Score: 3/5 stars
College admissions requirements grow more competitive with each new semester, not to mention the unnatural rise in costs. So when David Raskin, played by Jonny Weston, learns he’s been accepted to MIT, he and his brainiac friends seek out an invention to set Raskin apart from the rest and ultimately earn him a scholarship.
The found-footage film, “Project Almanac,” is 106 minutes of solid entertainment. No, it won’t have viewers teetering on the edge of their seat, but it will keep the audience mildly curious about what’s coming next.
The film produces a similar vibe to the 2012 film, “Chronicle.”
Both films begin with a group of friends discovering a new ability, whether it be time traveling or superpowers, that eventually tests the will power of one of its members.
The majority of the cast may be older than the characters they’re portraying, but they each manage to exude high-school charm, especially Raskin’s two best friends, Quinn, played by Sam Lerner, and Adam, played by Allen Evangelista, who provide just enough comic relief throughout the film’s more serious scenes.
In the beginning of the film, Raskin searches through some of his father’s old inventions in his attic when he stumbles upon an old video camera with footage from his seventh birthday party. He’s sitting on his father’s lap in the film, but there’s also an unexpected party guest in the shot — present day Raskin himself.
The film then follows Raskin and his friends including his videographer sister, Christina Raskin, played by Virginia Gardner, as they attempt to construct a time machine using his father’s blueprints and piece together the film’s mystery while facing the struggles that come along with the ability to control second chances.
The quirky group accidently befriends the popular girl in school, Jessie Pierce, played by Sofia Black D’Elia, when they use her Prius as a power source for the time machine while she’s attending a party. The, now, group of five test their limits with the ultimate goal of making it back to Raskin’s seventh birthday, 10 years prior.
In its time-traveling efforts, the group sets the date several months back and find themselves at the Chicago music festival, Lollapalooza, instead of their regularly scheduled classes. This is arguably the best scene in the entire film. It isn’t filled with suspense or danger, but it is filled with music, crowds and pure fun.
The cast filmed on location during the 2013 festival, which means bands like Imagine Dragons and Atlas Genius are featured in the film as well. Whether viewers have been to a music festival before or not, they’ll definitely appreciate this scene.
Overall, going to see “Project Almanac” one night wouldn’t be a terrible waste of time. Viewers will leave with a few laughs and a strong appreciation that time travel isn’t real.