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When I tell people that Time After Time is my favorite movie, I get the same response every time: “Oh, you mean the one with Christopher Reeve.” No, no, no. Not the one with Reeve. That was Somewhere in Time. Time After Time is the one where two 19th-century time travelers visit the future—namely, our present.
Suppose that, in 1893, H.G. Wells, science fiction author and social critic, actually built his famous time machine. And suppose that his friend, an eminent London surgeon, used the machine to evade a posse of tall-helmeted constables in close pursuit. Why the pursuit? Because, unknown to Wells, the surgeon was actually Jack the Ripper.
And so begins the sequence of events that propels the two characters into 1979 San Francisco—one chasing the other across a modern landscape that the proper Wells (Malcolm McDowell) finds weird, violent, and freakish, but where the Ripper (David Warner) feels right at home.
As he seeks clues to the Ripper’s whereabouts, Wells meets bank clerk Amy (Mary Steenburgen). There is instant attraction, followed by a lunch date and, soon, romance. But there’s little time for that while the Ripper remains on the loose, continuing the series of killings that match his modus operandi from back in foggy London.
When the Ripper discovers that Amy is responsible for helping Wells find him, she finds herself in grave danger, and Wells goes to unusual lengths to ensure her safety while seeking to stop the Ripper for good.
The high quality of acting sets Time After Time apart. McDowell gives the owlish Wells a comic twist, and Warner creates a chilling persona as the surgeon/mass murderer. Steenburgen, as the free-spirited, liberated woman, nearly steals the picture as counterpoint to the visiting Victorians.
You might think it’s a thriller, and it is. But it’s a love story foremost, with elements of sci-fi, mystery, comedy, and action. The music by Miklos Rozsa adds to the pulse-pounding excitement. And then there’s the story. You’ll absolutely believe that everything is happening as it happens. It’s easy to suspend disbelief when films are crafted as well as this one.
Music, story, acting, characters, thrills, danger, and heart—Time After Time has it all. That’s why it’s my favorite—and now, almost 30 years later, I’m positively perplexed that nobody knows about it. But now you do. Give it a try. You’ll see that it still holds up after all these years.
DVD Review:
The script for Time After Time was written by Nicholas Meyer, who also wrote a few Star Treks and, most recently, Elegy. Time After Time was his directorial debut, and on the movie commentary (with Malcolm McDowell), he expounds on his experiences and mistakes in candid detail. He especially wishes that he’d done more close-ups and that he’d had better special effects (though, for the pre-CGI 1970s, the effects are fine). McDowell also adds some insights about his off-screen romance with Mary Steenburgen (the two married soon after filming).
The rest of the features are on the bland side: some static reading about the main cast members and various time travel movies, as well as trailers for Time After Time and the two versions of The Time Machine (1960 and 2002). Still, all of the few features are worth checking out, since they’re brief and informative.
