Corrected entry: In the ending, as Claire replicated the "what if you wanted the tell the most important thing and no one would believe it" quote, it means she also travelled in time to rescue Doug.
Corrected entry: Surely if Doug can go back 4 days and he's saved the people on the ferry then why can't he go back again to stop Larry dying?
Correction: Doug saw Larry's death which happened 4 days ago. He can't go further back in time to stop that because of the 4 day limit in the time machine.
Correction: Theoretically he could, but since Doug from the original timeline died, the Doug from the altered timeline would have to go back and save him, and for that to happen, he would have to be approached by the time surveillance crew again, and with the ferry bombing averted, it's not likely they would approach him.
Corrected entry: When they send the warning note to Denzel Washington from the present to the past, it takes so much power that the whole "time machine" system as well as the power in the whole city breaks down. When they send Denzel back to the past it happens much faster and without any problems. When the "transfer" from Denzel to the past works that fine, a transfer from a simple paper with some words on it should be no problem at all. They also said that they tried to send a hamster to the past and that it did not survive it. Why should an adult survive this?
Correction: Doug didn't exactly survive the trip. The electrical paths of his body were disrupted, that is why he was sent directly into a hospital room with doctors with a message to revive him. He was for all intents and purposes dead and had to be brought back. It was a huge risk and the doctors may not have been able to revive him, but they were able to. It is likely the hamster could have been brought back if someone happened to be there when he appeared and had the medical skills to do so.
Correction: 1) A radio news report in the past mentions a massive blackout that took out much of the eastern seaboard, implying that sending Doug back took considerably more energy than sending the note back earlier when the blackout was local and brief. 2) Any number of reasons for Doug making it when the hamster didn't: a) humans are larger and more resistant to the forces involved b) They figured out some tweaks and improved settings since the attempt with the hamster c) the hamster simply died of fright.
Corrected entry: In the original timeline in which the movie begins, Carlin is investigating Claire Kuchever's death including her missing fingers. In this same timeline we hear his co-worker tell him that his [Carlin's] fingerprints were all over Kuchever's home. We later find out that the killer cut her fingers off. However, the reason Carlin's prints are all over the home and the reason that certain items are set up in a certain way, was because Carlin was in the home with Kuchever after preventing her death and preventing her fingers from being cut off. So the flaw is: if he kept her fingers from being cut off, he would have been in the home and would have left the prints but her corpse wouldn't be missing fingers [if she died at all]. If he didn't prevent her death and dismemberment, he wouldn't have left his prints and certain items in her home. These scenarios could not both occur however.
Correction: This isn't true. It is useful to remember that this movie has multiple timelines. In the previous timeline everything was the same until Carlin left Kuchever's house to go to the boat. He left Kuchever at her house, thinking she'd be safe. Unfortunately, Oerstadt went to Kuchever's house to finish her off [including cutting off her offending fingers] before he blew up the boat. Carlin went to prevent the bomb alone and didn't succeed. In the next timeline, Carlin realises that everything is turning out the same and takes Kuchever with him, preventing Oerstadt from coming to her house and cutting her fingers off. With her help, Carlin succeeds in preventing the bomb.
Why would he leave her in the house in one time then take her with him in a different time line, every thing plays out the same every time because Doug always comes to the crime scene not knowing anything. She should always die, because he would have done the same things over and over.
Correction: So I rewatched the movie. Loved it. Only now the thought developed. The timeline in the past is 4 days 7 hours (something like that) and only 1 person of themselves can be at any time. So if Doug (present) went back and died in the explosion, Doug from the past came to meet Claire. Happy ending, right? So does this mean that due to Doug present seized to exist, Doug from the past have only 4 days 7 hours to live? I mean, this sacrifice of himself for saving 500+ people doesn't look bad.
Correction: That's not what it means. She says that to him because she's not sure how to explain to him that he's there talking to her despite the fact that he sacrificed himself to save everyone on the ferry moments earlier.
Phaneron ★