After watching The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and just before my wife and I watched The Birdcage, we watched Time after Time with my son. Yes, the movie is rated-R, but its a soft R I think. This is wondeful movie that holds up. Malcome Mcdowell and David Warner, chew up the scenery as only Brits can, and throw in Steamburgen, and this is a great little low-budget gem. The science of how the time travel is done isn't really explained, which no doubt will anger many TREK fans who need that kind of fix, but not me. All you need to know is that the Red Key turns it on, and if you travel through time with out it, you're a gonner. Pure and simple. The time-traveler "fish out of water" works in San Francisco, just as it did for Voyage Home, but in reverse. Where as Kirk and his crew are in current time, and totally lost, Herbert Wells is from 80 years or so in the past. And even though the movie is in the late 70s, and you can get past the disco music and hairdoos, it still works. My wife and son, who had not seen this movie, really laughed as Herbert explored the world of the present. But they were both aware that at some point Herbert and Jack the ripper, would have a show down. And my wife was able to guess it would involve Steamburgen in the middle. I did notice one TREK inspired scene. There is a brief scene between Mcdowell and Mary Steamburgen that takes place where Kirk and Spock were walking just as Gillian picks them up in her truck. I may be wrong, but it looks so much like the same area. If you havent seen this movie, you should. I think they could actually remake this movie, as long as they kept the innocent charm of the characters, if they really wanted too. I would cast Simon Pegg as HG WELLS...Scarlet Johanson in the roll of the woman he meets..and Daniel Craig as the ripper... Rob Scorpio
Well, given that both movies were directed by Nicholas Meyer that's not too surprising. Although the nitpicker in me feels obliged to point out that TIME AFTER TIME came out many years before THE VOYAGE HOME, so its more like TAT inspired TREK then the other way around! A great movie, though. I had the opportunity to tell Malcom McDowall how much I liked it at Shore Leave last year. He seemed to remember the movie fondly as well.
I don't think this movie is rated R, it used to come on all the time when I was growing up back when there was one HBO and they didn't show R-Rated fare before 8PM (so quaint...).
One of my most favorite movies ever. Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen are all terrific in this movie. Nicholas Meyer, IMO has done some really good films that tend to be overlooked for the most part.
Not to nit...but Meyer didn't direct Voyage Home, but did do some rewrites on the script. Nimoy directed.
Meyer didn't direct The Voyage Home, he just had a hand in writing some of the San Francisco scenes, which gave him a chance to put in some of the jokes he didn't get to use in Time After Time. Yeah, it's PG. It's been awhile, but I'm thinking any gore was in the imagination rather than on the screen. "Ninety years ago I was a freak. Today I'm an amateur."
Fun..great word for it. Its a great movie where the fun is not interupted by the 'science' of the fiction. And the charm of Mcdowell, and the intensity of Warner, are great counter-balances, with Steambergen in the middle. A very 70s film I guess, but still a....fun...ride. Rob
I found this on DVD a few years ago. It's underrated, and an obvious inspiration for Back to the Future a few years later. I wouldn't rush to a remake, for the original is fine, and you'd be hard pressed to find better actors than the three leads here.
agreed... but if they did? Scarelet Johanson in Steambergen's role...Daniel Craig as Ripper...and I am not sure now who I would cast in Mcdowell's role? Ewan Mcgregor? Oh, and if Craig didn't want to play Ripper, i would get Liam Neelson or whatever his name is.. Rob
Not only shouldn't there be a rush to remake this film, but I''ll go further and say it doesn't need to be remade ever. It is simply just fine the way it is. Then again, most of the films that get remade didn't need to be either. I really don't understand the mania to remake films. But I guess when you don't have any original ideas in Hollywood, what else do you have?
Yeah, as anal as I can get about science in Trek, I'm ordinarily fine with it being silly otherwise. It doesn't hurt that Malcolm MacDowell is generally awesome. I rather wish he'd had a bigger career.
Anyone else seen David Warner on Wallander recently? He was really good as Kenneth Branagh's eccentric father, who is succumbing to dementia. Good to see he's still working.
That one is good, but my favorite is the exchange between Jack and Wells: Wells: You gave me your word as a gentleman! Jack: You should have relaized by now that I am not a gentleman. DISCLAIMER: I may have fudged this dialogue a bit. Benn awhile since I've seen the film.
Or an "END OF LINE." Me, I'd like to see McDowell himself play Jack in a remake. They could have his famous nephew play HG Wells this time... (Side note: John Leslie Stevenson - the Jack played by Warner in the film - does he really exist? Was he one of the many possible suspects of being the real Jack the Ripper?)