A new, low-budget science fiction comedy attempts to tackle one of the genre's most enduring brain-teasers, resulting in a film that is as bewildering as it is ambitious. 'Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox', directed by Stimson Snead, arrives on digital platforms this month, offering a chaotic and often exhausting take on the classic time-travel conundrum.
A Paradoxical Plot That Tests Patience
The film centres on the eponymous Tim Travers, a scientist played by Samuel Dunning. In a decidedly risky move, Travers steals nuclear materials from a terrorist group to power his homemade time machine. His experiment is singularly focused: he travels back one minute to shoot his younger self, aiming to physically investigate the famous time-traveller's paradox. If he succeeds in erasing his immediate past self, logic suggests he should cease to exist. Yet, if he ceases to exist, how could he have travelled back in the first place?
The narrative quickly spirals from this premise. The film posits that the time-travelled self must survive, leading Travers to repeat the process ad infinitum. This results in a multitude of Samuel Dunnings cluttering the screen, a premise that the film stretches to its absolute limit. At one point, the various Tims engage in a bizarre, off-camera orgy, while a frustrated hitman employed by the wronged terrorists tries to eliminate the proliferating clones.
Cameos Provide Much-Needed Relief
Where the core concept becomes a drone of 'gibbering, jabbering nonsense', the film is partially rescued by its starry supporting cast. A welcome walk-on part from the iconic Danny Trejo offers a moment of recognisable grit. However, the true highlight is saved for the finale, with a brilliant cameo from Keith David. He appears as 'the Simulator', effectively playing God, who offers a witty meta-commentary on creation and the film industry itself.
David's God explains he is a free creator, akin to a self-published novelist, and grows hilariously irritated when the mortal characters dismiss that notion. "It's not my fault if you don't understand the industry!" he retorts, delivering the film's sharpest and most self-aware line.
Final Verdict and Release Details
This indie romp will undoubtedly draw comparisons to other cerebral time-travel stories like Primer, though it aims for a broader, if not always successful, comedic tone. The relentless execution ultimately feels draining, serving perhaps as an unintended tribute to the more elegantly crafted humour of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox is released on digital platforms on 26 January. It is a curious oddity that may appeal to fans of relentlessly talky, concept-driven indie cinema, especially for those keen to see Keith David's divine intervention.
