Based on a short story by Ray Bradbury, and directed by Peter Hyams (“2010”) “A Sound of Thunder” follows time safari guide Travis Ryer (Edward Burns) as he struggles to fix the consequences of a mistake made in prehistory that results in evolution gone awry.

I like Ray Bradbury. I like time travel stories. So despite the feeble special effects and obvious green screen scenes, the tendency toward exposition and even perhaps the overly simplified premise that the death of a single insect could trigger the evolution of reptilian baboon gorilla-like creatures and murderous vegetation, I would have to say that this film dealt with its subject fairly well. It followed the cause and effect logic it laid out and even left a little room for thought, ultimately emphasizing the idea that our actions have farther reaching effects than we think, but without moralizing us to death or bogging us down with inaccessible scientific theory.

No story about great technological advances in science is complete without the small-minded but rich individual who wants to misuse it for his own ends, and for this movie, it’s Ben Kingsley and his white pompadour. Kingsley’s “Charles Hatton” character is a bit exaggerated but I suppose you would have to be a bit over the top to risk the fate of humankind for a few dollars. He even manages to turn the inherent campiness of the film to his advantage, much to his credit. Burns is believable as the no-frills safari guide who just wants to make things right. The other characters are mainly filler to be sacrificed to the elements but of course the beauty of time travel is that nothing is forever.

It might just be the action film hangover everybody has at this time of year that might make this film off-putting to some, who’ve become used to ever-escalating effects for the sake of effects. Granted, it can’t compete with “War of the Worlds,” or “The Island” in terms of visuals but it’s a bit more thoughtful than those films and holds up well despite the unfortunate editing. Don’t peg your expectations too high and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Rated PG-13.

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