Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
Project Almanac is a competent found-footage time travel thriller that blends familiar teen drama with sci-fi concepts. The plot follows a reasonably engaging butterfly-effect arc but leans heavily on genre tropes with little originality — the found-footage framing feels more gimmicky than purposeful, and the time travel logic is inconsistent. Acting is serviceable but unremarkable from its young cast. Cinematography is constrained by the shaky-cam found-footage aesthetic, which limits visual ambition. Novelty is low as it recycles well-worn found-footage conventions and teen time-travel premises without a distinctive voice. The ending provides a reasonably satisfying emotional and narrative resolution that gives the film a slight uplift over its middling setup.