Understand Chaos Theory? Then you will probably like this film.

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2004)

About Me: Avid movie goer. See 2-3 films in theaters a week.
As a general rule I absolutely hate time travel stories. The paradoxes that any time travel story creates are huge and generally are either explained through faulty logic or never explained at all which is simply an insult to the viewers intelligence.
Very, very rarely however I come across a story where the storyteller doesn't take the easy way out and actually puts some thought into it. And even more rarely they use it to create an interesting story (which all by itself is pretty rare).
So when I say I like this movie (and liked it a lot) it means that the storytellers have created something very special. Bress/Gruber have coupled a new and rather thoughtful method of time travel with a group of characters that are interesting, believable and most importantly, that are worthy of being cared for.
Like most films this one is not for everybody. There is violence, both emotional and physical. It isn't glamorized or gruesome but it is realistic which is perhaps even more disturbing. The plot is complex and necessarily told through some nonlinear storytelling methods so you have to pay attention to understand it. Most importantly a basic understanding of chaos theory is necessary to understanding how the story works and unfolds, otherwise it may not make sense. I think this may be where most of the professional reviewers lost the point and why this film currently seems to be getting rather poor reviews. So read up a bit on the subject before heading to the theater (its a fascinating subject and well worth your time, trust me).
If you have the stomach, attention span and the prerequisite knowledge however this film is simply one heck of an entertaining ride.
Cast: Excellent. I was particularly impressed with the younger actors and especially John Patrick Amedori who plays the young Evan.
Cinematography: Very well done.
Story/Plot: Complex, intelligent, well thought out and interesting.
Editing/Direction: Superb. Fast paced but the story is always driving the action. I will watch for and expect great things from the Bress/Gruber team in the future!
Overall Rating: 9/10