Somewhere in Time

I am a young man who grew up loving horror, action, and kung-fu movies. I hated the Victorian books we were forced to read in school. However, the one exception to the rule has been this movie. I LOVED this movie. The story line was solid. The direction was superb. And the acting was so good, that I have always wondered why Reeves & Seymour's career didn't catapult after this film. I have watched it many times since it came out, and ever time I am captivated. If you can't relate to this movie, I think you must have a heart of cold stone. This gets a strong KBONE rating of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Pay special attention to Seymour's soliloquy during the play and Reeve's facial expressions during that time as well Reeve during the last 10 minutes of the movie. I really can't say enough about this masterpiece.

I was rather young when I first saw this film; I found it mildly interesting and, being a science fiction fan, was drawn to the time travel aspect. I found it a bit slow and uneventful. As one grows older, priorities change, certain matters not considered when younger begin to take precedence. When I watch this film now, I find the time travel angle plays out differently for me; yes, it's still an interesting take on how to travel backwards in time, without machinery (as in "The Time Machine" - all versions). But, I realize now the entire focus of the story is on the mystical depiction of timeless love surfacing for the two main characters, played by Reeve and Seymour. It's a romance of the most old-fashioned kind, bridging decades, and enhanced by the whole premise of traveling further to achieve that romantic connection than most would ever dream of.

Obviously, the task for Reeve's character, that of making the connection, appears simply impossible. We've all read stories or seen movies about some character traveling over half a continent or even half the world to make such a connection. We root for them, of course - for them to beat the odds. The odds here are seemingly insurmountable: not traveling across land, but time itself. Well, he makes it; it's an incredible feat. And he pursues his dream, an exotic, to say the least, fantastic dream. She's worth it: Seymour is truly beautiful in this film, and gets more so with each viewing. Just her photo portrait in this story manages to capture a serene, mysterious type of beauty. She's touched with a melancholy sadness and Reeve is there to balm her wound. Writer Richard Matheson knows how to write good stories, romance included, and didn't need to fall back on contrived side plots to 'energize' the script, as is often the case nowadays. It's a straightforward, unfussy story, the kind they don't produce anymore.

I feel as though many Michiganders, like myself, have a unique relationship with Somewhere in Time. It is one of the few movies where I am completely familiar with the location it was shot, and the entire movie just makes me think of the tourist attraction that is Mackinac Island (which I have visited many times.) This film is extremely popular up there and you can find copies for sale, along with memorabilia from the shooting, all around the island. It is a place that is a throwback to another time, and at least the exterior of the Grand Hotel still looks strikingly similar today to how it looked when they filmed this 40+ years ago. In fact, the part of the movie that is most jarring are the shots where they actually show a car driving up to the Grand Hotel, since motorized vehicles are prohibited on Mackinac Island. I wonder if this is how people who live in cities like New York, L.A., and San Francisco feel when their hometowns show up in so many movies.

Anyways, let's get to the actual content of Somewhere in Time, aside from its location. There is a power to the romance in this film. It has a truly magical quality as it seems to embrace the idea of two people being made for each other and destined to be together. The premise of them meeting across time is kind of crazy, and I'm not even sure what motivates the main character so strongly, but I think you have to let go of the critical part of your brain to appreciate the magic of this story. There is virtually no time spent exploring the mechanism that is at play, because that isn't the important part of the plot. Personally, I kind of wish the movie involved more time travel, and actually had our main character bouncing back and forth many times. I think that's simply because I'm more intrigued by the genre of time-travel, than I am by romantic dramas. The way it is presented in the film feels somewhat rushed and it never takes full advantage of an interesting premise.

Christopher Reeve isn't bad in the lead role. He has good range and seems to fit in reasonably well in both time periods. I found his performance at the end of the movie to be particularly powerful. He also has some nice chemistry with Jane Seymour. She is a great actress to play a love interest in this type of movie, because she does possess a timeless beauty. Her big speech on stage is delivered so brilliantly that I felt even someone who was struggling to enjoy this movie would have to buy in to some degree, because of her performance. I did struggle a bit with Christopher Plummer's character, as he seems to exist merely as a plot construction to create conflict. The film teases that there might be more to this character, but nothing ever comes of that. I will say that the ending of Somewhere in Time was a struggle for me. It is well done, but not exactly how I hoped it would resolve. I am certainly engaged by the plot, though, and I will gladly watch it again in the future.

It's a pleasant love story with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour; it is recommended.

I don't understand why the critics received it so badly.

It doesn't deserve a 29 rating on Metacritic.

"Somewhere in Time" is nothing if not deeply sentimental; like one big romance novel hurled up onto the screen. And that unrelenting sincerity is the key to making all of this work. It's what makes you accept the silly time travel mechanics and just go with it. It's nowhere near science fiction; this is pure fantasy, set to the tender strings of a priceless John Barry score. It's also nice to see Christopher Reeve in a welcome departure from the cape (I can't help the comparison; I was reared on Superman movies).

But even with all of that, you don't have a movie if you don't find the right Elise McKenna. But they did. Jane Seymour is the twinkling gem in this crown. She is every bit as beautiful as we're led to believe (and not just in the portrait). She lights up the screen with radiance. The reveal of that photograph is startling.

7/10