Michael Bay Made A Back To The Future Ripoff Sci-Fi Movie, Stream Now Without Netflix
Despite being best known for helming such explosive projects as the live-action Transformers films, Michael Bay holds a wide array of producer credits, which include the Purge franchise, A Quiet Place, and even the Starz original pirate drama Black Sails. One project produced by the legendary filmmaker is 2015’s Project Almanac, which has been widely criticized for ripping off popular time travel films such as Back to the Future. The film is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video today if you’d like to check it out and draw your own conclusions about Project Almanac‘s originality.
Cast And Crew
Project Almanac was written by the screenwriting duo behind 2015’s Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, and directed by Dean Israelite, who later went on to helm the 2017 Power Rangers reunion film. The movie stars Amy Landecker, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Virginia Gardner, Jonny Weston, Sam Lerner, and Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Gary Weeks. Project Almanac is a found-footage style movie, told through the lens of a group of teens documenting their invention of a functioning time machine.
The creators of Project Almanac have explained that they painstakingly studied time travel physics and paradoxes for over three months before completing their first draft of the script. Once the script was completed, it topped the 2012 “most liked” screenplays on the Blacklist, before catching the attention of producer Michael Bay. Rather than take on the project himself, Bay offered directorial duties to his protege Dean Israelite, making Project Almanac Israelite’s feature film debut.
The Story
The plot of Project Almanac centers on high school senior David Raskin, who is unable to go to his dream college due to his family’s financial ruin. David’s father, an engineer with a knack for crafting bizarre inventions, passed away years ago, leaving David’s mother to struggle financially as a single parent. As David learns he can’t afford to go to MIT, he also discovers his mother’s plan to sell their home and downsize.
As a last-ditch effort, David and his friends investigate the basement, hoping to uncover the blueprints for an invention which they can patent and save the house. While examining his father’s handiwork, David uncovers plans for a creation called Project Almanac, which his father was supposed to build for a mysterious government agency. The teens follow the instructions, and manage to build a fully-functioning time machine, allowing them to transport themselves into the past.
Things Go Wrong
Predictably, things go horribly awry quite fast, resulting in the kids repeatedly using the time machine to course correct. As Project Almanac builds to a shocking conclusion, the main cast continually fall victim to the classic blunders of time travel paradoxes. While the film is perfectly serviceable, it does borrow quite a lot from other projects which came before it, especially the Back to the Future trilogy.
Other Inspirations
But Back to the Future isn’t the only script that is ripped off in Project Almanac, as the film also takes great inspiration from the Terminator franchise, 2012’s Chronicle, and even Breaking Bad. Audiences and critics alike gave Project Almanac poor reviews, resulting in a paltry 38 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Luckily, the film was able to make money at the box office, but obviously didn’t carry much overall cultural impact.
Stream It Now
For those who haven’t yet had the chance to catch Project Almanac, or those just in need of a rewatch, the film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
