lovejuice
11-18-2007, 07:51 PM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e7/Time_After_Time_DVD.jpg/200px-Time_After_Time_DVD.jpg
recommended by Russ
I’m not too proficient writing a review in english, so bare with me.
Time after Time is a glorious entertainment. A sort of movie I'd like to call a lost genre, prominent in the 70s and 80s, and practically disappears afterward. A mix of sci-fi, drama, romantic, and adventure. It’s not a case of crossing genre as much as the film-makers are trying to be good in every aspect. You set up a protagonist audiences can relate to. Give him a strong personal conflict. You then have a drama. Create a love interest, a girl the main character can fall into, and take time to develop their relationship. You thus nail down the romantic part. The sci-fi and adventure come with the plot.
Time after Time follows the story of H.G. Wells who invents time machine, one that becomes an escape vehicle for the most notorious criminal of the 19th century: Jack the Ripper. Wells follows Jack to “modern day” San Francisco. (The movie is made in 1979. This provides an interesting, multi-layer experience because that San Francisco is supposed to be futuristic for Wells, everyday life for intended audiences, and a nostalgic for us, 2007 viewers.) He falls in love with a bank accountant. The two somehow learn she'll become the fifth victim of the Ripper. They try to stop the psychopath and thwart the impending doom.
The story is not the best part. It’s how the script sets up Wells’ characters. Back in 19th century he was a socialist believing in a utopian future. Imagine how much disappointed he’ll be realizing money is still necessary evil, violence is everywhere, and history had already gone through two world wars. It’s Wells’ philosophical conflicts that make the movie. Should a pacifist resource to any mean to protect his love one? The answer "yes" means a case of contagious violence.
The dynamics between Wells and Amy are worth noting. Before traveling in time, Wells wrote series of articles on free loves and women liberation. It’s not until he meets a real liberated women of the twentieth century that he understands the term to its fullest. Tension between the two is classic Hitchcockian and thanks to McDowell's superb facial very comedic.
Time after Time is six year older than Back to the Future. I still prefer the latter, but at least one really sees what sort of giants' shoulders Zemeckis stood on when he directed that film.
recommended by Russ
I’m not too proficient writing a review in english, so bare with me.
Time after Time is a glorious entertainment. A sort of movie I'd like to call a lost genre, prominent in the 70s and 80s, and practically disappears afterward. A mix of sci-fi, drama, romantic, and adventure. It’s not a case of crossing genre as much as the film-makers are trying to be good in every aspect. You set up a protagonist audiences can relate to. Give him a strong personal conflict. You then have a drama. Create a love interest, a girl the main character can fall into, and take time to develop their relationship. You thus nail down the romantic part. The sci-fi and adventure come with the plot.
Time after Time follows the story of H.G. Wells who invents time machine, one that becomes an escape vehicle for the most notorious criminal of the 19th century: Jack the Ripper. Wells follows Jack to “modern day” San Francisco. (The movie is made in 1979. This provides an interesting, multi-layer experience because that San Francisco is supposed to be futuristic for Wells, everyday life for intended audiences, and a nostalgic for us, 2007 viewers.) He falls in love with a bank accountant. The two somehow learn she'll become the fifth victim of the Ripper. They try to stop the psychopath and thwart the impending doom.
The story is not the best part. It’s how the script sets up Wells’ characters. Back in 19th century he was a socialist believing in a utopian future. Imagine how much disappointed he’ll be realizing money is still necessary evil, violence is everywhere, and history had already gone through two world wars. It’s Wells’ philosophical conflicts that make the movie. Should a pacifist resource to any mean to protect his love one? The answer "yes" means a case of contagious violence.
The dynamics between Wells and Amy are worth noting. Before traveling in time, Wells wrote series of articles on free loves and women liberation. It’s not until he meets a real liberated women of the twentieth century that he understands the term to its fullest. Tension between the two is classic Hitchcockian and thanks to McDowell's superb facial very comedic.
Time after Time is six year older than Back to the Future. I still prefer the latter, but at least one really sees what sort of giants' shoulders Zemeckis stood on when he directed that film.