H.G. Wells's Time Machine has been one of the most inspirational of sci-fi source materials. Indeed, it's remarkable that it went four decades between big-screen incarnations. But aside from being a brisk showcase for the latest in CGI gimmickry, this edition of the evergreen time travelogue features a surprisingly intimate and pastoral score from Klaus Badelt, the German-born former TV composer (and frequent Hans Zimmer collaborator). The story's Victorian roots have seldom sounded this loose fitting and inviting, while its Morlock-dominated 800-millennia-from-now future world is dotted with bold rhythmic touches and pagan choral flourishes that underscore the story's cautionary undercurrent of human devolution. While some heroic passages occasionally lapse into predictable McAction Score clichés, Badelt's handling of the familiar material is surprisingly subtle and promises great things to come. --Jerry McCulley
