Review of Clockstoppers (2002) by Barry N — 10 Oct 2010

Original Review.

Original Rating: 60/100.

This film wants to be Back to the Future, but it just isn't good enough to get there. It has all the aspects of a great Sci-Fi film, but lacks something.

Updated Review.

I decided to rewatch to film again and see what I missed. I guess it was because it had been a while since I'd seen it and didn't quite remember it as vividly as I had thought I did. As I rewatched it, I realized that it was much better than I had given credit for.

Let's start with the cons. One of the main aspects that troubled me were the predictable plot twists. There was one plot twist that I could see coming a mile away. There were also a few plot holes that, although weren't monumental, were kind of annoying.

Now the positives. This film had a very original and highly imaginative plot, and this film takes it to the extreme. Almost every direction they went in this film was the correct path. The film does have a few pleasant surprises, but really offers nothing new for the Sci-Fi genre, which isn't necesarily a bad thing. When I was watching the film I honestly didn't care that I had seen a few of these things before.

I can't talk about Clockstoppers without talking about the amazing visual effects. They honestly took my breath away. For a while there, I totally forgot that I was even watching a film.

Even though it does try too hard to be a Back to the Future replica, and isn't near as entertaining as BTTF, it is entertaining in it's own right and kept my interest for the entire film.

I cautiously recommend this film if you can sustain disbelief. If you can't than don't even bother.