TIME AFTER TIME
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.1
United States, 1979 Running Length: 1:50 MPAA Classification: PG (Violence, sexual innuendo) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen Director: Nicholas Meyer Producer: Charles Jaffe Screenplay: Nicholas Meyer Cinematography: Paul Lohmann Music: Miklos Rozsa U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
Nicholas Meyer, a talented writer/director who likes developing interesting characters and situations out of genre types (THE SEVEN PER CENT SOLUTION, STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME), made his directorial debut with 1979's TIME AFTER TIME. Unfortunately, while this science fiction/thriller has a premise with tremendous promise, the execution is hampered by obvious plot holes, inconsistent characters, and uneven acting. Despite all its flaws, however, TIME AFTER TIME still remains an entertaining--and occasionally fascinating--two hours, as well as a favorite among Meyer fans.
The plot postulates that H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) not only wrote about a time machine, but actually created a working model. One night, a guest at a dinner party slips downstairs to put it to the test. This man turns out to be Jack the Ripper (David Warner), looking for an escape from the police, and now Wells must pursue him eighty years forward in time, to 1979 San Francisco. There, the writer/inventor falls in love with a young woman, Amy Robbins (Mary Steenburgen), whom he must protect from becoming one of the serial killer's twentieth- century victims.
The best aspect of TIME AFTER TIME is the "fish out of water" element. Later films, such as "CROCODILE" DUNDEE and STAR TREK IV (which, not coincidentally, Meyer co-wrote), have had great success with this sort of story--a naive outsider who is thrust into the confusion of a modern-day city--but TIME AFTER TIME did it a few years earlier. It's amusing to see Wells cope with modern-day traffic patterns, television, and fast food restaurants. In fact, his pursuit of the Ripper is often far less engaging than watching him struggle to understand the complexities of life in the late '70s.
While McDowell is fine as Wells, David Warner plays the Ripper as a run-of-the-mill psychopath--not at all the sort of fascinating, diabolical villain necessary to keep this film moving. All things considered, Jack is more likely to provoke a yawn than a surge of terror. Meyer's script distances him from us so that we never feel anything particularly strong for or against him.
Despite a certain charm and appeal, Mary Steenburgen, in one of her early roles, is awkward as Amy. This character is supposed to be a smart, assertive, liberated woman, yet the story continually places her in contrived and vulnerable positions. At times, her actions are more like those of a typical female victim in a slasher movie than a heroine worthy of H.G. Wells' attention.
There are a lot of nice touches in TIME AFTER TIME, but the overall plot is too obviously scripted. When a certain element in the time machine's construction is carefully pointed out twice, we know it's going to become important. This sort of thing happens repreatedly in TIME AFTER TIME--unsubtle hints at what's coming next. Fortunately, in future features, Meyer's direction would lose much of that heavy- handedness.
For those who expect a tightly-written mixture of the detective and science fiction genres, TIME AFTER TIME is bound to be a disappointment. It's more of a lighthearted fantasy/romance with a few thriller elements thrown in. Indeed, the movie might have worked better had Jack the Ripper not been around at all. Alas, he is the engine that keeps the plot moving, and there are times when his very presence weighs down this movie like a proverbial albatross.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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