BEFORE: I'm finally getting over this cold, and settling back into my routine. It's a little disconcerting that it took me longer to recover from Comic-Con than it took me to attend Comic-Con. It's been a little hard to concentrate on movies, so if "Stargate" is actually a spectacular film that I just couldn't process, then I apologize. But that's all part of the deal - each movie gets judged based on my state of mind that day, which can't be helped.
Tonight French Stewart carries over from "Stargate", and whereas that film featured intergalactic travel in a short period of time, this film also shows how much can be accomplished in an instant - if you have a watch that stops time.
THE PLOT: A teenager accidentally activates a machine that enables him to speed up his body so that other people seem to be standing still.
AFTER: OK, I stand corrected. The watch doesn't stop time, it merely accelerates the wearer to a speed where he is virtually invisible, and can accomplish tasks before reverting to real time. Sounds dangerous.
So last night's film had hyperspace, and this one has hypertime - works for me. Plus in both films we see what happens when the government gets involved in experimental science stuff - not a good combination.
The IMDB points out that this is based on a story by H.G. Wells, and also an episode of "The Twilight Zone" - but I recall a TV movie from the 70's called "The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything", starring Robert Hays of "Airplane" and Pam Dawber from "Mork & Mindy". That film also featured a watch that could stop time, and they tested it on the beach by removing a woman's bikini top. Well, that got my young mind racing at the time - and made me think of the sexual things that one could do with such a watch. (This was also later explored in a book titled "Fermata")
Anyway, tonight's film - pretty basic, there are shady science/government goons who want the watch (we never really find out who they work for, though...seems like an odd point to leave out) and it ends up in the hands of a scientist's son, who uses it to have fun with his new girlfriend - deterring bullies, pranking a traffic cop. This is a family film, so he doesn't use the watch the way you might think - your typical horny teen would probably use it to sneak into the girls' locker room, right?
No, he uses it to infiltrate the secret science lab and rescue his father. Ho hum. This one's short and to the point, not a lot going on in my opinion.
NITPICK POINT: They do use the watch to help a friend win a DJ competition, by making him breakdance in impossible ways - but it's not a breakdance competition, is it? Plus, their accelerated movements don't make them invisible, just hard to see - and since they stand next to their friend to make him dance, the audience would see them, they would just be all blurry.
NITPICK POINT #2: While in hypertime, our hero has no problem driving a van across town while being chased by the villains (also in hypertime). But since it's hypertime, wouldn't a car engine still be functioning at regular speed - making for a very low-speed chase? The watch doesn't accelerate machines such as cars.
Sorry, but thanks for playing. Your premise is shot down.
Also starring Jesse Bradford (last seen in "Flags of Our Fathers"), Robin Thomas, Julia Sweeney, Paula Garces, Michael Biehn (from the original "Terminator"), and Ken Jenkins (the guy from "Scrubs", not the Jeopardy! champ)
RATING: 5 out of 10 paintball guns
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