Review of Time After Time (2011) by Jonathan S — 03 Jan 2012

A literate, witty motion picture with moments of high suspense which is marvelously written and directed by Nicholas Meyer. The infamous Jack the Ripper, played superbly by David Warner who delivers a truly unnerving and chilling performance has returned to continue his horrific reign of terror in Victorian England years after he vanished, he has just finished murdering a prostitute by gutting her; with the police hot on his bloody trail he appears at a social gathering at the home of his good friend H.

G. Wells, brilliantly played by Malcolm McDowell in a intelligent and extremely charming performance; the Ripper's real name is Dr. John Leslie Stevenson he is the chief surgeon at a London hospital, Wells informs his guests that he plans to travel to the future in a "Time Machine," which he has constructed for that very purpose, he escorts his guests to the basement where he shows them all the machine, and in detail explains how it operates; returning upstairs to the living room, Wells tells his guests that he strongly believes that the future will be an utopian society where men will live like brothers and in equality with women, then his maid enters and informs Wells that the police are at the door and wish to speak to him, when he goes to meet them; they tell him that the Ripper has returned and is in the vicinity and that they have cordoned off the neighborhood, as the police search Wells house they fine Stevenson's leather satchel containing a pair of bloody gloves and a knife.

After the police leave to hunt Sevenson who has disappeared from Wells home, it dawns on Wells how he must of escaped justice, when Wells runs down to the basement and fines his machine gone, the empty machine returns back to the point of origin in the basement because Wells still has the key to it.

, which makes it come back. He gets into his machine and takes off after Stevenson who gone from the year 1893 in London to the year 1979 in San Francisco. Wells is amazed at the progress man has made over the course of a century, he also discovers that the cold-bloodied Stevenson has resumed with his sadistic murderous activities, Wells while searching for Sevenson meets and falls in love with a currency exchange officer named Amy Robbins, played wonderfully by Mary Steenburgen, she and McDowell have a terrific romantic chemistry that make their scenes together amusing and so endearing, as a matter of fact the two stars really fall in love during the production of this film and later married.

Amy gives Wells information that leads him to Stevenson who has exchanged pounds for dollars at her bank; he escapes from Wells and is now targeting Amy, it becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse between them and time is running out! An engaging and utterly winning fantasy film.

Highly Recommended.