A Sound of Thunder LIVE! (Classic)
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In this live episode of 'How Did This Get Made?', hosts Paul Scheer, Jason Manzoukas, and June Diane Raphael dissect the 2005 film 'A Sound of Thunder', a time-travel adventure based on Ray Bradbury's short story. The trio delivers a scathing yet hilariously detailed critique, focusing on the film’s absurd logic, catastrophic CGI, and deeply flawed time travel mechanics. They mock the premise of a single, repetitive dinosaur hunt, the nonsensical 'time waves' theory, and Ed Burns' emotionally detached performance, which they describe as eerily calm amid global collapse. The hosts highlight the film’s production chaos—budget cuts from $80M to $30M, unfinished effects, and flooding during filming in the Czech Republic—as key reasons for its visual and narrative failures. Despite the film’s poor reception, they acknowledge a few cult-like positive reviews and even a surreal, poetic defense from a fan who sees it as a spiritual experience. Ultimately, they conclude it’s a must-watch for its unintentional comedy and worst-in-class CGI, but not for its story or coherence.
The film’s time travel logic is fundamentally broken—repeated trips to the same moment create paradoxes, and the 'time waves' concept is inconsistent and unexplained.
Ed Burns’ emotionally flat performance is a central joke, with hosts noting he treats human deaths and global collapse like minor inconveniences.
The movie’s $80M budget was slashed to $30M, and unfinished CGI was forced into release, resulting in some of the worst visual effects in cinema history.
The film’s setting in 2055 is undermined by absurd future tech like clear moving boxes and 7-Eleven signs with poorly spelled 'cannabis'.
Despite its flaws, the film has a cult following and is used in classrooms to teach the butterfly effect—ironically, because it’s so bad it’s memorable.
The Time Travel Paradox and the Butterfly Effect
“You can walk in and be in the prehistoric era an hour later. No training. No prep. Just walk in and boom, you're there.”
The CGI Disaster and Production Chaos
“This whole movie is cut scenes from a Sega CD game. Was Corey Haim going to pop up here and be like, dude, this mansion is wild?”
Ed Burns’ Emotionless Hero and the Absurd Plot
“He's like, I'm sorry, I ordered a Diet Coke? That's the weight. I would even say that he doesn't even carry that much weight.”
The Future World and Its Absurd Tech
The hosts mock the film’s depiction of 2055, calling it a bizarre mix of retro fashion and nonsensical future tech. They highlight the clear moving boxes, the 7-Eleven with poorly spelled 'cannabis', and the lack of functional infrastructure. They also question the logic of the 'time waves' affecting evolution in phases while leaving buildings intact.
Ben Kingsley’s Performance and the Film’s Tone
The hosts praise Ben Kingsley’s performance, suggesting he channels Robin Williams’ energy. They note his comedic reaction shots and the short, intense role he plays. They contrast his performance with the rest of the cast’s lack of emotional depth, calling the film a 'swatch problem'—showing everything instead of hiding flaws.
“This whole movie is cut scenes from a Sega CD game. Was Corey Haim going to pop up here and be like, dude, this mansion is wild?”
“It's like a Neil Breen movie or something like that. You know? It is, it needs to be seen.”
“He's like, I'm sorry, I ordered a Diet Coke? That's the weight. I would even say that he doesn't even carry that much weight.”
Hosts
A Sound of Thunder
media
Paul Scheer
person
Jason Manzoukas
person
June Diane Raphael
person
Ed Burns
person
Ben Kingsley
person
Ray Bradbury
person
Peter Himes
person
Time Safari
organization
Wallace Shawn
person
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