About Time sci-fi review

            I chose to watch About Time because I had heard positive reviews from multiple people, and because it features time travel, a favorite topic of mine and a very common theme in sci-fi. This movie was not what I was expecting. Other than the time travel (which wasn’t really explained at all), there are none of the signs of a typical sci-fi movie (robots, aliens, scientific developments, etc.). Nevertheless, I still found it to be an excellent movie, even if the time travel took a back seat to the main character’s personal life.

            About Time is a British movie about a man named Tim who discovers that all of the men in his family can time travel (but only to the past, to a time and place that they’ve already been). He decides to use his newfound ability, of course, to get a girl. Throughout the film we see Tim win over Mary, get married, and even have children. Although his time travel does play an important role in his initially getting together with Mary, I was surprised by the number of times throughout the film when he chose not to use his ability to get a re-do. The overall message of the film was really about making the most of every day and realizing how extraordinary ordinary life can be. This film fits into the category of love conquers all, as it places a great deal of emphasis on Tim’s love for his family, from his father and sister to his wife and kids.

            There was nothing really of note in the camera work, but there were a few other interesting technical aspects. The movie, which has a mixture of comedy and occasional sadness, has a sweet, rather sentimental tone, highlighted by a soundtrack featuring quite a few songs with string instruments. I also liked the contrast between the bright, beautiful landscape shown at Tim’s childhood home by the sea in Cornwall (of which there were some magnificent long shots) and the drab, gray scenes of Tim’s adult life in London.

4/5