Three young, financially-challenged friends stumble upon their dead neighbor’s tank of a camera, which incidentally takes Polaroid photos 24 hours into the future. It sounds very much like a Twilight Zone episode. Oh hold on a minute, it is a Twilight Zone episode.
While first time feature director Bradley King’s (Requiem, Dear John) suspenseful Time Lapse, at first glance, may sound like Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling should get some writing credits on it, it might just expand on an incredibly remarkable idea, which the popular 60s anthology series somehow failed to accomplish.
What if you do find a camera that tells the future? It’s one of those ultimate fantasy “what would you do” questions, like “what would you do if win a million dollars tomorrow?” Would you use it for personal gain? Save lives? Try and change fate?
Two broke dudes and a girl friend find themselves in that exact situation in the movie and after half-heartedly (obviously) debating what to do, decide they are going to use it to win bets and get rich. Things would have been fine and dandy and sailing for the sunset for these three, except that in movies, there always has to be a conflict; and in this one, it comes in a form of a bookie in a suit carrying a baseball bat. As soon as this guy shows up, everything is shot to hell and back. Naturally.
The movie does, however, promise to engage and excite without sounding too fake or too contrived, despite its seemingly obvious and predictable plot. It’s already gotten favorable reviews at the Seattle International Film Festival. So while it might sound like it’s just another one of those movies that completely ruin a great premise, Time Lapse might just be one of those few that break the mould.
I guess we’re just gonna have to wait and see.
Its official trailer has already gotten my curiosity piqued, at least. And you know, any excuse to watch a movie that involves a film camera, I’d take. I’m pretty sure you feel the same way. Watch it after the jump.