Time After Time

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Plot, Great Acting, check this out....
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. Malcom McDowell does a great job playing H.G. Wells. David Warner is also convincing as Jack The Ripper. This, by the way, is Nicholas Meyer's first shot at directing and he pulled it off quite well. The only complain I have is the special effects, as some of the special effects from the original Star Trek series look better. But don't let that stop you from seeing this great story. I highly recommend adding this to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: About Time this fine film was available on DVD
Review: Nicholas Meyer's Time After Time is, in some respects, an extension of his idea for the novel The Seven Percent Solution; Meyer imagines that writer H. G. Wells and Jack The Ripper actually knew each other and that Wells' time machine really existed. Adapted from an unpublished story, Time After Time manages to capture the wonder of the best science fiction stories and the qualities that make a great suspense film.

Malcolm McDowell does an about face with his portrayal of Wells; he is the antheisis of McDowell's droog Alex from A Clockwork Orange. McDowell plays Wells as someone who is a little socially awkward and an eternal optimist about the utopian future. David Warner (who would turn up in a number of other Meyer's films) is terrific as Jack. He relishes the role and manages to inject a touch of pathos into a man who knows he is a monster. Mary Steenbergen (in her second screen role)shines as the heroine of the film. She isn't your standard damsel in distress; she manages to extract Wells from a couple of hairy situations. The opening sequence is a mirror of the sequence in both the novel and first film version of The Time Machine; Wells calls his friends together to announce he's leaving and unveils his new device.From there, Meyer explores an entirely different story that uses 1979 as a counterpoint to the world of the Eloi and Morlocks. All three principle actors give exceptional performances. McDowell and Warner are perfect foils for each other. While the social commentary might occasionally veer into heavy handedness, on the whole it works within the context of the film.

Time After Time was Meyer's first or second film and, as such, is a bit static. The action doesn't flow as it does with later efforts from this talented storyteller. What the film lacks in visual flair, Meyer makes up for with inspired direction of his cast and the well written story. The film has aged surprisingly well given the twenty plus years since its release. The visuals compliment the story--they aren't CGI packed (CGI didn't exist in 1979 in films yet)instead, Meyer relies on a number of interesting visual images to portray Wells' passage through time. Using multiple images, animation effects and negative imagery, Meyer manages to convey the journey in a way that works well within the story.

There have been a number of reviews that point out that if you could travel in time you also couldn't travel in space unless the time machine was moved. I seem to recall that Wells' time machine is boxed up for an exhibit in San Francisco (which explains the change in local from England to the USA). While this plot point was created most likely to save money for the production, it serves the story. Remember, this is a "what if" fantasy story not a history or science lesson.

In response to a couple of comments here about the transfer--perhaps they received bad copies? The DVD edition is a very good transfer with a few analog artifacts but, on the whole, very good looking and sounding. The second audio track includes a commentary by director/writer Nickolas Meyer and Malcolm McDowell that provides quite a bit of insight into the film. Time After Time works quite well and is highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: poor recall
Review: I liked this movie when it first came out. I was 20 years old, and thought it was principled, bright & funny. But, somehow, melodrama from the 1980's just doesn't play well for me anymore: the music is incessant and overused; events bludgeon the audience clumsily; the texture of human moments is run over by weak hollywood plot. In this case, action is done without much invention (just enough to get by ...) this movie just isn't what I remember. It may be better than 99% of this year's crop of movies ... but I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's very dated.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible DVD transfer, terrible movie.
Review: This is a poor film print in a cheap DVD package case about a cheap movie that comes from a cheap film company.

Rating:
Summary: "We Haven't Gone Forward, Herbert. We've Gone BACK."
Review: For some reason, when I mention this 1979 film to friends, they inevitably confuse it with 1980's Somewhere in Time. Despite the similarity in titles, and the time travel concept, these two movies couldn't be more different.

Writer/Director Nicholas Meyer's inspiration for Time After Time boils down to a simple "what if?". Namely, what if Time Machine author H. G. Wells had really built a time machine and traveled to the future? Meyer, a die-hard Anglophile, also had the inspiration to include Jack the Ripper in the story. Those who've seen Meyer's other films (Star Trek II and VI, and TV's The Day After) know he has a keen sense of directorial balance. The result is a bracing blend of action, romance, humor, and sly social commentary, alongside the usual time travel paradoxes.

There is wonderful chemistry between Malcolm McDowell's Wells and romantic interest Mary Steenburgen as 20th Century bank-teller Amy Robbins. (It was apparently based on genuine attraction, as they married shortly after this film was made.) David Warner's performance as the villain avoids the usual bad-guy cliches and is entirely believable. One could easily imagine Warner's "Jack" slipping undetected into any American city, much as Hannibal Lecter does in later film ventures. The performances are enhanced by Miklos Rosza's superb score.

This film does not aspire to the high-minded social ideals of H. G. Wells' novel. The deepest message is the fictional Wells' contention that "every age is the same, it's only love that makes any of them bearable," which is pretty hard to refute. However, in many ways this movie is more successful and compelling as purely cinematic entertainment than either of the "straight" movie adaptations. Disbelief is suspended, and the audience is swept along for the ride.

Rating:
Summary: Do you see what I see?
Review: Literally, I have been waiting years for this movie to come to DVD. I'm happy it's finally here, but last night while watching it I noticed something odd. At 39 min. 38 sec. in it's almost like a few seconds of the movie are missing. Both men are together for the first time in the future at the Hyatt. David Warner is speaking, sits on the bed, goes to lean back, then it jumps forward a few seconds and he is saying "the other night at dinner....". I thought maybe it was my disc, however I watched the timetrack and it didn't miss a beat.
So this leads me to believe that:
A) The DVD has been mastered with missing footage that was available on VHS.
B) Both DVD and VHS have been mastered with the footage missing.
C) This is just bad editing and this is how the movie has always been.

If anyone else can check their DVD and/or VHS and post what they find it would be appreciated. My sanity is in question here.

Thanks

Rating:
Summary: Worth the time
Review: Not the best film in the world but an interesting spin on the H G Wells "Time Machine" theme with the hero being none other than that author himself - played by Maclolm McDowell in one of the few roles he's ever played the good-guy.

They've cast other Brit perenial bad guy David Warner as Jack the Ripper.

It's worth a look at - & much better than the recent "Time Machine" with Guy Pearce.

Rating:
Summary: A quick note
Review: Although you mention Nicholas Meyer's credits as Star Trek II & VI, it was this movie that prompted Meyer's inclusion as one of the screenplay writers for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Rating:
Summary: When Times Collide
Review: Noted visionary author H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) plays host to a group of friend's at his home in London 1893. The reason for the get together is for Wells to show off the time machine that he built. One of his guests is a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Dr. John Stephenson (David Warner), is really none other than Jack The Ripper, one of the world's most notorious serial killers. When the London constables begin to close in on the elusive murderer, Stephenson uses the time machine to escape to the 20th century, to continue his crimes. Wells takes action and decides to follow him and bring him back to face justice. Once Wells arrives in "our time" he meets Amy (Mary Steenburgen), the two fall in love (on screen and off), while they close in on the Ripper.

This adventure from writer/director Nicholas Meyer (best known for Star Trek II) mixes these 2 men of history with a tale whimsy that works better than you might imagine. Meyer fills the movie wth plenty of fun, romance, excitement, and social commentary about our cuture. Meyer keeps things moving along in his freshmam effort as director,. All three of the main actors give good performance and really sell the idea of the film. Watching the film again, after about a decade since my last viewing, it didn't seem as "dated" as I recall. TIME AFTER TIME is a good little film that deserves a look.

The DVD boasts an all new digital transfer that looks great. The commentary track from Meyer and McDowell, seems as though each of them were recorded separately, then edited together later, to make it sound like they were in the same room. I can't be sure though. The disc also has an iteractive essay called "It's About Time" Finally, there are 3 theatrical trailers: One for this film, one for the film version of THE TIME MACHINE from 1960, and the remake from 2002.

The DVD is recommended and worth your time (pun intended)

Rating:
Summary: Ya gotta love it!!!
Review: The master H.G. Wells actually get to really be ahead of his time in this wonderfully directed movie. McDowell as Wells is totally believable and quite a change of pace for him. His portrayal of Wells chasing Jack the Ripper into the future to save the future is very well done. The wonderful David Warner gives Jack a lot of depth to the point that you sometimes even feel pity for the character even though you want to see him distroyed for the evil that he is. The love interest between McDowell and Mary Steenbergen are very nicely done and there is real chemistry at work. All in all one of my favorites and one that I have watched again and again. In fact - I think it is time to buy a new one. This one is about worn out.