Dimensions

19 August 2016. This English production offers up a period drama with a science fiction theme as background. As such, this movie is not a thriller or adventure or action movie. In a similar way that Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) or Some Where in Time (1980) involved time travel but focused more on the journey than the travel through time, Dimensions is more a romantic drama with a sense of emotional mission, purpose, and even loss. It has the period trapping found in the English production of The First Men in the Moon (1964) or American production of The Time Machine (1980). Yet it is probably best reflective of Australia's Peter Weller's period piece Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) which contained the same quality set design and costumes and the same quality photography and setting experience. While it doesn't quite have the sustained air of mystery as Picnic at Hanging Rock, there is a both rather poignant romantic climax as well as a more defined resolution.

The strong points of the film: Excellent production design, excellent costumes, excellent acting and excellent music. All combine to an esthetic whole which is much better than the sum of its parts.

The storyline is similar to one of the HG Wells novels, especially the Time Machine. But in this particular instance, the Time Machine is only able to bring someone a few years into the past. It is a limitation which encapsulates the entire plot, as there are several limitations put upon the film because of its low budget. Set in a Great Gatsby-like setting in the early 1920's, the film could easily have been one of HG's lesser-known stories.

Fortunately for this reviewer, the Director is savvy enough to understand her limitations, and to keep the film utterly under control for the entire length of time it takes to unravel the mystery that is set up in the opening scene, when an old man arrives in the middle of a garden party and begins the education of the guests in the physics of the 4th Dimension.

As the plot progresses, a young genius named Steven is beside himself with a mission to right a wrong that happened in his childhood, and is obsessed with finding a method to return to the past to do so. We suspend our disbelief at his feeble but well-intentioned attempts, and when one of the experiments backfires, we wonder if Steven will give in to his demons and descend into madness. It almost happens--if it were not for "the love of a good woman".

So that there are no spoilers in this review, I will summarize by saying that there is a final resolution which neither disappoints nor does it fail to engage our deeper intellect. Since I encourage anyone tired of the mall-screen movies of the 2000's, (with their overblown heroes and ridiculously unrealistic plots and absurd bombastic gun combat and fight scenes), to take a breath and let themselves be drawn into a meditative state as they sail down a lazy river and be contented with the calm, thoughtful work of art that was so effectively made into this film.

I came upon this film by accident. I thought I'd chosen something else on Amazon Prime, but I must have clicked this movie by mistake. The music reeled me in first. Then the time frame reeled me in; I love re-creations of the 1920's. After that, the subject matter piqued my interest. For once there was a screenplay that was cleverly written, without robots, blood, gore and violence.(Well, there was a touch.)

The music had a haunting quality that I loved. It was a smattering of classical pieces, especially by Fredrick Chopin, done in modern fashion, interspersed with the Gramophone effect. I then was wondering how they'd pull off the time travel, and that's where it gets interesting: The mechanism consisted of some steam-punk props, electrical gadgets and an old upright piano. The story line was more or less a romantic novel, but it didn't go too overboard. It's a picture that was a bit difficult to understand, yet very clever. Coming from a family whose father figure was an engineer, it made me think, and I'm still thinking about it. No special effects were necessary. I added my own imagination to it, and there you have it, a very entertaining movie-but you had to work your brain for it!

Very refreshing indeed!

I'm usually a sucker for science fiction, and time travel in particular, but this movie was underwhelming. The characters are severely under-developed and uninteresting. One of the main characters is so empty that at one point the protagonist suggests that she might not be real, and she has no response.

The time-travel elements of the movie are similarly devoid of interest, and the supposed plot is elementary. I think most of the effort on this movie went into period sets, costumes and haircuts. It certainly doesn't show up in the writing, acting, or directing.

Another example of me being happy I ignored a rather low overall IMDB score and trusted in the more generous reviews. Beautifully shot movie with beautiful music. Natural performances all round. I am interested in movies to do with time/ universe travel - Back to the Future, Time Traveller's Wife (book not movie though) Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve, Groundhog Day, Everything Everywhere All at Once. I try not to live in the past anymore but my heart breaks for past times and lost love. But things happened as they did and they couldn't have happened any other way. Maybe there are many universes. Maybe we can come into alignment with the one we most desire. Maybe there's some truth in Neville Goddard's imaginal and law of assumption theories. Affirming that it is already done. I have the life and the love of the life I want etc. Maybe it's for the best that such a machine doesn't exist.