Out of Time, movie (2021)
image © Out of Time Movie
The Out of Time (2021) is a contemporary fantasy thriller film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Out of Time, movie (2021)
Original title: Out of Time
Series: -
Setting: contemporary alternate fantasy Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary fantasy thriller, Style: sci-fi, thriller, fantasy, contemporary fantasy, crime investigation, time travel, aliens
Release: 2021.02.21
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2022.01), first time
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Out of Time, a contemporary fantasy thriller movie from 2021. It's about an alien threat arriving on Earth, that have to be stopped by humans. The Out of Time film is boring, I only recommend it to dedicated fans of the genre.
If you'd like to be surprised by the Out of Time film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer, because it gives away too much of the plot.
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Review (spoiler-free) - Out of Time, movie (2021)
I had no clue what Out of Time is, but I've seen the premise, and it looked interesting. I like sci-fi movies, and I like time travel stories. I didn't watch the trailer, nor did I read reviews.
The Out of Time movie is about an alien threat arriving on Earth, that have to be stopped by humans.
The basis of the story is good, the execution is less efficient, but it's still a decent work. The pacing is consistent. Establishing setting and the characters is a little weak. There are no character arcs. There were some logical problems.
The cinematography is watchable, but not very interesting. They used multiple different locations to shoot to help this. Due to the lack of large cinematic scenes and the many close-ups, I assume the movie was designed for a small (but wide) screen.
We don't really get to know the characters. The actors are fine though.
The music (by Vidjay Beerepoot) is not very noticeable, but at least it's not distracting.
Out of Time is a watchable but unsatisfying contemporary fantasy thriller, that I think only dedicated fans of the genre might enjoy.
My experience
I was not satisfied with Out of Time (2021). I prefer stories with well-thought, logical plots, and Out of Time couldn't deliver that.
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Out of Time is a watchable, but weak film.
Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Out of Time left me unsatisfied.
Rewatchability: Unlikely. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested.
Chance of watching it again: No.
Chance of watching a sequel: Probably.
Out of Time, movie (2021)
image © Out of Time Movie
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like Out of Time.
If you like time travel movies, you might like Out of Time, but there's practically nothing in the movie that would have anything to do with time travel.
If you like crime investigation stories, you might like Out of Time, although the focus is not really on the research and investigation.
If you can get through the first half hour of the movie still interested, the rest of the movie will be similar.
If you don't mind illogical elements in your movies, you can enjoy this.
If you prefer visuals over story, you'll be bored by Out of Time.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in alien invasion stories, I think it's worth watching the Out of Time movie for the plot points.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
The visuals probably look the same no matter where you watch it.
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Out of Time, movie (2021)
image © Out of Time Movie
Review with spoilers - Out of Time, movie (2021)
I liked the concept of the Out of Time movie, although at 65 minutes, it started to get boring. At 80 minutes, I was so bored, I hardly paying attention to the movie. I had to watch the ending again to write this review.
I liked it that the creators came up with ways to make the story financially efficient by using human-possessing aliens, and time travel to make the most out of their money. I would have liked it more if they came up with some better ideas to implement their concepts.
Cover
The cover of the movie is okay is misleading, we don't see an armada of flying saucers.
The trailer
The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the movie.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Out of Time film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will ruin the movie for you.
Promise of the first scene
Three man arrives. Then a man with a gun, following them. Either the three guys are the good guys, and they have to hide from the bad guy with a gun, or the other way around. Or as a surprise twist, the man with the gun could be their boss, and they are all in same shady deal.
Execution: They went with the "three bad guys vs one good guy" route. I consider the promise fulfilled.
Plot summary / Synopsis
Three man gets out of a portal - their leader is a gentleman in a hat, accompanied by a man in a lab coat, and a man in a police officer's uniform.
We see a futuristic facility, where they want to shut down the portal, but an agent (Special Agent Cooper Miller) with a gun still jumps through, arriving at the same location as the three man. Due to the stress of the travel, he has about 48 hours to live.
We see a montage of the advances in flight technology.
A police woman (Detective Lisa MacAdams) receives a call to find a missing person. She finds the old man (David Schroeder as Vernon), and gets him home.
A man takes the three walking man in his car. The leader transfers his consciousness into the driver, and drives the car to Los Angeles. They just drop the previous body off the car.
The agent following them finds the previous body.
The police woman returns home to find her partner with another woman. She leaves him, demanding that the man should be gone by the time she gets back.
The agent reaches Los Angeles, and requests a local officer from the police. The chief assigns a smart one to him, so he gets paired with the police woman. However, she wants to resign, due to her bad mood.
The leader shows the other two that they have travelled into the future, because their mission is to steal a space shuttle, and fly back to their armada to show them where this planet is. They get to an airspace museum to find a space shuttle, but that doesn't fit their ideas. The leader suddenly drops to the ground. They get a girl to help him, and the leader transfers his consciousness to the girl.
The agent and the police woman finds the car the three man used. They then find the latest discarded body. Luckily, there's a witness who tells them a girl left the body. A detective joins them (Detective Sergeant Tom Wilson), but as he is the ex of the police woman, they start to argue, leading to him getting hit by the agent.
Three aliens decide to conquer the planet, and for that, they need to borrow bodies with specific skills. They take an astrophysicist. The agent and the police woman almost catch them. One of the aliens try to take over the police woman, and the transfer begins, but he is shot by the agent. They see a young boy run away, probably carrying the mind of an alien.
The agent stays at the home of the police woman. The police woman has bad dreams, seeing the memories shared by the alien. She stays up to search the police database for records about the agent, but she couldn't find anything.
The next morning, the agent confesses that he arrived from 1951, and he is chasing aliens who escaped here through a time portal.
They suspect that the aliens will want to send a signal to their planet, so they check the credit card use of the latest host, and find a local electronics store, who sold them a transmitter. As the leader sees that the agent is on to her, she transfer her consciousness into a little girl.
The aliens call the police, claiming to be the doctors of the delusional man, who believes himself an agent. They are coming to get him back to the institute.
The police woman realises that the old man she took home is the old partner of the agent, so she visits him. After leaving, she is approached by her ex, who attacks him, and tries to transfer his consciousness. She takes her out with a taser, and sees light coming out of his body. The ex-boyfriend survives, and the alien is expelled from him.
The police woman and the agent go to the base of the aliens, as they think they will expect to see her body. They let her in, but when they want to connect to her, she draws her gun. The leader runs away, as she fights with the other alien. They use a taser the leader, and it leaves a little girl behind.
They manage to stop the transmitter, but that starts a self destruct. Luckily, the little girl remembers the codes, so they switch that off.
The old man remembers how the agent can get back to the past. The police woman brings him to the portal, but he is so weak, she has to carry her. She arrives in the past with him. She gives them a taser, so they could deal with further invasions from the parasites.
She is sent back to the future, where she meets with the agent, who was waiting for her for 64 years, as he stopped ageing after returning to his time. He invites her to join an agency, then takes her to another time jump.
The setting
Contemporary alternate fantasy Earth, probably 2015.
There are aliens out in space. An alien landed on Earth, and helped humans to build advanced technology, like time machines.
Out of Time, movie (2021)
image © Out of Time Movie
Time travel
Time travel to the past changes the present. When the agent went to the future, Vernon in 2015 thought they've lost him, even though he went back a few days later. Or it might be that he was just hiding from Vernon all the time, and didn't even thought to ask about him, but I find this unlikely.
Spending an extended time outside of their own time changes the living beings. Orangutans aged rapidly after arriving back. Fruit flies however lived for an increased time. Then they figured it out that the longer somebody stays out of their own time, the longer they live.
The alien parasites
They are able to transfer their consciousness into another human body, if they grab the head and hold it for a couple of seconds. They just get disposed of the old body, that's not in use any more. I assume they can't return to the same body.
Eating a spoonful of salt gives some resistance against consciousness transfers.
If they attempt to transfer consciousness, but it gets interrupted, the victim still gets parts of their memories.
They use things up, and throw them away, so it's unlikely they would use the same car twice.
They can touch each other to merge their minds to share memories.
They are able to store the consciousness of others in their bodies?
Taser (or probably electric shock) expels the consciousness from the host, leaving the host intact.
What actually happened?
In 1947, an alien spaceship crashed into the Earth. One of the aliens survived, whom they named Albert. The alien was a good person, and helped the humans build advanced technology, like time machines.
In 1951, a group of three alien parasites arrived to take out the good alien. The alien was protected, and the agents chased the alien parasites, until they've used the time machine to jump to 2015. Vernon convinced the technician to open the portal at 7 AM every day for a week, so the agent would be able to return.
Then in 1951, the agent arrives with the police woman. The police woman gives them a taser, before she is sent back to 2015.
Between 1951 and 2015, the agent bought stocks from computer companies, so he got rich.
In 2015, the aliens decided to try to take a spaceship to reach their own planet. When they've found out the human technology is still lacking, they decided to build a transmitter to contact their people. They are defeated by the agent and the police woman, who both return to 1951.
In 2015, the woman arrives back from 1951, meets with the agent, who takes her to another time jump.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Out of Time film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. There are some flashbacks.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution. The ending is left open for a sequel.
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Things I liked
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I haven't seen any other works of the writer / director (Matt Handy).
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Out of Time, movie (2021)
image © Out of Time Movie
Analysis of the story - Out of Time, movie (2021)
I mostly liked the story, I didn't find major problems that would have prevented me from enjoying Out of Time while watching the movie, but in retrospect, there are some elements I don't like.
Problematic elements
Establishing the setting: While it's cool to start the movie without any idea of what's going on, the setting info should be sprinkled throughout the movie, instead of dumping on us in exposition blocks. For example, the fact that they've travelled from the past, into the future, was not clear, just like the fact that the agent will last for 48 hours, even though these would have been important. I assumed they arrived from an Earth-like planet, or from a parallel dimension, that was misleading me.
Getting assistance from the police: The agent just gets what he wants. I assumed that he is some kind of alien with telepathic powers to convince others, so at first I thought this is okay. But we later find it out he is just a guy without any proper identifications. So, the whole pairing up with the police woman goes out the window.
Shooting the guy: After the agent shoots a man in head, they really take it easy on him. I'm pretty sure they both would spend hours on the police station, filling paperwork, while getting interrogated by fellow police officers.
Self destruct: The aliens looks pretty self confident. Why would they bother and spend the time to build a self-destruct into their transmitter?
Stopping the self destruct: The girl who just steps forward doesn't act like she'd be in any kind of stress - even after being possessed by an alien-, I consider it a weak scene.
Lack of detective work: It would have been nice to see they do some research, or any interesting thing, instead of just cruising the streets until they've run into the suspects.
The old guy: Pulling the old guy into the story just so he could be later used in the end is just weak. There should have been something to connect the police woman, the old guy, and the current date where he tried to slip away, although I couldn't come up with anything that would satisfy me.
Alien technology: What happened to the advanced technology they already used in the 1950s? Why is there no sign of them in the 2000s?
Mundane wonders: Although I don't usually like when they show things that are mundane to the audience, but new to the characters, at least the sights of Los Angeles can be interesting for people who don't live there.
Time travel: Although we do get some references to the differences between the 1950s and the 2000s, there's not enough for that to make that necessary. The whole thing would work just as well in the present, even if they would still use a teleport gate to get them from Area 51 to Los Angeles. The agent could be just a janitor on that base or whatever, that's why he is not in the agent registry. It would also help to answer the question about the missing alien technology.
Time travel rules: Is time pre-written in this universe? It's not entirely clear, although it looks like it's getting changed by past events.
Unanswered questions
What happened to the alien parasites? Are they dead? Did they just lost their hosts, so now they can try to find new ones?
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Possibilities of improvement
How it could have been better?
The agent should approach the police woman privately to ask for her assistance, as he wouldn't be able to just require her work from her boss. The agent could visit his old friend, and that's how they find out the old man has gone missing. When the police woman gets him back, the agent and the police woman could connect, and start to work together.
Add some more detective work to make things more interesting.
Make the aliens do some more alien stuff instead of just blundering around, sightseeing.
Instead of time travel, let it be a teleport jump. The aliens have killed everyone on the base (so he can't request assistance from them), and the last survivor has to kill the alien parasites before they destroy the Earth. As the agent is low on the command ladder, he doesn't have access to the higher-ups, and as he is in a hurry, he can't spend time on finding out who to ask.
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
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Out of Time, movie (2021)
image © Out of Time Movie
Uses for the film - Out of Time, movie (2021)
Plot
- Aliens want to invade the Earth
- An agent is sent to stop alien infiltrators
Scenes
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
- The team fights against enemies who can transfer their consciousness into other bodies.
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Infiltration: The attacker wants to destroy something, then escape. The attackers infiltrated the base to achieve their goal. The defender sets up the playing area, with a closed building in the middle. There are two objectives inside, on is a target (important supplies, research, officer), one is an exit (escape vehicle, tunnel, teleport), put those two objective tokens in rooms. The defender than deploys half of their units outside the base, and half of it inside. The defender units are not organised into squads, they act individually until the attackers reveal themselves. The attacker chooses 3 of the models that are outside, and writes that down on 3 separate papers. Every turn, the defender activates d6 models, then the attacker moves d6 models that haven't been activated, with a normal movement. If the attacker reveals one of their models as an infiltrator, the model can be swapped with a different one, and the model can be moved with running speed, it can attack other models, and it can open the doors to the objective rooms with the explosives it carries. The defender can shoots at any models, even their own ones. Once an infiltrator has been revealed, the defender can activate 2d6 models, to move to defend the objectives. When an infiltrator gets into the target room, if there are no defender models inside, it has to touch the target and take one action to destroy the target. When an infiltrator reaches the exit room, it can exit through the objective when it touches the token, even if there are defender models inside the room. The attacker wins if they destroy the target, than more than half of their models leave through the exit. It's a draw if the target is untouched, but more than half of the attacker models leave through the exit. The defender wins if the target is untouched, and more than half of the attackers are eliminated.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized modern civilians.
Alien parasites in disguise: Human-sized modern civilians.
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Similar stories - Out of Time, movie (2021)
Novels
Colin Wilson: The Space Vampires (1976): In a contemporary setting, a infiltrators (aliens) arrive from a different world to bring doom to humanity. An agent (another alien) is sent after the infiltrators to capture them.
Movies
Lifeforce (1985): In a contemporary setting, a infiltrators (aliens) arrive from a different world to bring doom to humanity. Based on the The Space Vampires novel.
The Hidden (1987): In a contemporary setting, an infiltrator (alien) arrives from a different world to kill humans for pleasure. An agent (another alien) is sent after the infiltrator to kill it.
The Terminator (1984): In a contemporary setting, an infiltrator (robot) arrives from a different time (future) to bring doom to humanity. An agent is sent after the infiltrator to kill it.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): In a contemporary setting, an infiltrator (robot) arrives from a different time (future) to bring doom to humanity. An agent (another robot) is sent after the infiltrator to kill it.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003): In a contemporary setting, an infiltrator (robot) arrives from a different time (future) to bring doom to humanity. An agent (another robot) is sent after the infiltrator to kill it.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019): In a contemporary setting, an infiltrator (robot) arrives from a different time (future) to bring doom to humanity. An agent (a cyborg) is sent after the infiltrator to kill it.
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Frequently asked questions - Out of Time, movie (2021)
Is the Out of Time film based on a book or comics?
No, Out of Time is not based on either books or comics.
Is the Out of Time film a remake or reboot?
No, the Out of Time film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Out of Time? Does Out of Time have end credit scenes?
No, there's no post credit scene in Out of Time.
Where can I see Out of Time? Where can I watch Out of Time online? Is Out of Time available on Netflix? Is Out of Time on Amazon?
As of 2022.01.11, Out of Time is available on Amazon Prime Video.
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Resources - Out of Time, movie (2021)
Information
IMDB: Out of Time (V) (2021) : Database article.
Letterboxd: Out of Time 2021: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Out of Time film (2021)
: Review video about the Out of Time film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Out of Time film (2021)
: Review article of the Out of Time movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - Out of Time movie (2021)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of Out of Time.¤
Mark Cole (for Rivets on the Poster)
https://rivetsontheposter.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/out-of-time-2019/
Adrian J Smith (for MOVIES and MANIA)
https://moviesandmania.com/2021/08/16/out-of-time-reviews-movie-film-sci-fi-thriller-2021-overview/
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Buying the product - Out of Time, movie (2021)
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Have you seen the Out of Time film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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