Pluskylang Great Film overall

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

sol- Near impossible to discuss without spoilers, the plot of this science fiction yarn revolves around a single father who comes to believe that something is amiss with the latest guests at his country inn. It turns out that he is correct and the tenants are in fact time travelers from the future who go back in time to sightsee natural disasters as they occur. It is an interesting idea and one that taps well into humankind's natural morbid fascination with catastrophes. There is also quite a bit to consider with the way the tourists have the power to change the past but do not dare, lest they affect their present day reality. It never quite rings true how the innkeeper stumbles onto the secret through one of the tourists being careless, nor does it quite make sense that he would automatically believe everything he is told, but if one accepts the film's few improbabilities and runs with it, it is an encapsulating ride. Jeff Daniels is terrific in the lead role with his dedication towards his daughter, and his resentment over how he 'let' his wife die, resonating strongly. His performance becomes particularly dynamic in the final half-hour of the film as he travels back in time and gets to argue with his past self. Ariana Richards (from 'Jurassic Park') is every bit his equal as his mature daughter and the film is generally well acted. Released straight to cable/video in some areas, 'Timescape' has never quite gained the cult following that it perhaps should have and with the subsequent successes of director David Twohy, it deserves to be rediscovered.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Timescape is a charming, fairly overlooked early 90's bit of escapism. It's directed by David Twohy (his first feature) a guy known for super fun, out there sci fi stuff, like Below, The Arrival, A Perfect Getaway and the Riddick franchise. Here he reigns it in a bit in a family cemeteries story of time travel and intrigue, but loses none of the invigorating nature of storytelling found in his work. Jeff Daniels, an actor who grew on me immensely in the last few years and who I now consider one of my favourites, is excellent as Ben Wilson, a blue collar single father fixing up an old inn with his young daughter Allison (Ariana Richards of Jurassic Park!). They get strange visitors who appear out of nowhere and seem to be in their town for a very specific, ominous reason. They are odd, spacey weirdos led by a flamboyant old bird (Marilyn Lightstone) and soon Ben suspects not only are they not from the region, but not even from the same time as them. Daniels plays the Everyman so well and carries the film with his skills. Ben has a tragic past involving the passing of his wife, and is forced to deal with a tyrannical father in law who blames him, wants to take custody of Allison, and also just happens to be a judge. Richards, younger here than in Jurassic Park, is super talented and intuitive beyond her years and lights up every frame, especially with the wonderful chemistry her and Daniels have. Vague disaster looms over their town and Ben is forced to uncover the secrets that the mysterious 'tourists' hold, and use the powers of time to navigate himself, Allison and the entire town to safety. The dimension bending third act is given down to earth, thought out reverence that treats its audience with respect, challenging them and aiming to please at the same time. "There is purpose to Time, you know... Keeps everything from happening all at once", one of the travelling strangers imparts to Ben. Indeed. It's a thoroughly fun piece, and should have a little more recognition than it does these days.

SnoopyStyle Ben Wilson (Jeff Daniels) is haunted by his wife Carolyn's freak accident. Carolyn's father Judge Caldwell still blames him for her death. He is renovating a country inn with his daughter Hillary (Ariana Richards). Before he's done, Madame Iovine comes to rent out the entire house for 3 nights avoiding the hotel in town. He gets suspicious of the group that she's leading. Mr. Quish is a late arrival covered with a layer of ash. The bus driver Oscar found them waiting in the middle of nowhere and they don't seem to have any cameras. Mr. Quish gets sideswiped by a car and the doctor finds a mysterious object in his head. Ben finds Quish's passport with stamps of disaster dates. Quish warns him to leave town with his family immediately. The judge uses his influence to take temporary custody of Hillary. That night, a meteor hits the town.It has a good sci-fi time travel idea. The style and the scale is closer to a good TV movie. The action and effects are not high standard. Jeff Daniels does a good job maintaining control of the screen. However I wish the other characters especially the time travelers are much more compelling. They could have been more interesting. This is generally a good movie but nothing spectacular.

John-Hornby4 I saw this film on TV and it reminded me of a Sci-Fi story I had read many years ago in a Sci-Fi magazine called, at that time, "Astounding Science Fiction". The title of the story was "Vintage Season" and I believe the author was Lawrence O'Donnell. Incidentally, I still have the magazine. This information may be of use to followers of this genre and if anyone knows how I may be able to obtain a copy of a later published book by this author containing this story I would appreciate it.As far as the film is concerned I must add that, in my opinion, it was cleverly directed and the acting by Jeff Daniels was up to his usual good standard. There is no need for me to outline the plot as this has already been done except to say that, although I personally have always been interested in time travel stories and/or films, there is no need to be acquainted with this genre to follow the plot and enjoy the film. I saw the film under the title "Timescape" which is elusive enough to attract attention. In my opinion the film has a softer and more acceptable ending than the story but otherwise adheres to the original quite well. I would give it full marks as a film which does not contain any far-fetched sequences so often included in other films of this genre.