Review of Time After Time (2011) by Donegal H — 15 Feb 2011

Yet another entry into the time travel genre, although this one promised something more wicked and out there. Here, we have H.G. Wells from the 19th Century having secretly built a time machine, reveals the invention to his buddies at a late night dinner, among them is the late arrival of "Jack the RIpper", as a gentleman who always is one step ahead of Wells in everything and knows what Wells thinks and they are the best of buddies. After having his cover blown and the night interrupted by the Police who break it to Wells and his friends that his friend who beats him at chess every time is actually Jack the RIpper. All of the sudden Ripper has disappeared, only for Wells to discover later that he has traveled well into the future with the help of his Time Machine. Wells decides to travel into the future and bring the Ripper to justice and prevent him for further murdering women in friggin' 1979.

Now, all this reads like a very entertaining, intriguingly fun time travel adventure, but sadly for me, it ended up as a really cheesy, campy and silly little film that still manages to entertain. Perhaps, it would've made a great comic book or a short story or a novel even. But as a film, it does not succeed much. It looks seriously dated (set in 1979), the tone is campy and cheesy and many parts are unintentionally funny. And it just can't live up to or deliver on its brilliant premise, which had a lot of potential. It just disappoints, and it's far from what the reviews suggested. The pacing is really off and the romance angle is boring and there isn't any exciting action or thrilling sequence that will keep you interested. All you want to know is how this silly nonsense that's taking itself too seriously will end. And it doesn't end all that well either. Whatever film you would've imagined after reading its synopsis, trust me, it probably will be far more ambitious and fun than what this film gives us.

But there some amusing moments, some entertaining, clever bits early in the film commenting on the decadence of society in the 70's that is a well suited place for Ripper to live in but not for Peace-Loving Wells, all this keeps you intrigued for a while. This could've been a fun film had the makers not presented it as a serious time travel saga with social and moral lessons thrown in. It's a wonder this film got such good reviews.

C+.

5.8/10.