ninety
minutes later my friend kept apologizing for the time and money wasted. Perhaps
what makes "Hot Tub Time Machine" such a poor excuse for a movie is
that it's lazy from start to finish.” (Hunter, S. 2010)
“Is the film perfect? No. Chevy
Chase is wasted in a brief cameo, and without sounding like too much of a
prude, the humor is a little crude for my tastes. Still, in terms of recent
comedies, viewers could do a lot worse.” (Bateson, E. 2010)
This movie came out in cinema’s
in 2010 and was directed by Steve Park. Unfortunately the film didn’t do that
well, the ratings on both websites show that it wasn’t popular. The film was
also only nominated for 2 awards and didn’t win any of them. It did however
gross over $50,000,000 so it did make some money.
I remember seeing the trailer for
this while I was at the cinema watching another film and to be honest it didn’t
stand out to me. My interest peaked when I saw it had the word “Time Machine”
in it but when I saw it was this it didn’t interest me. That could be just my
own opinion but after looking at the ratings I think my opinion is shared with
other people. Rather than the film purely focusing on the idea of Time Travel I
think the Time Travelling is just used as a humorous plot to set up the movie.
On amazon it says the genres as Adventure, Comedy and Sci-fi but I really don’t
see much Sci-fi at all. I think this is just another movie, which is poorly
thought out and made. This proves that the idea of Time Travel is popular
though if it can be taken and used in a different kind of film. There’s a still
a demand for Time Travel if they’re making films about it, I think the films
just need to be thought out better. It basically used the plot of “Back to the
Future” (Zemeckis, 1985).
-:Back to the Future:-
The Back to the Future movie (Zemeckis, 1985) was
originally released back in 1985 but it’s still very popular today (I covered
the whole trilogy in my Past research). There are some things that have come
out recently that are based on the original trilogy.
The Back to the Future Trilogy Limited Edition Collectors Tin (Bateman, O'Connor. Unknown)
“If Back To The Future is not the
greatest film trilogy ever made, it's certainly the most fun. And the first
film at least is, without a doubt, the greatest time travel comedy in the
history of film. Hell, it's one of the best films of all time, period. Even in
an era of sweating assets, of maximizing every last dollar out of a film's
life, who could possibly deny the remastering, the cinematic re-release and
Blu-ray release of such a classic series of films?” (Bateman, J. O’Connor, S. 2010)
This special edition of the 3
classic films was release in 2010 to mark the 25th anniversary of
the first “Back to the Future” film. The films have been digitally re-mastered and
put onto Blue Ray DVD so people have easier access to watching them. This
limited edition tin came with lots of extras, replicas from the movie.
“…which also includes a
DeLorean blueprint, Outtatime number plate, Gray's Sports Almanac, Save The
Clocktower poster, Lenticular photo of Marty's family, two double-sided
exclusive posters, four newspaper pages, five DeLorean Artcards, six Hoverboard
artcards, and a photo of Doc and Marty with the original clock in 1885.” (Bateman, J. O’Connor, S. 2010)
Screenshot of the stats of this movie taken on 03/12/2011 (Amazon, 2011)
-:Shoes:-
The Nike trainers (Svetli, J. 2011)
“A total of 1,500 pairs of the
new Nike Mag shoes will be made and put up for auction on eBay, with proceeds
being donated to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research. They will be exact replicas of
the shoes the actor's character Marty McFly wore a on a visit to the year 2015
in the film. But unlike the fictional pair the
Nike trainers won’t lace themselves. "It hasn't gone unnoted by
us that there is something special about that shoe and, of course, the
movie," said Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, who helped design the
original film shoe and worked on the latest version. Nike's version of the shoe has
been long awaited by shoe collectors and movie fans, who have been urging the
company to make them ever since the film was released.” (Allen, N. 2011)
Auctions of the shoes (Kee, E. 2011)
The shoes were created to raise
money for Micheal.J.Fox’s charity. He was the main leading actor in the movie
trilogy who unfortunately developed Parkinson’s disease. The shoes each started
a bidding of $0.99 and only 1,500 pairs were made. As you can se from the
image, the shoes went up to amazing amounts of money, all in aid of charity.
They raised millions in the end.
Youtube video promoting the shoes (NikeB4TF, 2011)
Ratings of the video on Youtube, taken on 03/12/2011 (NikeB4TF, 2011)
They also created a video to
promote the selling of the shoes, making it link to “Back to the Future” films
as much as possible. It started Christopher Lloyd who played the original “Doc”
from the films and was filmed at the same location as the films took place. In
the video it shows the shoes lighting up too.
The original pair from the film "Back to the Future II" (Sager, M. 2011)
The shoes had some interesting features, they lit up on a battery (just like in the movie) and looked pretty much dead on to the original pair. The creation of the shoes shows that Mr. Fox knew how popular this movie triology was and used that popularity to help raise millions for his charity. The amounts of money people were bidding prove that there was a very high demand to buy a pair, making them limited edition to only 1,500 pushed the numbers up even higher. I can honestly say if I had a good $4,000 spare I would have bought a pair.
-:Auctions:-
(eBay seller heikiest, 2011)
“Amazing BACK TO
THE FUTURE Prop - Collection – BTTF”
This auction was for 17 different replica props that were based from all
three films. It was mainly paper props like letters, articles, book covers and
photographs but that didn’t stop it having 18 bids! The final total was for
£28.00 (£3.15 for post and package)
(eBay seller lady-loves-vintage, 2011)
“Vintage Back to the Future Board
Game 1990”
This item was first brought out
in 1990 and is a board game based off the third, and final movie, of Back to
the Future. The item is currently still in auction but already has 12 bids on
it at an amazing £32.00 (£4.00 post and package). I’ll update the final number
when the auction has ended.
(eBay seller will_valley, 2011)
“BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III
Japanese remote control Delorean”
Unfortunately the seller doesn’t
say when this item was released but apparently it was only available in Japan.
This little remote control car is based off the Delorean in the third film. Again
this is another auction that is on going but right now the total is £18.50 with
18 bids on the item so far (£4.00 post and package).
(eBay seller simmcard, 2011)
“BACK TO THE FUTURE GENUINE HAND
SIGNED BY CAST 61x91cm POSTER (RARE)”
The seller doesn’t state who’s
signatures they are but claims that it’s signed by different cast and crew
members from the trilogy. The auction is at £82.00 and had 16 bids on it at the
moment (£6.99 for post and package)
All these auctions show that
there is a very, very high demand for any item that relates to the film. These
auctions are getting huge amount of bids and money for them. It shows that
people are digging these old things out of their closets and selling them, they
wouldn’t throw them away if they were worth this amount of money. The “Back to
the Future” trilogy was generally an amazing film, which had a huge audience.
The love of these films is still strong in people today and they will bid huge
amounts of money to get a slice of original goodies.
-:Back to the Future, The Game:-
“Telltale was one of the first
developers to crack a profitable model for episodic gaming, thanks to an
inspired reboot of the Sam & Max franchise. Now the same trick is applied
to the far bigger property of Robert Zemeckis's movie trilogy, with five downloadable
episodes to be released throughout 2011.” (Anderiesz, M. 2010)
"If you love the Back to the Future movies, you
might be able to get past these technical bugs. Somewhere in this mess is an
incredible game, and I have seen flashes of it. But unfortunately, flashes do
not make for a complete experience, and for that, Back to the Future: The Game
on Wii will always be a swing and a miss.” (Hueber, J. 2011)
Telltale games released a series
of episodes for this game “Back to the Future, The Game”. It was released back
in 2010 and was for Mac/PC/PS3/Wii. The game was released in episodes and
spanned over 5 different episodes. It’s a classic point and click game with
puzzles for the player to solve. The story of the game takes place after the
third film and the Delorean ends up coming back and without a driver. Marty
must go back in time to see a young Doc Brown to sort out once and for all why
the Time machine appeared.
I’ve not played the game myself
but I’ve heard both good and bad about it. I would personally love to play this
game; the visuals look great and the cartoon style links well with the
franchise. Telltale was very lucky to
get the license to make this game. They could see the popularity of the game
was still strong and saw an empty place in the games market. The market hadn’t
seen a back to the future game for quite sometime (as I covered in my past research)
and knew the title would sell it.
-:Back to the Future, The Card Game:-
Cover of the pack of cards (Amazon, no date)
“Now you can jump into the action
of the Back to the Future movies, with this ingenious new time travel card
game! Your mission is to make sure pivotal events are not changed by other time
travelers before time travel itself gets un-invented. Using a unique, patented
game mechanic for simulating time travel, Andrew Looney now puts you in the
driver's seat of the famous DeLorean. Jump into the seat of the famous Delorean
and travel back in time to the events from the Back To The Future movies. As a
descendant of Marty, Biff, Doc, or others, you must alter history to ensure
your own existence -- then win the game by un-inventing time-travel itself.
Back To The Future: The Card Game is a fast, exciting, time travel card game
for 2-6 players. Cards are laid out to form a timeline of events, and players
use various items and time machines to change circumstances to achieve their
personal realities.” (Unknown, no date)
This card game was released in
2011 and is based on all three of the movies. You can play as a variety of characters
and it’s for 2-6 players. It’s a more complicated card game with the age being
11+ on the product. As the description says above you have to make sure events
in time are not altered by other players.
“Ive always been a fan of Back to the Future, and more recently of Fluxx
( another game by the same creators) which is fantastic, so I had to buy this
when I found out about it. It didn't let me down. It is perhaps a little
complicated for a person who has never played this kind of games before, but
you learn by playing and then it is really fun! I recommend it especially to
fans of the movies!” (Dandelion, Amazon customer. 2011)
“It's a terrific game, highly
portable, as durable as any deck of cards, and recommended for anyone who likes
time travel, Back To The Future, or both!” (Bugher, A. 2011)
“I got this game for myself,
being a fan of simple card games and reading a review for it that compared it
to Chrononauts, a very similar game by Looney Labs. Chrononauts was a little
too complicated for my family, but the review stated that BttF was a much
better constructed game and made it a little simpler. It was right! I taught
this game to my whole family (young and old) and we had a blast playing it.
Very nice art, great simple mechanics and a good variety of cards has made this
one of our favorite games.” (Webster, G. 2011)
Based on the reviews I found on
Amazon of the product all the customers originally bought the item because they
are a fan of the original movies. This proves that the movies have a huge fan
base that will buy products that relate to it. There is a market place for
anything “Back to the Future” related and that could be because of the element
of the show that is Time Travel. It’s a popular topic in many different medias today.
-:Doctor Who:-
Doctor Who is a TV show that’s been running for almost 50 years
now. It a TV show with a science fiction/action genre about an alien Time Lord
called "The Doctor". He travels through time and space to help others
on distant planets or even closer to home. The show is very popular and is one
of BBC's most popular shows. The show has many iconic items and themes in it
which makes the merchandise for the show very vast! I'll show a few iconic and
modern items that are for sale right now.
The show has not only become a popular TV series in England but has been received very well all over the world, including America and Europe. Due to the international launch of BBC Worldwide and the internet it has become easier for people to watch shows world wide thanks to new technology. This has given the show a great boost as well gained more, faithful followers.
"Since the show started in 1963 Doctor WHo has remained for nearly 50 years THE pioneer show for the BBC, to date it is a title that has not been touched. It is a landscape, an icon, a brand that has sustained popularity, turmoils and tribulations and into every era of the show has ensured a generation of audiences have a reason to be in awe of it and "hide behind the sofa". In 2010 we saw a new timelord cast as The Doctor. And since The Eleventh Hour he was indeed MY personal doctor...the one that made me love the show like never before. YES I am talking about the fabulous Matt Smith! Not only that but we had the introduction of Karen as the electrifying Amy Pond and a style that reflected a "Dark Dreamlike Fairytale Universe"." (Pinder, S. 2011)
The newest DVD series of Doctor Who (Amazon, 2011)
"Doctor Who was BBC Worldwide's biggest-selling TV show internationally last year and, along with brands including Top Gear, Lonely Planet, the international version of Strictly Come Dancing and BBC Earth, helped earn more than £300m in revenue.
The exploitation of everything from TV programmes to live events, DVDs and magazines for the five BBC power brands raked in £308.1m in revenue for BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, in the year to the end of March." (Sweney, M. 2011)
The show has not only become a popular TV series in England but has been received very well all over the world, including America and Europe. Due to the international launch of BBC Worldwide and the internet it has become easier for people to watch shows world wide thanks to new technology. This has given the show a great boost as well gained more, faithful followers.
"The Doctor Who franchise made the biggest value leap last year with revenue climbing 49%, thanks to significant growth in the US. BBC Worldwide has seen a 45% increase in DVD and download-to-own sales, with Doctor Who the third-biggest seller in the US iTunes chart behind Mad Men and Glee.
Sales also increased in Europe, moving the revenue mix to 50% from outside the UK. In the previous year 70% of revenues had come from sales of Doctor Who DVDs and merchandise in its home market."
(Sweney, M. 2011)
"Since the show started in 1963 Doctor WHo has remained for nearly 50 years THE pioneer show for the BBC, to date it is a title that has not been touched. It is a landscape, an icon, a brand that has sustained popularity, turmoils and tribulations and into every era of the show has ensured a generation of audiences have a reason to be in awe of it and "hide behind the sofa". In 2010 we saw a new timelord cast as The Doctor. And since The Eleventh Hour he was indeed MY personal doctor...the one that made me love the show like never before. YES I am talking about the fabulous Matt Smith! Not only that but we had the introduction of Karen as the electrifying Amy Pond and a style that reflected a "Dark Dreamlike Fairytale Universe"." (Pinder, S. 2011)
"This for me was a brillant series which not only had some great episodes and moments but also brought to an end the storyline of River Song who first came to our notice during the time of David Tennant and Russell T Davies." (Pennant, B. 2011)
"So, where does Doctor Who go from here? Obviously, it will continue and there's still a strong fan base who appreciates what Moffat has done with the show. But for me, I'm on the verge of switching off, and I don't think I'm the only one. The show now has too little of the charm or consistency that made it so special one time. We have the perfect Doctor in Matt Smith, who's sadly given too much lacklustre writing." (Wood, R. 2011)
-:Sonic Screw Driver:-
Doctor Who Matt Smith The Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver (Amazon, 2011)
The
Sonic Screw Driver is a device that the main character, the Doctor,
uses in his adventures. It's able to unlock any door and detect life
forms, as well as hack into computers. The only thing the item doesn't
work on is wood, which is used as a comical side of the Doctor. It's not
a weapon, its a screw driver.... but sonic! The device opens up at the
top and glows a green light. It also makes a weird noise which changes
pitch depending on what it is doing. This is the toy version which is available to buy from any good toy shop or online. It's a great little toy
for kids who want to be just like the Doctor.
If I
was younger and was a fan of Doctor Who I would defiently ask for this
from my parents. It looks so cool with it's unusual design and the fact
it makes light and noise is always fun. It's great for kids to be
creative and use their imaginations to play and pretend to be the Doctor. I
really like the design of it and the colour sceme works well together.
It has a very science fiction feel to it and looks like something out of
"Star Trek".
-:The "Tardis" mug:-
A mug in the shape of the Tardis (Amazon, 2011)
The Tardis is a big, blue police box which the Doctor uses to
travel through time and space. It's a lot larger on the inside and contains all
the Doctors machinery to make his travelling possible. It's a very iconic part
of the series and is very popular in modern day culture. Even people who don't
watch the series know the name of it, that’s how well known it is. Of course
there is a LOT of merchandise being sold with its image on and here's a few.
This is a Tardis mug. It's a mug the shape of the blue box and has a lid for
it.
-:"Doctor Hoo" t-shirt:-
Doctor "Hoo" t-shirt (Dyer, M. 2010)
A close up of the t-shirt design (Dyer, M. 2010)
Here is a Tardis Doctor Who lunch
box I found. It had the image of the Tardis printed on both sides of this tin
lunch box. The name of the show, Doctor Who, is printed on the side so others
can see what it is from.
Here is a collection of costumes
I found while doing a search on Amazon. The costumes are for both children and
adults and are for fancy dress. They consist of Darleks, Cyber Men and the
Doctor himself. These are just store bought costumes and are very cheaply made
but some fans take it to the next level and dress up like Doctor Who
professionally.
A Doctor Who and Rose cosplayer (Nobles, J. 2011)
“His portrayal of David Tennant is one of the
most recognized on the internet, his picture often times being confused for the
actor himself.” (Aesthetic, 2011)
Cosplaying the 11th Doctor (CaptainImaginary, 2011) Cosplaying the 10th Doctor (CaptainImaginary, 2010)
These two people are
“cosplaying”. Cosplay means costume and play, when you dress up as a character
just for fun that’s not for fancy dress. You portray the character and become
them.
These two people prove that the
fan base of Doctor Who is willing to spend money to make costume and look just
like the characters. They love the characters so much that they want to be
them. I think these are great examples of how popular this show is, also these
two have done some amazing work. They both pull off the characters really well
with an uncanny likeness.
-:Tardis DVD cupboard:-
“I just wanted to share a project
that me and my Dad (but mostly my Dad!) have been working on for the past few
months during odd weekends and evenings. We are both model builders and love a
bit of woodwork so when I mentioned to my Dad that I could do with a new
bookcase for my DVD collection he decided to build me a Tardis to keep my
collection in, after all I'd never run out of room in one of those!” (Moulden, H. 2011)
A fan of Doctor Who decided to
convert their old bookcase into the look of the Tardis from the show, Doctor Who.
The front is based off the front of the Tardis and even had the light up “Police
box” sign at the top.
This is a good example of how
dedicated the fans are to the show. The show has become very popular among
people and people are influenced by the show. This fan went as far as to make
this Tardis book case from scratch. I like the bit where she mentions that she’d
never run out of space if she put her stuff in here. The Tardis in the show is
huge on the inside and is a funny joke relating to that.
-:ALT1997, We are not Time Travellers:-
"What would you do if you could travel back in time? Assassinate Marilyn Monroe? Go on a date with Hitler? Obviously. But here's what I'd do after that: grab all the modern technology I could find, take it to the late 70's, superficially redesign it all to blend in, start a consumer electronics company to unleash it upon the world, then sit back as I rake in billions, trillions, or even millions of dollars." (Varanese, 2010)
-:SteamPunk:-
-:ALT1997, We are not Time Travellers:-
I found this while I was looking for more examples of Time Travel.
Alex Varanese is a freelance Graphic Designer from San Franisco, California in
America. He's created designs for big companys such as Nike and Playboy. He's
also a fan of the film trilogy "Back to the Future" as his profile
picture on his website is him dressed as the main character, Marty McFly.
Enough about the designer though, I want to talk about some work he created. He
created a 14 pieces series on the 17/06/2010 called "ALT1997, We are not
Time Travellers".
"What would you do if you could travel back in time? Assassinate Marilyn Monroe? Go on a date with Hitler? Obviously. But here's what I'd do after that: grab all the modern technology I could find, take it to the late 70's, superficially redesign it all to blend in, start a consumer electronics company to unleash it upon the world, then sit back as I rake in billions, trillions, or even millions of dollars." (Varanese, 2010)
A selection of posters (Varanese, 2010)
Here are just a few from the other 14 that he created. The whole
idea behind these designs are "What if we travelled back in the past,
taking our modern technology and making money out of it?". This means many
of the items have a wood finish to them and the same colours and type fonts
that were most popular back in the 1970's.
“I've
explored that idea in this series by re-imagining four common products from 2010
as if they were designed in 1977: an mp3 player, a laptop, a mobile phone and a
handheld video game system. I then created a series of fictitious but
stylistically accurate print ads to market them, as well as a handful of
abstract posters (you know, just for funsies).” (Varanese, 2010)
I
really like these images he's created and like that the initial idea of Time
Travel inspired him to create these. He's really kept the authenticity of the
items, the designs and colours from the 70's are still very well-known due to
it only being 40 years ago, plus vintage and retro designs are very popular in today’s
culture. The idea of using Time Travel in something could mean that it
could come from any time era which really opens it up for designers. There
always seems to be an element of futuristic technology through or at least the technology
needed to Time Travel. I could expand my research further into the idea of
mixing modern day technology with other eras of time, showing a complete
contrast in the original concept of Science Fiction.
Steampunk is
a hard thing to explain as it can mean a few things to many people. One way to
describe is that it's a sub-genre of science fiction. It uses the technology
from the 19th century (and the main power source; Steam) and mixes it with a
rebellious side towards it (in other words, the "punk")
“In three short words, steampunk is
Victorian science fiction. Here “Victorian” is not meant to indicate a specific
culture, but rather references a time period and an aesthetic: the
industrialized 19th century. Historically, this period saw the development of
many key aspects of the modern world (mechanized manufacturing, extensive
urbanization, telecommunications, office life and mass-transit), and steampunk
uses this existing technology and structure to imagine an even more advanced
19th century, often complete with Victorian-inspired wonders like steam-powered
aircraft and mechanical computers.” (Flaksen, G. 2009)
It really
can apply its self in several different Medias. It has a very unique visual
style to it though; it's very recognisable as well as very noticeable.
Steampunk has been applied to several different things: books, films, comics,
video games, graphic novels, TV shows, costume and much more.
“To me, it’s essentially the intersection of technology and romance.” (Slatt, J. No date)
“In some sense,
steampunk has existed since the 19th century. The Victorian period had its own
science fiction, perhaps most famously embodied by the works of Jules Verne and
H. G. Wells, and throughout the 20th century there have been later-day science
fiction stories set in the Victorian period. However, the term “steampunk” was
not coined until the late 1980s, when author K. W. Jeter used it humorously to
describe a grouping of stories set in the Victorian period written during a
time when near-future cyberpunk was the prevailing form of science fiction.” (Flaksen, 2009)
A "Steampunk" version of the "flux capacitor" from "Back to the Future" (Doctorow, C. 2007)
-:The Girl who leapt through Time:-
The girl who leapt through time
is a film about a young girl who has the ability to leap through time.
With her new powers she tries to alter time to her advantage but
unfortuently it doesn't turn out the way she wanted it to. The more she
leaps through the less leaps she has left and realises she has a
strange, numbered tattoo on her arm. It slowly counts down to just a few
leaps left, with her last ones she tries to fix all the things she did
wrong. In the end she ends up losing the person she loves and he gives
up his last leap for her. The art style is very Japanese with the manga characteristics (the big eyes and little nose). The film was realised in
2006 in Japan.
The Girl who leapt through time (IMDB, 2008)
It
sounds like a very moving story and full of emotion and romance. It
also shows the consequences of time travel and how sometimes in the end
its better to leave everything to fate rather than trying to change and
alter it. It's a very interesting way to travel through time though and I
think it's one of the first examples where the person doesn't use a
vehicle, they can travel through time on their own. -:The Time Travellers wife:-
The
Time Travellers wife is a film that was released on 14th August 2009. It's a
romance, drama, science fiction about a Chicago librarian who has some sort of
gene that makes him travel through time without his control. It tells a story
about who this makes his relationship with his wife difficult. The film was
originally based off a book released in 2003 and written by Audrey
Niffenegger.
I'm starting to notice a theme here, there seems to be love ties with Time Travel. With the other film as well it was about a girl who could leap through time and ends up not being able to be with the guy she loves. This one is about a girl who can't be with the man she loves because he keeps travelling through time. Both have the same concept but with some little twists. It's quite interesting that the science fiction genre has been mixed with the romance genre.
-:Never Shout Never: Time Travel:-
Never Shout Never, Time Travel album cover (Never Shout Never, 2011)
"I was never a big Never Shout Never fan pre Time Travel. I thought that Christopher Drew was a one trick pony when it comes to his first project (he also does dubstep under the name GONZO, and has a rock act eatmewhileimhot!). Thankfully, Time Travel has changed my perception, as this acid trip down memory lane has stuck itself in my head more than any ukulele song Drew could ever sing. I’m incredibly excited for what Never Shout Never has up their sleeves for a follow-up. Hopefully, it’s something like this." (Alan. 2011)
I unfortuently wasn't able to find out who exactly created the cover of the album "Time Travel". The art work has a "aged" look to it, with the tea stained paper and the typefont. The art work is very detailed and neat with lots of clocks and other designs inside this sort of "shield" shape. For the tour the band also released merchandise you could buy such as this t-shirt.
Time Travel Cover T-Shirt (Never Shout Never, 2011)
The music it's self has nothing to do with the idea or theme of Time Travel at all. The album I think it just called that and they've based artwork off that theme. I personally love the design of the cover; it's eye catching, colourful and very well drawn. I really only found this album due to searching fr things with the title "Time Travel" in them. It was quite a shame they didn't sing songs about time travel but this does show that the title of it still has a link to the feel of it to. I mean that the cover it very "Time Travel" relating due to the "vintage" look and all the clocks.-:Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time:-
"In case you're confused, the latest game features those pesky Rabbids making mischief throughout the history of the world. Hopping from timeline to timeline in a washing machine (you couldn't have found a cooler ride, like a DeLorean?), the bunnies don't follow a storyline of any consequence; unlike the last endeavor, Rabbids Go Home. Instead, Travel in Time returns to its mini-game focused roots and you're dumped in a museum comprised of several hub worlds to explore." (Steimer, K. 2010)
The basis for the game is that these little creatures called "Rabbids" are able to travel through time in a washing machine. This forms the different areas that they can go to and play mini games in. This means that their is a wide selection of time era's that players can play through.
"Personally I would have preferred another Rabbids Go Home style game, with the same gameplay and control method, but Rabbids Travel In Time is more of a party game with lots of little sub-games. They're all pretty good fun, and there are some hilarious moments, but it's just not quite as good as I'd hoped." (Lake, S. 2011)
"This is a great game, loads of levels to complete. It's fun to play and quite addictive,it'll keep the kids(& adults)entertained for hours!" (Walter, J. 2011)
The reviews seem to be rather mixed. On an average it got 4 stars on Amazon but quite a few people still only gave it 2 or 3 stars.
I guess the fact that it's simply a mini game completing game means it has no story or drive for the player to want to complete it. I bet it's quite fun to play with friends and the mini games sounds quite silly. The fact that it has time travel in it too means that they could play games literally in any era of time. I quite like that idea but it seems like this game didn't really hit it off with players.
-:Rabbids 3D:-
"Rabbids are going back in time again for their first 3DS game. The aim is simple in this side scrolling platformer - get your Rabbid to the end of each level, avoiding obstacles and defeating other Rabbids." (Scullion, C. 2011)
The game also made it's way onto the 3DS in 2011. Well the same concept did anyway of them being able to travel through time. On the 3DS version though instead of playing mini games it was more of a side platformer. The top screen was the screen you looked as and saw your progression through the level. The bottom screen is used as a map and shows you were abouts you are in the level.
-:Rabbids merchandise:-
This is an item I found on eBay. Each sale comes with 1 poster, 2 playing cards and 1 figure of a Rabbid.
Merchandise like this means that there is a market for this, plus merchandise like this will also promote the game. The poster looks quite good and shows the "rabbids" dressed from different time eras so show that the game has an element of Time Travel in it. This would defiently aim for more of a kids market than an adult market. This is mainly due to the bright colours and the cartoony like rabbits.
-:Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time-Travel Adventure:-
Coming soon...
This is the third book in a series of children’s stories from the writer Georgina Byng. The story is that she ends up travelling back in time and meeting her 3 year younger self.
"They can't
keep Molly from being hypnotized by the pug-napper, who takes her back
in time to nineteenth-century India where she actually sees herself
three years younger. Molly and Petula meet the kidnapper's master, Waqt, a time-traveling
giant who is angry because he wanted Molly Moon at a younger age ---
before she became a hypnotist --- so he could foil her previous
adventure in which she inadvertently ruined his plans to make his patsy
president of the United States." (Shannon, M. No date)
"I thought this book was fantastic. It was action packed but 'child proof'!
There was not a dull moment and i couldn't put the book down. I have read all three books in the series and I am going to read 'Molly Moon's Hypnotic Holiday.' I hope it is as good as the other three." (Fortune, J. 2007)
"Th first 2 books in the Molly moon series were very good and (only
almost) believable. but by the time Georgia Byng gets to the 3rd book
in the series the plots are getting wilder and wilder, more fairytale
and more plain ridiculus. When you say time travel to someone they
would say something like Dr. who but never hypnotism- when I read this
book i thought the author had just ran out of ideas. I still read the
book to the end because it was well written, but this book is definitely
not of the same ranking as the other 2." (Viki, 2007)
The
book is aimed for 8-12 year olds. From the reviews I found on Amazon there
seems to be a mixture of reviews about this book. The book doesn't seem to have
rated amazingly but at the same time it hasn't done badly either. From the
sounds of the reviews the older books seemed to be better.
-:Star Trek:-
The DVD over of the film "Star Trek" (Amazon, 2009)
The ratings of the film on IMDB on 11/12/2011 (IMDB, 2011)
"Many people are not happy with the new film but I really don't understand why? It is a fantastic way to refresh everything and while it rewrites history it is done in a completely explainable way and I look forward to many more films with hopefully the same actors who play their respective characters to perfection." (Pike, J. 2009)
"Abrams has also succeeded in doing something no previous Trek did - Star Trek is now sexy. The original crew we ancient by the time they started making films, and by the time they made Nemesis, the Next Generation crew had too many wrinkles and expanding waistlines. In this film, the hem lines of the skirts are that little big higher, Kirk is caught in bed with a green alien, and the USS Enterprise is very much suited to the iPod generation. The film is also quick paced and action packed, with some fantastic special effects." (MacLellan, C. 2009)
"But, I can understand why some people may not appreciate it; it is a big shift in concept and implementation: the film is VERY different from olde Star Trek. But frankly; get over it, Star Trek needed a rejuvenation, and this is a superb one." (McManus, C. 2009)
The movie first came out in cinema's in 2009 and was an instant hit. There hand't been a Star Trek in awhile and this was a new, interesting twist on the original series and characters.
"On the day of James Kirk's birth, his father dies on his ship in a last stand against a mysterious alien vessel. He was looking for Ambassador Spock, who is a child on Vulcan at that time, disdained by his neighbors for his half-human nature. Twenty-five years later, Kirk has grown into a young troublemaker inspired by Captain Christopher Pike to fulfill his potential in Starfleet even as he annoys his instructors like young Commander Spock. Suddenly, there is an emergency at Vulcan and the newly commissioned USS Enterprise is crewed with promising cadets like Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov and even Kirk himself thanks to Leonard McCoy's medical trickery. Together, this crew will have an adventure in the final frontier where the old legend is altered forever even as the new version of it is just beginning." (Chisholm, K. , No date)
(Warning, spoilers!)
The movie creating a whole new spin on the original series and characters by using the element of Time Travel. Spock from the future ended up travelling into the past by mistake. Another enemy also ends up travelling to the past and changing the course of history, creating an alternative future from the original Star Trek series. J.J. Abrams, who directed the film, has taken a new spin on the old franchise.
(Spoilers ended)
-:Star Trek Starfleet Communicator:-
This toy is a replicate of a communicator from the Star Trek films. I found it on Amazon. It is £14.99 and plays sounds bites from the characters Spock and Captain Kirk. It also lights up.
From the reviews above I think the movie was that the franchise needed. It seemed to have become rather old fashioned and it needed a boost, an update, a re-visioning of it. I personally really loved the movie, it was visually very well made, had an amazing cast and a fantastic script. I think the modernisation of Star Trek was really needed and most of the fans seemed to love it. The element of Time Travel is used to link the old series of Star trek to this new movie, letting people who haven't seem anything to do with Star Trek a chance to see it's beginnings but at the same time being faithful to its old fans with well known characters that they love.
-:The Terminator:-
"In 2003, in the Longview State Correctional Facility, the criminal Marcus Wright that is in the death row is convinced by the cancerous Dr. Serena Kogan to donate his body to her research and he accepts. In 2018, after an unsuccessful attack to a Skynet facility, only John Connor survives, but he discovers that Skynet is developing the powerful new model T-800. Out of the blue, Marcus appears naked and with amnesia in the location. Marcus befriends the teenager Kyle Reese and the girl Star that help him to survive to lethal machines and they travel together in a Jeep. Meanwhile the resistance discovers a signal that might turn-off the machines and John offers to test it. When Kyle is captured by a machine and brought to the Skynet headquarter, Marcus decides to help the youngster and heads to Skynet; on the way, he saves Blair Williams that suggests him to meet John Connor first. But Marcus steps on a mine and is submitted to a surgery, when a secret about his origins is disclosed." (Carvalho, C. No date)
"The film has some excellent special effects, the story is good and so is the acting. Connor could have been made more 'human' but he gets away with it. Theres even a brief performance by a familiar Terminator! Well worth watching and watching again." (Salter, J. 2010)
"Seriously. I dont know who decided on this awful combination. Christian bale and sam Worthington prove that not even good actors can make a bad movie good. The storyline for starters has more holes then swiss cheese." (Boets, N. 2010)
"Terminator Salvation is a very different movie compared to the first three, however this doess not mean it ruins the saga as many people have claimed. Besides, most fans feel that Terminator 3 already did that job. You would be best off thinking of this as the first in a new line of Terminator movies, a bit like the new Star Trek picture. Salvation is a basically a post-apocalyptic action movie based on the Terminator film, and a very good one." (Snow, N. 2010)
There seems to be a mixture of reviews with this film. The quote above states that this film also tried to take an existing franchise and try and create something new and interesting with it, just like with the "Star Trek" (Abrams, J. 2009). The look compared to the old "Terminator" is very different.
"Budget: $200,000,000 (estimated)
Gross: $372,046,055 (Worldwide)
(13 September 2009)" (IMDB, 2011)
The movie did make a profit though. It also won an awards and was nominated for 9 others.
Compared to the regeneration of Star Trek, this film didn't do as well. It could really be down to a number of reasons, the main one I've seen in the reviews is that the film didn't stay true to the characters or the original story. It was received with missed views though, some fans loved it and others hated it. TIme Travel isn't a major point in the film. In the Terminator series it seems to be more that a threat from the future comes back to the past to get rid of someone. If your not wanting a spoiler this film does contain a paradox that is originated from Time Travel theories.
-:The Sarah Connor Chronicles:-
The ratings of "Terminator. The Sarah Connor Chronicles" on IMDB on 11/12/2011 (IMDB, 2011)
The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a TV show that ran from 2008-2009. The show unfortuently got axed due to poor TV ratings.
"The news that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been axed is about as shocking as finding blood on a slaughterhouse floor. The ratings were poor, and only got worse and when fans finally get done bombarding the Fox offices with ball bearings, or whatever other doomed scheme they come up with to keep the series going, the finger pointing will undoubtedly begin." (Turton, S. 2009)
The show seemed to have fantastic ratings from both Amazon and IMDB though. It seems surprising that the show has been axed.
"What a surprise this was, I was looking for some TV series to watch and bought this, Dollhouse and Fringe... I have to say i didn't expect this to be the best of the 3! In fact this has turned out to be the best TV series I have seen for years, probably since Firefly, another cancelled series, same network!" (Riches, M. 2011)
"I like the series, sad, that it has been cancelled in the States. Fine price, both seasons in this box. Glad to have it." (Janda, A. 2010)
"The Sarah Connor Chronicles however evokes a feeling which was strangely lacking in T3. Excitement. The idea of ignoring the events of the third movie, which this series seems to be running with, seems a wise move. I enjoyed every moment of the pilot immensely." (Anderson, A. 2007)
After reading the reviews left by fans it seems to have been a very good show and was a great lead off from the movies. The reviews too were very kind and it seemed to have been received greatly. It's unfortunate that the show was axed after only just a year. Maybe the genre wasn't appealing enough for people, or many people weren't too keen on the idea of a TV series based off the films. Unfortuently the element of Time Travel doesn't seem to be used in this at all. Wel the Terminators come from the future, like they always do, but nothing more is added. The characters themselves don't seem to be able to travel through time and neither can the Terminators. It's a shame that this is the case but I thought I would research into it anyway due to it relating to The Terminator.
When I first started this
research I didn’t expect to find such an abundance and variety of different
products that related to Time Travel. I really thought the topic its self would
be quite closed but there’s such a variety out there. Not only does it prove
that this topic is well known, popular and in the public interest but it also
shows that there is a market for it and for the IP I have to create. It’s very
reassuring to know there’s so much Time Travel stuff out there, the only
problem will be creating something totally new and original. This present
research has also thrown up a lot of items that have come from the past too, I
indeed to go through that next.
