H.G.
Wells (Malcolm McDowell) invents a time machine when wouldn’t you know it, Jack
the fucking Ripper (David Warner) steals it to elude capture by the police. Wells takes off to modern day San Francisco
in hot pursuit of the Ripper and stop him from committing more murders. Along the way, he winds up falling in love
with a sweet-natured bank teller (Mary Steenburgen) who naturally becomes the
Ripper’s next target.
Director
Nicholas Meyer takes a fantastic premise and goes off and running with it right
from the get-go. The first-person
opening scene of the Ripper preying upon an unsuspecting prostitute is a
crackling bit of suspense that would make Hitchcock proud. The ensuing scenes of Wells getting his first
taste of the future are fun (like when he goes to McDonald’s) and McDowell’s
light and cheery performance is truly winning.
After
a breezy setup, the movie reaches a plateau once McDowell begins his courtship
of Steenburgen. Although there is considerable
chemistry between the two (they fell in love on set and were later married),
these scenes are just too drawn out and not nearly as engaging as McDowell’s
hunt for Warner. Things perk up during
the finale, but it ultimately lacks the punch of the early scenes.
Steenburgen
later starred in another romantic time travel movie, Back to the Future 3, and
Meyer went on to write another time traveling flick set in San Francisco, Star
Trek 4: The Voyage Home.
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