Two women find a time machine in a bin. They use it to collate items for their vintage store. Chaos ensues. It's a simple enough premise. However, Chris Reading and the Shakespeare sisters' Time Travel is Dangerous wrings out this narrative to create something wry, deeply funny, and full of heart, aided by its mockumentary format and a perfectly cast ensemble.
The film stars Ruth Syratt and and Megan Stevenson, the real-life owners of a vintage shop in Muswell Hill, as a pair of haphazard best friends, trying to keep things afloat with their shop. When they one day discover what looks like a rusty old dodgem out the back of their shop, they find themselves able to travel in time, and use this new resource to scour history for exciting pieces to sell in their shop. They are aided in their travels by a TV show from the 80s called ‘The Future is Now', hosted by young scientists Ralph (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) and Valerie (Laura Aikman), alongside a robot called Botty (Johnny Vegas). However, when Ralph and Valerie of the present day (Brian Bovell and Sophie Thompson), alongside their inventors' society, get wind of this scheme they try to shut it down before the time-space continuum gets out of whack… unfortunately, Ruth and Megan don't listen to them…
The film is shot in a mockumentary style, us following the exploits of the women as they recount them. This fully leans into classic dry British humour, emulating shows like The Office which first utilised it here. The first half hour takes a while to settle into itself, and as brilliant as the wry, tongue-in-cheek, comedy is, in the long set-up of the film, it can become somewhat stale. However, once the effects of the time travel begin to kick in, and shift into the realm of a proper indie sci-fi number, Time Travel is Dangerous becomes exactly what it was meant to be, perfectly towing the line of honouring classic Sci-Fi narratives, while retaining its wicked sense of humour.
The visual look of the time travel side-effects has an intentional homemade feel, and while this could be perceived by some as cheap or tacky, the effect is has is actually very charming. There are remnants of the look of shows like Doctor Who and it makes it feel like a loving ode to earlier media in the genre. There are also hints of other sci-fi-comedies, with an interlude that takes place in a void lost in time reminding this viewer of the scenes in hell from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Simon Porter's score is a stand-out, adding intrigue and a sense of seriousness and earnest in the midst of the silliness.
However, underneath all of the goofy machinations, the heart of this story is the friendship between Ruth and Megan. The pair have great chemistry that is evident from the very first moments. You feel the love, but also frustration, of people who care for each other deeply, but also have to work together. You also feel the weight of still trying to figure out your role and purpose in life, even as a grown adult. This paired with the inventor characters' reflections on their legacy and what they created, comes together to bring meaning and a big heart to Time Travel is Dangerous.
Time Travel is Dangerous is out in select cinemas 28th March.
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