Time Travel As a Personality Disorder

Read Time:5 Minute, 33 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox
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Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy
Year Released: 2024, 2026
Runtime: 1h 35m
Director(s): Stimson Snead
Writer(s): Stimson Snead
Cast: Samuel Dunning, Felicia Day, Joel McHale, Keith David, Danny Trejo
Where to Watch: on UK digital January 26, 2026

RAVING REVIEW: What happens when curiosity isn’t driven by wonder or fear, but by boredom and ego instead? TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX opens with that question baked directly into the core idea of its story, and it wastes no time making clear that this isn’t a tale about saving the world, fixing the past, or learning some noble lesson about responsibility. This is a film about a deeply unpleasant man who decides the laws of time exist solely to amuse him, and then doubles down on that belief until the universe quite literally fractures under the weight of his self-importance.

Writer/director Stimson Snead adapts his own short film into a feature with a level of confidence that immediately stands out. There’s no hesitation in the tone, no nervousness about hedging the idea of whether the audience will “get it.” The film assumes you’re willing to follow a deliberately abrasive protagonist and trusts that the concept is strong enough to sustain interest even when the character on screen is, by design, difficult to like. That trust becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths, even when it occasionally pushes into chaotic territory.

Samuel Dunning carries the film on his shoulders, and his performance does far more work than it initially lets on. Playing Tim Travers as a bundle of arrogance, insecurity, and unchecked intellect, Dunning gives each version of Tim a distinct presence without relying on the obvious. Small shifts in posture and expression do the heavy lifting, allowing the audience to track which Tim they’re watching even as the number of versions spirals out of control. It’s a performance that understands the comedy comes not from winking at the audience, but from committing to Tim’s warped logic.

The film’s humor is sharp, frequently dark, and sometimes deliberately cruel. TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX isn’t interested in comforting laughs or easy punchlines. Instead, it leans into awkwardness, escalation, and the slow realization that watching Tim interact with himself only magnifies the worst parts of his personality. The jokes land because they’re rooted in character rather than concept alone, and because the film never asks the audience to excuse Tim’s behavior just because he’s clever.

Supporting players are used strategically. Felicia Day brings a grounded presence that cuts through Tim’s chaos, offering a perspective that refuses to romanticize brilliance at the expense of decency. Joel McHale, Keith David, and Danny Trejo each appear in roles that feel intentionally quantified, not star showcases but pressure points in the narrative. Their involvement adds authority without diverting focus from the central experiment, which is kept narrow even as its implications grow broader.

Visually, the film punches well above its weight. The production design and effects are clean, functional, and surprisingly expressive given the budget constraints. Snead understands that time travel doesn’t need exhibition to be compelling; it requires clarity and consistency. When the film indulges in visual excess, it’s motivated by narrative escalation rather than novelty, reinforcing the idea that Tim’s actions compound rather than branch cleanly.

Where the film stumbles is in its final stretch. As the consequences pile up, the narrative leans into more familiar territory, and the specificity of the earlier acts softens just enough to be noticeable. The ideas remain strong, but the resolution doesn’t quite match the audacity of the setup. It’s not a failure so much as a reminder of how difficult it is to land a story that deliberately refuses sentimentality while still needing to close its loop. With that said, there’s still a lot here that overcomes that as a weakness.

TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX earns its place among the more interesting modern time travel films by refusing to treat the concept as a puzzle to be solved or a spectacle to be admired. Instead, it uses time travel as a mirror, forcing its protagonist to confront himself repeatedly and revealing how little insight that confrontation actually produces. The paradox at the center isn’t just temporal; it’s emotional and moral, and the film is honest enough to admit that not every question has a satisfying answer. I think that the emotional take on time travel is one of the more interesting things that I’ve seen in some time. Time travel often has a much deeper rationale; instead, this film uses the fallout as the reason to care.

This is the kind of film that finds its audience. It isn’t designed to be the next BACK TO THE FUTURE, and it doesn’t mold itself to be or to win over skeptics. But for viewers willing to embrace its mean streak, its ambition, and its willingness to let discomfort coexist with humor, TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX delivers a smart, funny, occasionally frustrating, and ultimately memorable experience that feels far more substantial than its modest scale suggests.

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[photo courtesy of GRIMM VISION]

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