My Science Project (1985) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A careless school project becomes a dangerous time crisis that forces Michael to value responsibility and human connection over machines.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

The Hidden Machine

Michael searches for a science project and discovers a glowing device inside a government shelter. His attempt to take it away begins an escalating chain of unexplained events.

Key Events

• Crashed UFO Secured — Military personnel secure a crashed UFO and receive an order to remove it. Location: Military hangar
• Science Project Pressure — Michael searches for a final science project while spending time with Ellie. Characters: Michael Harlan, Ellie Sawyer Location: High school
• Boneyard Break-In — Michael enters the aircraft boneyard and discovers a hidden fallout shelter. Characters: Michael Harlan, Ellie Sawyer Location: Government aircraft boneyard
• The Gizmo Found — Michael grabs the glowing device just before a military guard chases him away. Characters: Michael Harlan Location: Fallout shelter

Experiments Gone Wrong

Michael and Vince experiment with the device at school, producing an ancient vase and losing two hours. Their teacher interprets the machine as a portal to another dimension.

Key Events

• Auto Shop Activation — Michael cleans the device, which unexpectedly drains power from a nearby boombox. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Auto shop classroom
• Vase Manifestation — The device creates an ancient vase as the connected automotive battery melts. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Auto shop classroom
• Lost Two Hours — Michael and Vince discover that two inexplicable hours have passed and their exam was missed. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: High school
• Teacher Examines Gizmo — Michael brings the device to his science teacher, who believes it opens another dimension. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Science classroom
• Teacher Vanishes — Cosmic energy surrounds the teacher, who disappears and leaves behind a peace medallion. Characters: Michael Harlan Location: Science classroom

Blackout Escape

The teacher disappears after activating the device, forcing Michael and Vince to destroy a power tower. Their success causes a blackout but also leads to their arrest.

Key Events

• Teacher Vanishes — Cosmic energy surrounds the teacher, who disappears and leaves behind a peace medallion. Characters: Michael Harlan Location: Science classroom
• Power Lines Targeted — Michael and Vince obtain dynamite to destroy the power lines feeding the device. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Hardware store
• Energy Wave Race — Michael and Vince race ahead of an energy wave moving through the power lines. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Road to the power tower
• Tower Explosion — They blow up the tower, stop the energy wave, and cause a town blackout. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Power transmission tower
• Arrest After Blackout — Michael and Vince are arrested in connection with the teacher's disappearance. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello Location: Town street
• Ellie Retrieves Gizmo — Michael asks Ellie to retrieve the gizmo so it can support his claim of innocence. Characters: Michael Harlan, Ellie Sawyer Location: High school

The School Vortex

Ellie retrieves the gizmo, but Sherman reconnects it to power and transforms the school into a temporal vortex. Michael, Vince, and Sherman fight through dangerous intrusions from other eras.

Key Events

• Ellie Retrieves Gizmo — Michael asks Ellie to retrieve the gizmo so it can support his claim of innocence. Characters: Michael Harlan, Ellie Sawyer Location: High school
• Sherman Reactivates Device — Sherman reconnects the gizmo to an outlet, producing a massive time warp and another blackout. Characters: Ellie Sawyer, Sherman Location: High school
• School Becomes Vortex — The school is consumed by a space-time vortex as objects and people from different eras appear. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello, Ellie Sawyer, Sherman Location: High school
• Weapons Recovered — The group takes weapons from fallen soldiers to continue toward the science lab. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello, Sherman Location: Vortex-affected school
• Temporal Creatures Attack — Michael, Vince, and Sherman battle a Tyrannosaurus and post-apocalyptic mutants. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello, Sherman Location: School gymnasium and corridors
• Ellie Found In Lab — The group reaches Ellie and prepares to shut down the device at the center of the vortex. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello, Ellie Sawyer, Sherman Location: Science laboratory

Time Restored

The group reaches Ellie and deactivates the gizmo, restoring normal time. Michael receives his grade, returns the machine, and abandons his former devotion to his car.

Key Events

• Ellie Found In Lab — The group reaches Ellie and prepares to shut down the device at the center of the vortex. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello, Ellie Sawyer, Sherman Location: Science laboratory
• Gizmo Deactivated — The gizmo is deactivated, restoring normal time as emergency crews and police arrive. Characters: Michael Harlan, Vince Latello, Ellie Sawyer, Sherman Location: Science laboratory
• Unexpected Return — The vanished teacher returns from an unexpected historical journey and celebrates the experience. Characters: Michael Harlan Location: High school
• Project Receives An A — The teacher gives Michael an A on the project while insisting that the machine be discarded. Characters: Michael Harlan Location: High school
• Teacher Arrested — The teacher is arrested after the peace medallion is mistakenly left at the hardware store. Characters: Michael Harlan Location: Town street
• Gizmo Returned — Michael returns the gizmo to the junkyard, and he and Ellie leave the stranded car behind. Characters: Michael Harlan, Ellie Sawyer Location: Aircraft junkyard
• Cars Lose Their Importance — After the car runs out of gas, Michael says it is just a car. Characters: Michael Harlan, Ellie Sawyer Location: Roadside

Story Breakdown

• Military Mystery — A hidden extraterrestrial device survives from a secret military incident.
  • Crashed Craft — A crashed UFO is secured inside a military hangar.
  • Shelter Discovery — Michael finds the glowing device in a hidden fallout shelter.
• Project Pressure — Michael's school obligations lead him toward the device.
  • Final Assignment — Michael needs an object for his science project.
  • Boneyard Break-In — Michael enters a government aircraft boneyard while accompanied by Ellie.
• Unstable Experiments — The device produces impossible effects when connected to ordinary power sources.
  • Vase Manifestation — The gizmo creates an ancient vase as a battery melts.
  • Lost Hours — Michael and Vince discover that the device has disrupted their sense of time.
• Blackout Escape — The teacher's disappearance drives Michael and Vince to disrupt the power network.
  • Teacher Vanishes — Cosmic energy removes the teacher from the classroom.
  • Tower Explosion — Michael and Vince destroy a power tower to stop the energy wave.
• School Time Warp — A second activation transforms the school into a dangerous convergence of eras.
  • Sherman Reactivates — Sherman reconnects the gizmo to an electrical outlet.
  • Temporal Creatures — The rescue group encounters a Tyrannosaurus and post-apocalyptic mutants.
• Restored Responsibility — The crisis ends when the group disables the machine and Michael changes his priorities.
  • Gizmo Deactivated — Michael, Vince, Ellie, and Sherman help end the vortex.
  • Car Abandoned — Michael returns the device and recognizes that the car is only a car.

Directed by

Jonathan R. Betuel

Key Cast

• John Stockwell — Michael Harlan
• Danielle von Zerneck — Ellie Sawyer
• Fisher Stevens — Vince Latello
• Raphael Sbarge — Sherman
• Richard Masur — Detective Isadore Nulty