Writer/director Chris Reading’s Time Travel Is Dangerous begins with a narration by Stephen Fry that introduces the audience to Ruth (Ruth Syratt) and Megan (Megan Stevenson), who run a bric-a-brac store in Muswell Hill, London. This mockumentary explains how the pair, who have found a time-traveling bumper car behind their store, supply their business by going back in time and stealing “antiques” to sell.
While this begins as a lucrative way to keep the business afloat after their landlord threatens eviction, there are soon problems. Ruth and Megan are confronted by the group that created the time machine, who demand they stop using it for nefarious purposes. Thinking their actions are good-willed in nature, the pair continues their temporal larceny, undeterred.
The science of time travel is easily glossed over. When any of the group of scientists who created the machine is pressed for details, their credibility is debunked as being the ludicrous ravings of tinkerers and practitioners of absurdity. The film gets most of its allure from outrageous characters. In one whimsical incident, Ruth accidentally opens a door to the past that fractures time and space, resulting in her becoming an entertaining sixteen-year-old version of herself.
“…shop owners travel to the past to steal antiques they can sell in their store…”
With few time-travel comedies produced lately, Time Travel Is Dangerous occupies a unique space with a blend of science fiction and humor. This romp is a welcome breath of fresh air. As the title suggests, such a premise is a risky tightrope to walk, but the cast and crew pull it off effortlessly.
Reading came up with the idea after meeting the real owners of a second-hand store in North London. Loving their impeccable timing for comedy, he first made a short film entitled The Unreason, where the two go back in time to sell trinkets and clothing from present day. After the short was well received, Reading then asked Anna Elizabeth and Hillary Shakespeare to develop the script into a full-length film.
A majority of the movie is set indoors, with impressive time travel scenes, particularly considering the small budget. The sound is high quality, especially when the time bubble begins to fracture between realities. Time Travel Is Dangerous is an eccentric take on comedy, with a touch of the fantastical.
"…an eccentric take on comedy, with a touch of the fantastical."
