Clockstoppers: Exploring the Science and Adventure of Hypertime
Clockstoppers is a Time Travel Action Adventure Comedy Sci-Fi Thriller. The film follows a specific premise: a teenager accidentally activates a wristwatch that enables him to stop time.
Plot Summary and the Concept of Hypertime
In the movie, a young boy accidentally finds a watch built by his estranged father that accellerates whoever is wearing it, and whatever (or whoever) they're touching into "hypertime", which makes the rest of the world move at a snail's pace, comparitively. I really liked the idea that they weren't actually stopping time, they were just slowing it down REALLY slow. From his viewpoint, everyone else seems frozen in time.
One part that really struck me as odd was when he (Jess Bradford) was in the bathroom at the hospital and he was trying to get the watch (time-stopper) to work. I assume he got the watch to work momentarily, but that doesn't really make sense because later in the movie he gives it to French Stewart so he can repair it and get it working again.
Production Origins and Creative Inspiration
The cinematic origin of this story is quite notable. This film is a very loose remake of the 1980 TV movie, "The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything". Furthermore, the plot was inspired by H.G. Wells' 1901 story "The New Accelerator," about a scientist who develops a drug enabling him to move so fast that no one can see him.
Interestingly, the film was handled by a well-known figure in the sci-fi community. This is interesting, because "Clockstoppers" is directed by Jonathan Frakes, who plays Commander Riker in Star Trek. One little movie trivia tid-bit that I noticed in the film was when Francesca and Zak are having fun with the watch and she says "Make it so Number One". That is a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Cast and Performances
As far as acting goes, I thought all the actors did a find job. The cast includes the following individuals:
- Jesse Bradford & Paula Garces: They do a good job, too. I was really impressed with Paula's beauty, she is a quite a beautiful woman and predict a great future for her.
- French Stewart: He provides the comic aspect, and was pretty much my favorite character.
- Michael Biehn: He plays a decent villian, although he is not allowed much developement, which is a bit sad, after his excellent work in Terminator, Navy Seals, Abyss, and The Rock.
Movie Reception and Statistics
The following table summarizes the data and metrics regarding the film's reception among users and critics:
| Metric Type | Count / Score |
|---|---|
| Added by | 9.1K users |
| User reviews | 106 |
| Critic reviews | 56 |
| Metascore | 40 |
Cinematic Style and Effects
The main reason I wanted to see the movie was for the special effects and I wasn't let down, the special effects were spectacular and lots of fun. For instance, the opening credits are made up of wristwatch components. It's not a superb sci-fi movie, but it's fun and it's got lots of cool things to look at and some fun ideas. Remember, this is a kid's movie, done by Nickelodeon, so it's on a kid's level, which explains some plot holes. This is a good movie to see for all ages!