Time After Time

Directed by Nicholas Meyer, Time After Time follows H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) as he pursues Jack the Ripper (David Warner) to the 20th century after the infamous killer uses his time machine to escape justice. It’s a a high-concept premise that’s employed to slightly uneven yet mostly entertaining effect by Meyer, as the first-time filmmaker, working from his own screenplay, delivers a briskly-paced thriller that benefits substantially from its strong performances and proliferation of irresistible time-travel elements – with the latter certainly reflected in an initial emphasis on the central characters’ fish-out-of-water exploits in current-day San Francisco. And although the 112 minute runtime occasionally feels excessive, Time After Time boasts a perpetually watchable atmosphere that’s heightened by several memorably striking sequences (eg an impressively exciting foot chase through busy streets) and a sweet romance between Wells and Mary Steenburgen’s Amy Robbins. By the time the engaging (and thoroughly satisfying) climax rolls around, Time After Time has cemented its place as a solid time-travel adventure that is, for the most part, exactly what one might’ve hoped for based on the larger-than-life setup.

*** out of ****