There are movies that you watch once, and immediately know you’ll never want to watch again. And then there are those that you can watch time after time, without ever growing tired of them. At least in my book, Nicholas Meyer’s Time After Time falls squarely in the latter category. Written and directed by Meyer, the film features an ingenious plot line, great acting, and a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Time After Time is as fresh and entertaining today as it was when first released in 1979. And why not? This is a timeless tale, after all, in more ways than one. Though it may seem to some to be just another Sci-Fi flick, rest assured that it’s not. The characters, and the fine actors who portray them, are what really make Time After Time great fun and solid entertainment.

As the film opens, we meet famed Sci-Fi author H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) and his circle of friends. The year is 1893, and Wells has a stunning announcement: he has invented a time machine to travel into what he believes will be a “Social Utopia” in the future. A socialist and an optimist, Wells believes that man will outgrow violence and end war, disease, and poverty in the future.

This sentiment is not universally shared by his compatriots. Dr. John Leslie Stevenson (David Warner) is of the opinion that man is inherently a hunter, and that his violent nature will be as pervasive in the future as it is in 1893. That opinion fits the man duly, as Wells come to realize when the police come searching for Jack the Ripper and find that Stevenson and the Ripper are one and the same.

To escape, the Ripper uses Wells’ time machine to travel to the future. Aghast, Wells realizes that he must pursue Stevenson, lest a serial killer be unleashed upon the unsuspecting inhabitants of the Social Utopia. And so, HG arrives in San Francisco in the year 1979, where he soon discovers the Ripper is already at work.

But Wells also discovers that, rather than a Social Utopia, the future is a place where man has seemingly regressed instead of advanced. Violence seems to have a firmer cultural grip than ever. Still, the Ripper must be stopped, and Wells enlists the aid of Amy Robbins (Mary Steenburgen), a local bank exchange officer, to find him.

The two promptly fall in love, and when the Ripper learns of Amy’s involvement, she soon becomes targeted as his next victim. But even armed with his time machine, will Wells be able to stop the Ripper and save Amy before it’s too late?

Once setting up its premise, Time After Time rolls along smoothly and will keep you interested right up to the end. The idea of pitting two historical contemporaries against each other is brilliant, and forms the core of the plot. But there’s much more going on here, of course. The idea that the Ripper might feel right at home in the late seventies, while social progressive Wells is like a fish out of water, is a telling commentary on modern society. It’s also as apt today as it was then.

If you’ve never seen the film, there’s plenty of suspense and enough plot twists to keep you enthralled. But even on repeated viewings, the magic never fades, and I can truly say I enjoy Time After Time as much today is I did in 1979.

The romance between Amy and Wells works well, and adds depth to the story. Interestingly enough, Meyer used Wells second wife’s real name for Steenburgen’s character. There is true chemistry between Amy and HG whenever they’re on screen.

McDowell gives a superior performance as Wells, who seems to be eternally lost in thought and amazed by the technical advances of the future. Steenburgen is convincing too as Amy, once you get past her sometimes annoyingly shrill voice.

David Warner really steals the scene as Jack the Ripper. He’s truly scary, and gives off the air of a crazed serial killer right on into the dramatic conclusion. Observant viewers will notice a very young Corey Feldman as a little boy in the museum where Wells arrives on his trip to 1979.

Special effects may be the weakest link in the chain here. Keep in mind that the film was made in the late seventies on a minimal budget. Then too, the effects are only an afterthought anyway: as previously mentioned, the characters are the real focus here.

And that is as it should be. In the final analysis, that makes Time After Time a classic, one that you can certainly watch again and again, and enjoy time after time.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older