Why does he give up after one try? Another random accident happens that kills her and he believes it's impossible to save her. He could have just gone back and done it again and everything would probably be alright.
Also what is "the answer" that Irons gives him at the end? I didn't really understand what he was talking about.
The other attempts to 'save Emma' were edited-out to save time. I believe, on the 'commentaries' on the DVD, I 'think' they'd planned on Al trying to save her three... or maybe four times.
Also- in 2037, when the Moon is breaking-up... originally, 'chunks' of the Moon were going to rain down, destroying the city, and everything. However- since the filming was taking place right around, or just after 9-11... they figured it would be just too much for the public... seeing collapsing buildings, in New York (like the World Trade Center). So- as a last minute thing, they made it into Earthquakes, and great riffs opening up under the streets, due to the tremendous gravitational anomalies.
After having seen this version so many times, I am not sure what my opinion is on the matter, but I think I would have to agree with the theory that he was driven to invent the machine due to Emma's death. Therefore if she had not died, he likely would have gone on to get married, have those kids and would not have worked so hard, thus would not have discovered/invented the machine.
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IMO he'd already built the machine and travled in it into the past. So IF he could have saved her, the machine would "already" exist and continue to exist. Do people think it would disappear?
I wonder if he could have taken her with him into the future, past her lifetime? She would no longer exist in her time.
share[deleted]
Because he was smart enough to realize it was futile.
Would you want to see the love of your life die over and over again? This movie tends to follow a more linear time line. She's dead regardless.
[deleted]
What if he takes her in the time machine, they go to the past and just live out the rest of their lives in the past?
"What the effing crap? That angel guy just felt me up."
P.O.O.P.
She'd likely still end up dead.
As to an earlier Question, written in 2008 so not likely to matter if I answer or not, the other poster was right, this was not liek most Time Travel Stories in which the Time Machien Vanished in 1899 and showed up in 1896, allowing the occupant to see his Younger Self. If you pay attention to how Time Travel was portrayed in this movie, you'd notice that everythign aroudn the Traveler either goes faster in time than he does, if hes goign to the Future, or goes backwards and gets younger, like it is rewinding. Except its missing him.
If he is in the Time Machine, he doesn't get rewound. There is no Younger version of himself to fake Emmas Death to. He pushed everythign else back in time, while rmainign 4 years older. When he went ot the Future he saw everythign else aroudnhim age rapidly, all Minus him. It was impossible for himn to hide Emma and fak her death from his Younger self, for the same reason that it was impossibel for him to advance 4 years into 1904 and talk to an older version fo himself. He had vanished 4 years Prior accordign tot he world aroudnhim, so when he shows up he was simply there. When he went back the same principle applies. he was 4 years Older, but there was still only one of him. He didnt see himself unwinding wiht the rest of things in his Lab did he? He was in the Machien so how coudl he?
If he really loved her I wonder why he didn't go further back in time and spend a few years with her spending more time with her then simply go back again and do different things with her each time, he could be with her forever really with them never aging, but that would be a whole different movie.
shareBecause otherwise there'd be ****ing thousands of him meeting her by the park on the same night?
shareBecause it was a counterproductive attempt to invent a motivation for the hero, upon which too much time had been spent already.
shareAccording to the commentary, if they had to show Emma getting bumped off in new and creative ways a dozen different times it would have turned into comedy. They decided to just show him try once and be smart enough to realize it was futile (even though he didn't seem to know why).