H. G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) invents and builds a time machine but before he can make use of it his colleague Dr John Leslie Stevenson (David Warner) hijacks the machine and journeys to the future. Wells learns that Stevenson is, in actuality, the notorious Jack the Ripper and feeling guilty for unleashing the killer on the future follows Stevenson. Wells arrives in San Francisco in 1979 and begins the hunt for the Ripper. Along the way he meets and falls in love with beautiful bank teller Amy Robbins (Mary Steenburgen) who joins him in his quest. Stevenson is soon wise to the arrival of Wells and a deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensues with Amy as the target. With “Time After Time” writer / director Nicholas Meyer fashioned an interesting amalgam of fact and fiction while also delivering an entertaining and thoughtful romantic adventure romp. Meyer’s story is witty and full of sly humour with some great subtle touches – I particularly liked how the evil, scheming Stevenson integrated seamlessly into modern society, while Utopian socialist dreamer Wells struggled with the era and yearned to return to his own time. The film is fast-paced and stylish with some great clean, clear cinematography by Paul Lohmann and some delightfully old-fashioned optical effects to simulate the time machine in action. Meyer also handles the romance between Wells and Amy with aplomb, making it believable while never under-playing the challenges of two people from different eras meeting up. The two leading players went some way to ensuring that the various themes and the romance worked: Malcolm McDowell as Wells brings the appropriate intensity while Mary Steenburgen skilfully navigated the challenge of being tough, sexy, vulnerable and independent all at the same time. David Warner also made for a great villain as Stevenson / Saucy Jack, playing the Ripper as a sophisticated, gentlemanly psychopath. All-in-all “Time After Time” makes for a fun reinterpretation of “The Time Machine” and emerges as a tense, enjoyable fantasy with a nice little romance at its core. ( )

H.G. Wells chases Jack the Ripper to 1979.

If only it had been the chess game that the movie's own recurring metaphor wants to believe it is. In the few parts where it lets itself be the suspenseful thriller it should be, it's quite good. But for the most part, it's an implausible, tedious love story. Hard to believe this was written by the same guy behind the best Star Trek movies.

Concept: A
Story: D
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: C

GPA: 2.5/4 ( )