MovieChat Forums > Project Almanac (2015) Discussion > My take on the ending

My take on the ending

posted 9 years ago by awsemadeni
25 replies | jump to latest

I'm not sure if this is right or wrong, but here is what I got on the ending.

David goes back in time after Jesse goes missing, back to his 7th birthday party. He sees his father and talks to him, telling him to say goodbye to his son. His dad leaves, and he destroys certain aspects of the time traveling machine. He purposefully leaves the camera behind, the camera that has documented all of his adventures (as stated earlier in the film). He then stays and lets that self die.

Then his 7 year old self grows up exactly as intended to be. The only difference would be the camera that was left in the room, which possesses all the adventures (including the mistakes) that he previously made. Now that he knows what to do, he can "change the world".

Thoughts??

[–] PowerGloveKid 9 years ago

all very good points. but the thing is the camera footage should not of existed, cause he erased his time line. so that part made just no sense

[–] hal-9010 9 years ago

When he burned part of the time machine, he disappeared or erased himself (as he erased the future he came from)... this would too mean the camera he left behind. When he got erased he was just sitting there all sad. No reason to think the camera was not part of it.

Also when we then jump to the "future" and he is at the attic with his sister - exactly like he was before, there is nothing that seem to indicate he has any knowledge outside of the ordinary. Plus the fact that his whole life let to that very moment tells me, his life had not changed in any meaningful way.

Of course maybe his father hid the camera together with the time machine notes, making it possible to do it all over again - but in my opinion this goes against the lesson of the whole movie: there are no second chances... plus again, I see no reason why the camera would not also be erased when he was!

___________
** I am normally not a praying man, but if you are up there, please save me Superman **

[–] bttfiii 9 years ago

he destroyed the key components of the time machine (akin to the flux capacitor) and there was no blue print to build it so how can he build another time machine with the recording?

[–] hal-9010 9 years ago

Oh, i agree with you

[–] Seth_Rogue_One 8 years ago

Yeah I don't think you need 'takes' on the ending it was pretty straight forward if you ask me and just like you said.

Although of course that ending makes NO kind of sense whatsoever as that footage and second camera would not have existed anymore.

Somedays you just can't dispose of a bomb.

[–] TwoMinutesToMidnight 8 years ago

I'm late to this thread but I just saw this movie today.

I think that he did destroy all the notes and other things that he thought would make the time travel possible but he forgot the camera. Since the camera documented the entire process of them making the time machine they were able to recreate it. The problem is, they started using the GoPro camera after a while and that is the one that would have shown them all the problems they created. So, when he said they were going to change the world, he still thinks that time travel can be a good thing and the loop continues.

Forever Royal

[–] jaodeballs 8 years ago

you're not only late to the thread, you failed to read all of it.

it has already been raised that if he destroyed everything and thereby erased everything from happening, the camera that was discovered at the end wouldn't exist in the first place. because NONE OF IT HAPPENED, get it? they never built the time machine, they never recorded any of the stuff, he never went back to the past, and the camera would never be there.

supposing that his destroying the time machine only erased himself, but not the camera, the ending implied in the movie still would not work because:

1. they never knew how to build the capacitor. his dad, with the help of DARPA built it.
2. he destroyed the schematics remember? even if all of that was recorded on the camera, they still could not build it. you know why? they could not buy any of that stuff. DARPA had to build it. but since that one original capacitor was destroyed, they'd have to build one - which is expensive.

the movie doesn't even make any sense right at the beginning. there are too many plot holes.

1. the main character is "smart" but is stupid as hell not to even contemplate the effects of time travel. any nerd smart enough to build a time machine would be smart enough to know there are consequences. but nooo, this "genius" did not even contemplate it.
2. he has no money to get into MIT but apparently he has enough to spend to buy all that stuff needed to build the time machine (yeah, i know, they recycled the xbox. pfft. did you see the other things they were buying?)
3. he went back to change the "end of the world" scene. but where was his doppelganger?
4. he was the one who kissed the girl but for some reason it was the prude guy who got to have sex? at what point did they switch?

[–] TwoMinutesToMidnight 8 years ago

What's with the fkn attitude?

Forever Royal

[–] ger8822 8 years ago

Why do and others in this thread assume any of this?

Generally in time travel theory when a person time travels they create a new timeline that branches off their current timeline. Timelines are never destroyed because that creates all kinds of causality paradox.

This movie had its own twist on time travel that when you see yourself in a timeline, a feedback loop is created and you are destroyed if you stay in contact too long (though they never explicitly state this in the movie).

So, when David goes back to his childhood, he creates a branch off a timeline that is already many branches out. He destroys himself, but the timeline he came from (or any of the other branches to get there) aren't destroyed. There is no reason to assume that timeline or the camera would disappear.

Also they used that camera to film all the schematics, parts, original tests, etc. So it would be easy enough for his alternate self in the final timeline to find the camera and figure it all out and build it again to time travel with Jessie.

Problem is, like TwoMinutesToMidnight said, later on they used a gopro to document their adventures and the problems (ripple effects).

So I agree that he is doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Possibly forever on infinite timelines. :)

[–] Dan_Garten 8 years ago

Interesting thread.

[–] PaulLevinson 7 years ago

Exactly. The found footage as the end of the movie is the start of the next movie, if it's ever made.

http://InfiniteRegress.tv