Time Lapse is a Violent and Gripping Sci-fi Thriller [Advance Review]

Time Lapse sees a group of roommates discovering  a camera that can take pictures 24 hours into the future. It allows them to dramatically alter the course of their lives; becoming more creative, more successful, and a lot richer. But all of these things come at a cost and soon the friends have to decide if what they are doing is worth the risk and if the benefits outweigh the potentially serious ramifications.

The film stars Danielle Panabaker, Matt O’Leary and George Finn. Time Lapse marks the feature film directorial debut of Bradley King. The director also co-penned the script with BP Cooper.

Performance wise, I was mostly impressed. I am always a fan of Panabaker but the rest of the cast turned in solid performances as well. None of the showings are Oscar caliber or prone to change the way you see the world but all of the leads were believable and did a very effective job of bringing their characters to life. Each of the three lead actors plays a very diverse role when compared to the other two and each is developed enough that we come to care about them over the course of the film’s runtime.

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Bradley King shows a lot of promise as a director. Even though this was his first outing, he shows a strong command of the directorial process. He knows how to effectively build atmosphere and keep his audience on edge. The third act was particularly suspenseful. It had me on the edge of my seat wondering how everything was going to wrap up. His job as a director was definitely made easier by the script that he co-penned with BP Cooper. The screenplay is strong and offers up a largely original premise that keeps the audience intrigued right up until the very end.

The film is entertaining but also sprinkles in a bit of social commentary. It poses some interesting questions about how far an individual will go to keep a good thing going and also makes a pretty strong case for why ignorance is sometimes bliss. This isn’t totally uncommon for time travel films but Time Lapse really drove the point home.

One thing for potential viewers to keep in mind is that the plot becomes a bit difficult to follow at times because it twists and turns back in on itself so many times. The audience has to constantly be on point to remember how each series of events effects the previous and the next. That’s not a flaw of the film, it’s more of a warning to make sure that you are in the mood for something that you have to pay a little extra attention to. This is not the type of flick where you can sit back and do two or three other things while watching.

This is definitely a must see for sci-fi fans but horror enthusiasts will not be disappointed either. There are a couple of good kill scenes and there is some pretty decent bloodshed in the final thirty minutes as well.