Time After Time, 1979. My Journey into Science Fiction Part 30.

Hello, and welcome to My Journey into Science Fiction Part 30. Eggy Weggs, the Korova Milk Bar and Ultraviolence are the first things that come to mind when I think about actor Malcolm McDowell. However, it’s his quote from Star Trek Generations that has made a lasting impression on me. Generations always received strong criticism from the fans, but I have always liked it. Appropriately, the quote is quite fitting for this review, and given the fact that the writer and director of Time After Time, Nicholas Meyer was the director of The Wrath of Khan, amongst other Star Trek productions, only adds to its curiosity. Somehow, I find it hard to believe these circumstances are simply accidental, and I am sure Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga have the answer to this question. Curiosity to one side for a while, it’s time to start the review.

“They say time is the fire in which we burn. Right now, Captain, my time is running out. We leave so many things unfinished in our lives.” Tolian Soron. 

H. G. Wells and one of England’s most infamous serial killers, using a time machine to visit seventies San Francisco seems ludicrous when you think about it, but here we are. The premise alone gives the impression of a science fiction film that will involve a lot of brutal horror and gore. I guess the word macabre gives the sense of a slightly disturbing scenario, but I have always found it strange that Jack the Ripper has almost become folklore in history. I do not think a film that stars Marty McFly, a DeLorean and the Yorkshire Ripper would have the same romantic appeal. Nicholas Meyer manages to tiptoe his way through the lunacy of such an idea with a well-written script that left me wondering about my place in society and those around me. So, how did he do it?

I will admit that I may not be the target audience for a romantic comedy, but there is a love story that takes centre stage in this film. H. G. Wells Malcolm McDowell admitted that he felt let down by Warner Brothers for the way they failed to market the movie properly upon its release. However, the blossoming relationship between H. G. Wells and Amy Robbins Mary Steenburgen did not blow me away, but it does have charm. I guess, the blossoming relationship between a time-travelling inventor from the 19th century and a bank clerk from the late seventies would bring about some interesting situations. As I said earlier, I am not the target audience for romance, and I may be taking things a little too seriously. I believe one of the main issues is that I know the Whitechapel Murderer is already at work. Maybe saving innocent lives from a gruesome death should be the number one priority for Mr Wells, but who am I to get in the way of love? Mary Steenburgen plays the character of Amy perfectly, but it felt like there was still a long way to go for strong female characters on screen. Her final decision in the film only confirms my suspicions. Time travel and San Francisco are both involved in another one of my favourite movies, Star Trek, The Voyage Home. Nicholas Meyer also co-wrote the screenplay for that film and had the chance to re-use elements from Time After Time that he had previously discarded. I was lucky to watch The Voyage Home at the cinema upon its release, and it was an unforgettable experience. I don’t like to compare, but watching Scotty and McCoy trade the formula for transparent aluminium was more enjoyable than a joke about the Scottish restaurant McDoonald’s, okay I made that name up. Also, I recognised that moment in time from the eighties. I was living in it. I can only imagine in the late seventies, the viewers of Time After Time shared that same immersive experience.

Time After Time is not a perfect film, but it is well crafted and does everything it has to do, to keep the viewer entertained. Sometimes, it felt like a solid made-for-television movie that kept you engrossed on a Sunday evening at home. In other moments, it is pure genius. The most enjoyable moments for me involved Wells and David Warner as the Ripper, and I wish they would have explored his motives and background a little more closely. If Time After Time gave me one thing, it is how much I truly admired David Warner as an actor. Wells confronts Leslie Stevenson in his room at the Hyatt Hotel, and as they both watch the news, he pronounces.

“Ninety years ago, I was a freak. Today, I’m an amateur.” 

David Warner delivers those lines with such importance and clarity that I will never forget them. You automatically feel the weight of those words and realise just how far we have come as a society, and it isn’t all good. That is the one moment that made the film for me, my slice of science fiction, and something to make me think about my place in the World. I have only watched this film once. However, it will not be my last, and I can see why it has become a cult classic. This journey is about finding movies I may not come across any other way, and Time After Time makes me feel grateful that I started it.

So, where to next in My Journey into Science Fiction Part 31? I’m keeping it pretty simple, and my next film I mentioned earlier, is Star Trek, Generations 1994, starring Malcolm McDowell. I have had the novelisation of the book sitting on my shelf for a while now, including some behind-the-scenes bonus information. I can’t wait to read that and watch the movie again, taking a deep dive into a film that still divides many fans.

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