Sci-Fi Time Travel Without All the Mess

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MOVIE REVIEW
The Time Capsule
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Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director(s): Erwann Marshall
Writer(s): Chad Fifer, Erwann Marshall
Cast: Todd Grinnell, Brianna Hildebrand, KaDee Strickland
Where To Watch: Available on all the traditional On-Demand options today, 6/3

A unique experience that I won’t soon forget, thanks in part to a weird story that impressed me far more than I had expected. Starring Brianna Hildebrand, who is probably best known for her role in DEADPOOL and its sequel. The film focuses on a different twist with the time-travel trope. However, it’s done so that it isn’t clunky and doesn’t create any paradox/confusion with the viewer.

With a pretty small cast, we have Hildebrand, co-star Todd Grinnell (ONE DAY AT A TIME), and KaDee Strickland (PRIVATE PRACTICE), making it a pretty intimate story. There are several others in the cast, but the main focus is, without a doubt, on these three. As director Erwann Marshall said, this is “a movie set in the future, but it’s not about the future.” Based partly on Marshall’s childhood, moving from one place to another every few years, the film convincingly takes that idea to the next level.

The film itself pays homage to THE TWILIGHT ZONE in its simple sci-fi take on trying to answer the question of “what if” that we all reckon with from time to time. The film's approach is unique enough to keep most hooked for the entire movie to see how everything plays out. Grinnell and Strickland play off each other perfectly, and in the end, Strickland’s performance propels the film to the next level with a turn that we don’t see coming.

While there are some potentially problematic “ideas” in the film, it makes you ask more questions because of those ideas. I had a similar issue with Paul Thomas Anderson’s film LICORICE PIZZA from last year. However, where he fails to address the elephant in the room, THE TIME CAPSULE takes this concern head-on and ultimately gives a conclusion that I found more than satisfactory. That credit probably goes in part to his co-writer Chad Fifer as well, the idea of the film and how the story was told is very well done, and the writing had a lot to do with its accomplishment.

If you’re looking for an enjoyable movie that keeps you thinking from start to finish, I recommend checking this out. A tale that has been taken out of time itself!

SPOILERS:
So my biggest issue was that the film continued to sway back and forth between Grinnell and Hildebrand being young teens when she leaves on the trip. However, it's then mentioned regularly that she’s now 18; part of this could be from the indefinite amount of time that space travel ages you, but at the same time, it feels somewhat convenient. I’m just glad that her present age was at least addressed, unlike in LICORICE PIZZA.

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