'The Time Traveller's Wife': Early reviews has critics calling much-awaited HBO drama 'thin'
'The Time Traveller's Wife' will be the next major TV show replacing 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty' and it appears early critic reviews of the show have been mixed. The six-episode series starring Theo James and Rose Leslie is part sci-fi and part romance.
Based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 book of the same name, which was also adapted into a movie in 2009 starring Rachel McAdams, the HBO series follows Henry DeTamble (James), a librarian in Chicago, whose genetic disorder gives him the ability to time travel. He meets his love in Clare Abshire (Leslie), but things are not as rosy as it appears. Critics reviews of the series weren't all that positive although some felt a segment of the audience would still like the show. Ahead of the series release on May 15, here's a quick look at what the reviews had to say.
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What are critics saying about 'The Time Traveller's Wife'?
The critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says, "While it's easy to get swept up in the romance of performers as appealing as Rose Leslie and Theo James, The Time Traveler's Wife often kills the mood with its overdetermined conceit." New York Magazine seconded this by calling it thin. "I think the most off-putting thing about The Time Traveler’s Wife, right from the jump, is how strangely chintzy and thin it looks," the review summed up the series.
CNN's Brian Lowry called the series an admirable effort but didn't really have any impact. "t's an admirable effort, but one that simply underscores how unadaptable this material might be -- the bottom line being that if time is indeed precious, these six episodes finally feel too much like a waste of it." The opinion from Variety wasn't that different either: "The story fails to convince that the couple shares much more than an understanding of the obstacles keeping them apart. So much time is spent on establishing the rules of this show’s game that there’s little room to play."
The Mary Sue gave a thumbs-up: "Even if you don’t know the story of The Time Traveler’s Wife, it’s still a fun watch and one that is woven into Moffat’s other work. And who doesn’t want to see Theo James and Rose Leslie falling in love with each other out of order?" The Daily Beast followed suit with a positive review as well. "HBO’s TV series adaptation of the popular book features swoon-inducing romance, time-hopping drama, and a very handsome male lead."
'The Time Traveller's Wife' trailer and synopsis
The official synopsis reads, "Adapted by Steven Moffat from the beloved novel of the same name, The Time Traveler’s Wife follows the spellbinding and intricately out-of-order love story between Clare (Rose Leslie of HBO’s Game of Thrones), and Henry (Theo James of Divergent), and a marriage with a problem: time travel.
At 6 years old, Clare meets Henry, the future love of her life – and who, as a time traveler, is actually visiting from the future. Fourteen years later, when a beautiful redhead wanders into the library where Henry works claiming not only to have known him all her life but to be his future wife, a magical romance ensues that is as sprawling and complicated as Henry's attempts to explain his "condition"
'The Time Traveller's Wife' airs May 15 at 9 pm ET on HBO. It's also available for streaming on HBO Max.