3. Henry DeTamble - The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
New Line CinemaBack in May 2013, I wrote an article for WhatCulture.com in which I selected my
top ten favourite films about time travel. Many of the films I included had a prominent romantic element, with Slaughterhouse-Five, Source Code and Twelve Monkeys all getting a look-in. But just because these films married sci-fi and romance so adeptly doesn't mean that putting the two together is always a recipe for success. On that note, I give you The Time Traveler's Wife. Based on the award-winning novel by Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife revolves around the unusual relationship between Chicago librarian Henry DeTamble (Bana) and his eventual wife Claire (Rachel McAdams). Henry has a genetic disorder which causes him to involuntarily time travel, beginning in the 1970s when he saves another version of himself from dying in a car accident. He develops a relationship with Claire, appearing to her at different periods in her life and eventually attempts to marry her and have a child. Niffenegger's book was considered unfilmable by several critics, and to a certain extent this adaptation proves that they were right. Director Robert Schwentke (Red, Flightplan) feels out of his depth in overly romantic fare, and Bana's performance is very flat and uninteresting. Seeing his character development out of order would have been fine, but Bana gives no indication that he understands the character in the first place. If you want to see this kind of relationship played out properly, go and watch all the River Song episodes in Doctor Who. Steven Moffat has admitted being influenced by Niffenegger, and these episodes are a much better treatment of the story.