Retroactive (1997) User Reviews

a better than average film

[bobcathy78 · 7/10 · 29 May 2005]

I had picked up the DVD at a store not knowing much about the film, and was surprised that the film was as good as it was. I like Belushi. I think he played this part very well. I had never heard of Kylie Travis before, but I thought she was very good in this film. I thought she played the tough woman part well. I like the movies where there's a tough heroine. Like the Alien movies.

Of course, it didn't hurt that Kylie's good looking too. The plot was interesting. I won't divulge the rest of the movie, but suffice it to say, if someone likes adventure and science fiction together, this movie might fill the bill. If you find it at your local video store, I would suggest buying it and adding it to your collection.

My summary is that it's a better than average film. I recommend it.

OK groundhog day idea

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 20 August 2015]

Brian (Frank Whaley) is a lone scientist working on short term time travel back 20 minutes in a government super collider in Texas. Frank (James Belushi) is a petty criminal looking to sell stolen advanced computer chips. He's a loudmouth angry husband to Rayanne (Shannon Whirry). They pick up hitchhiker Karen (Kylie Travis). Frank kills Rayanne thinking she cheated on him. Karen escapes to the lab where she is accidentally sent back in time. Only things go much worst and she has to do it again.

The story is way too convenient. It's action galore but it feels very manufactured. Part of that is the crazy cartoon character that Belushi is playing. If he could dial back the crazy, his character could actually be more intense. The idea is interesting but the execution is too wild.

Nice premise, but over the top

[silentfilm-2 · 7/10 · 6 June 1999]

A Chicago cop has car trouble on a remote Texas highway, but is picked up by a murderous man (James Belushi) and his tormented wife. Before she can do anything to stop it, Belushi has murdered several people, including his wife. The cop (Kylie Travis) escapes to the inside of the Superconducting Supercollider, and manages to go back in time to try to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, her first trips back in time cause more murders, not less.

James Belushi shamelessly chews up the scenery in this one (or should I say shoots up), but Kylie Travis is wonderful in her role as the troubled policewoman. The film has an interesting time-travel premise which is similar to GROUNDHOG DAY and a certain STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION episode. Unfortunately, this means that we get to see Belushi murder the same people in slow motion multiple times. Still, if you overlook some of the silliness in the execution of the plot, the premise of the policewoman's dilemma is a compelling one.

By the way, the SuperCollider is not out in the desert in West Texas, but underneath farmland in east Texas, and the area is not that deserted. Also, the US Government shut down the project several years ago because it was too expensive.

An action-packed joyride.

[Li-1 · 24 March 2003]

Rating: *** out of ****

A word of warning before the review: I highly recommend Retroactive and suggest you go out of your way to see it in widescreen because the numerous action scenes and breathtaking desert cinematography are cramped and a pain to watch in pan-and-scan.

Relegated to a straight-to-video release, Retroactive is a smart and entertaining thriller that deserves a wider audience. The film features a relatively simple but clever premise: Superhottie Kylie Travis stars as Karen Warren, a police negotiator who's on vacation in Texas. She gets into a car accident and has to hitchhike with a somewhat odd, but seemingly friendly couple, Frank and Rayanne (James Belushi and Shannon Whirry).

But everything goes horribly wrong when Frank discovers Rayanne has been cheating on him and he murders her right in front of Karen's eyes, who proceeds to run to the nearest building, a government-owned complex run by a single occupant, a scientist named Brian (Frank Whaley). There, he accidentally activates the time travel device he was working on, sending Karen back twenty minutes, just as she's been picked up by Frank. She then becomes determined to stop the horrible crime for occurring, but unfortunately, the body count grows even larger and she must go back again to prevent an even larger massacre.

Retroactive's appeal holds mainly to sci-fi action fans. The plot has a lot of twists and turns, which keeps the film unpredictable and suspenseful. But the real treat is for action fans, who should strap in for an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride. From the moment Travis is sent back in time, the film deliver non-stop excitement. There are tense shootouts and fast-paced car chases, the latter of which boasts some of the most exhilarating stunts since The Road Warrior. From a visceral point-of-view, Retroactive surpasses most of Hollywood's recent summer blockbusters.

The film still has its flaws, none of them surprisingly having to do with a sense of repetition, considering each action setpiece has the same basic setting and situation (car chase on a lonely desert highway, shootout at a gas station). Credit director Louis Morneau for keeping each sequence fresh and taut with suspense. The set-up may be the same, but the results and resolutions considerably differ. Rather, what I do have a problem with is some technical error during the shootouts. Belushi is shown firing a six-bullet revolver at one point, but clearly fires more than ten rounds. Another similar blatant miscalculation occurs again near the end. Plot holes and leaps of logic are expected in this kind of film, but the number of shots fired from a gun shouldn't be that hard to keep track of.

As the film's tough heroine, the absolutely gorgeous Kylie Travis is refreshingly intelligent and strong-willed. She occasionally has trouble holding back that British accent of hers, but still comes across quite well (looks great in that black tank-top, too). James Belushi is a lot of fun as the psychotic villain, clearly relishing the over-the-top role, even though his character does lose menace through some ridiculous one-liners. Frank Whaley is quite good as the young scientist, hampered only by a single scene that requires him to forget the logic of his own device which Travis corrects him on.

With blistering, fast-paced action and a fun story, Retroactive proves to be a highly enjoyable way to spend ninety minutes. Most of the running time features a tight tank-top and pants wearing Kylie Travis kicking ass, so that alone is enough to recommend the film.

A fun time-travel movie

[tzeup · 6/10 · 22 August 2022]

Ignore the haters - Ratroactive is a fun and visually inventive sci-fi time-travel movie that is worth watching.

Jim Belushi is outstanding as Jim - a good'ol Texan who loves his Caddy, and hates his wife. His over-the-top performance alot of fun to watch. He meets Karen played to perfection by Kylie Travis who in my opinion had the makings of an action star.

The Time Travel aspect of the movie means scenes are shown several times but director Louis Monreau does a great job of this by coming up with more and more creative ways to showcase each set piece.

Worth watching.

Time After Crime

[dicekid3 · 6/10 · 9 November 2001]

I just watched this movie on cable. Surprisingly good. Non-stop action, strong female lead, interesting plot twists. Paunchy James Belushi with a Texan twang does a great acting job as Frank, an abusive husband and all-around one mean bastard. Kylie Travis is excellent as Karen, a psychologist slash federal officer. She's no wimp and her take-no-crap attitude matches Belushi's bad-to-the-bone villain perfectly. Good movie in need of a better title. What were they thinking??

Riveting little film does grab your attention.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 16 August 2014]

Beautiful Kylie Travis ('Models Inc.') plays Karen, a hostage negotiator with tragedy in her recent past. Having quit the force, she's traveling through rural Texas when she has car trouble and is then picked up by jovial sleaze bag Frank (James Belushi). When Frank realizes that his wife Rayanne (erotic film star Shannon Whirry) has been unfaithful, he murders her in cold blood. While Karen runs from Frank, she comes across an isolated government complex where lonely young scientist Brian (Frank Whaley) has been conducting time travel experiments. Karen then realizes that here is a situation where she can go back in time and do things over...so she does. The only problem is, she actually makes things WORSE. So she ends up back at the complex, and goes back in time again. And so it goes while she stubbornly tries, each time, to make better decisions.

Yeah...this does indeed sound like a serious sci-fi version of "Groundhog Day", much like an an earlier TV movie titled '12:01', starring Jonathan Silverman. But the premise is amusing, and director Louis Morneau actually does a very creditable job at keeping things very taut and compelling. The movie has a breakneck pace to it, a respectable intensity level, and characters about whom we can actually give a damn. Travis is quite good in the central role, while Belushi relishes the opportunity to go over the top in his portrayal of a hair-trigger tempered piece of scum. Whaley is very likable as the scientist, and Whirry earns our sympathies as the timid wife. It's also nice, as it always is, to see M. Emmet Walsh, as he plays cheerful gas station proprietor Sam. Jesse Borrego ("Con Air"), Sherman Howard ("Day of the Dead" '85), and Guy Boyd ("Body Double") co-star.

"Retroactive" is slickly photographed in Clairmont-Scope by George Mooradian, and has an appropriate sun baked look to it in all outdoor scenes. Special effects are decent and not overdone. I don't know if the script (credited to Michael Hamilton-Wright, Robert Strauss, and Phillip Badger) will bear any close scrutiny, but at least while this thrill ride is still going on, the viewer may not mind too much. It does give in to some clichés (such as characters missing their targets all too often when they shoot, or guns that take forever to run out of ammo), but the action is first-rate, and our protagonist and antagonist do set off some big sparks.

Seven out of 10.

This film won't satisfy any Sci-Fi fans.

[howard_nl · 3/10 · 25 May 2004]

I was very disappointed with this film.

The plot is awful, in fact it's almost non-existent. The action is unbelievable. The acting is average at best. The film feels too long and I was glad when it finished.

There is very little Sci-Fi content to this film. Don't bother to watch it if you are looking for a Sci-Fi film.

It's more of an action film, and a poor one at that, the action is repetitive and unimaginative. The characters have no depth to them, which leaves no sense of tension in the film, because you don't care what happens to them.

Do yourself a favour, don't watch this film.

You Won't Leave Your Seat!

[AzRanger · 10/10 · 8 October 2001]

I didn't! This movie is truly non-stop action, with the possible exception of during Frank's belt buckle joke. I can watch this movie everytime it's on. I remember it coming on once while I was visiting some peoples house and someone was passing through the living room just as it started, they stopped there, staring and didn't move from that spot until the credits rolled. This movie just keeps pulling you in, deeper and deeper, making you wonder where it's going to go next with all the twists and turns. Even with these plot twists and inside out/upside down turns, it's easy to stay up with what's going on.

Great Plot. Bad Scenes

[ms_chele7 · 7/10 · 7 January 2002]

This movie is a prime example of how a good movie could have been great. The plot is brilliant. The shooting by the psychiatrist is ridiculous. She used at least fifteen rounds in one scene and he was right in front of her. Aside from the bad shooting time and time again, the casting was perfect. When it first started, I thought I would tire of James Belushi's southern drawl, but he wound up being a real cut-up as Frank and quite entertaining.

This is a joke, right?

[glen-93 · 4/10 · 7 October 2004]

Let's see...Jim Belushi with the worst Texas accent imaginable. A time machine that only lets ya go back about 20 minutes at a whack. A trip across the dustlands of rural Texas, and a Shrink who shoots up about a hundred magazines and never hits a bloody thing she is aiming it.

When you have 90 minutes of blank film, and about 7 minutes of plot, this is what you get. How many times can one watch minor permutations on the exact scene before slumber ensues, and the brain glazes over.

This could have been so much more, but a promising cast, and a promising premise have been totally wasted in a sea of car stunts and shoot-em-up. Even as a two dollar rental this puppy is a bust!

Pleasant surprise - bad title

[PMR-4 · 8/10 · 22 June 1999]

Whoever came up with the title to this film should be taken to one side and taught a thing or two about movies. There is no getting away from the fact that the title is BAD! The title suggests that you are about to watch every bad sci-fi movie you have ever seen, but what lies behind the title is an entertaining time travel film which is actually quite good.

James Belushi is quite good as the bad guy and Kylie Travis plays the feisty female cop well.

There is great pleasure in watching the main characters failing miserably at changing their situation as they travel back again and again to fix things, when it seems all manage to do is make a bad situation worse. The ending is surprisingly downbeat and refreshingly rewarding, which makes a change for Hollywood these days.

All in all not the best of films ever made, but if you just leave you critical faculties and high expectations at home you will be pleasantly surprised.

A thinking action fan's dream.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 17 April 2003]

With its elaborate situations, intricately choreographed, prolonged and absolutely thrilling action scenes, and a thought-provoking script full of twists, "Retroactive" is a movie that creates a true sense of vertigo - in a good way. It just sucks you in deeper and deeper. Kylie Travis is a model action heroine and James Belushi is surprisingly good as the heavy (both literally and figuratively). Basically this is an almost-great little movie that too few people have seen. (***)

Retroactive nonsense......

[merklekranz · 1/10 · 3 February 2008]

Ever find yourself watching a really bad movie with no script or character development, that deteriorates to nothing more than shootings, car chases and explosions? That is "Retroactive" only much worse, because the viewer is forced to endure the same shootings, car chases, and explosions, over and over. If you enjoy sci-fi, avoid this for sure. If you enjoy interesting characters and a clever plot, avoid this for sure. If you don't like wasting an hour and a half of your time, avoid this for sure. If on the other hand you like endless shootings, car chases, and explosions, then "Retroactive" is your movie. All others should avoid "Retroactive" like you would a rabid dog. - MERK

Very good movie

[ashastings-1 · 5 September 2004]

Interesting premise. If you could relive a moment that went wrong, how could you "fix" it? It's not as simple as it may seem, and that is the point. Karen relives the moment that went wrong numerous times and every time she tries to "fix" it, it gets even worse! Very enjoyable. It is the imperfect ways that she tries to fix things that ring true. James Belushi is convincing as a red-neck creep who has neither class nor morals.

The fundamental premise (turning back time) is a real stretch. However, that is not a real drawback, since you only have time to ponder it in retrospect. Also, anyone who watches this will have their own ideas of how they would have "fixed" the problem. However even though it's not a perfect movie, it's still one that interestingly and entertainingly explores it's premise.

Sci-fi = short 4 Science Fiction... not Science Fidelity

[rvdl-69920 · 7/10 · 28 May 2015]

Why are a lot of people comparing sci-fi movies to the known boundaries of science? There is fiction and there is non-fiction.. but there is also science-fiction, which is also non fiction. There is always a counterintuitive element in these movies and when you are nitpicking it its like unweaving a rainbow for no apparent reason, comparing apples and oranges etc. Just because a movie lacks a waterproof logical basis does not mean it can't be a great (B) movie. The sheer fact that time traveling on macro human-level can't be done according to what we know today would also dismiss great movies like Back to the Future, Terminator series, etc. If you want reality: do not watch movies, for they are at best based upon it. That off my chest, I can safely say I enjoyed this movie quite a bit through empirical proof. To me it is not even about the time traveling situation, its merely the cinematography of the desert, the americana of it all.

another stolen idea

[Mickey Knox · 6/10 · 1 December 2000]

A female shrink travels back in time for a few times to save a woman killed by her husband. That's the plot. The movie is pretty good, a kinda different road movie, with a lot of action and interesting scenes. James Belushi plays great the role of the bad guy, a mean-looking texan, thief and murderer. The action scenes are well done, and, surprisingly, the end of the movie is very good, unlike the many nonsense predictable endings nowadays. BUT. There's a huge minus to this actually decent good well done action film. Just like in many movies i've seen lately: the lack of originality.

Having the chance of re-living a period of time, to be able to change something, is not at all something new. I first saw this theme in Groundhog Day. It was the first film to debate this theme and it was a total success. Then there was an episode in the X Files with the same plot. Now it's Retroactive. The screenplayer needed something to create the possibility to use this theme. He couldn't do the same thing as in Groundhog Day, so he invented a time machine that could allow you to travel back in time. (pretty pathetic and unlikely, but actually this discovery is just an "element" needed for the well-growing of the plot, it's totally not important in the movie). And also the idea of the huge changes that keep happening depending on the most unimportant thing that you do was also seen before in the best german movie ever, Lola Rennt.

Well i'd give this movie a 6 out of 10. I can't go with more, because of everything i said before. But it's worth to watch it, you'll have an entertaining time.

Groundhog Day meets Thelma & Louise

[cuz · 7/10 · 28 November 1998]

Actually, it's more like "Groundhog Day" meets "Thelma & Louise", hooks up with "The Final Countdown" and takes "Back to the Future" along for the ride. A young woman experiences car trouble on a remote Texas highway, and gets picked up by a sleazy thug and his girlfriend. People die, things blow up. Luckily our heroine is a Chicago cop, so she manages to escape...to a secret government testing site where a scientist has been developing a time machine. Far fetched? Sure, but it IS a time travel movie after all. The machine enables the cop to go back ten minutes into the past, so she can try to rectify the situation. Kylie Travis makes quite an impression as the resourceful cop. Actually, I missed the opening credits. I thought I was watching Brenda Bakke, from TV's "American Gothic". The ressemblance is striking. If you like Brenda, you'll love Kylie. Anyway, James Belushi is fairly effective as the low-life killer who enjoys tormenting his girlfriend (a surprisingly unglamorous Shannon Whirrey, star of all those racy erotic thrillers on Cinemax). "Retroactive" lacks the inventiveness of "Back to the Future" and, at under 90 minutes, it's a little short. The "Groundhog Day"-style re-enactments could have used more dialog and less screeching tires, and Frank Whaley is a touch bland as the scientist. I'm surprised he took such a minor role in the first place. Having said all that, if you enjoy time travel movies, "Retroactive" is certainly worth a look.

Looks like a cartoon.

[dbdumonteil · 4/10 · 31 December 2004]

A cross between "time machine"(at a small range) "the groundhog day" and a road movie,"Retroactive " is not to be taken seriously(!).Belushi's acting verges on a cartoon villain:he looks like Tweety Pie's Sylvester.There's some black humor,mainly in the first part;it tends to become repetitive after a while. Anyway the place where Brian works is two-bit sci-fi and the scientist's dumb-founded looks are priceless.So is Belushi's big bad wolf swagger.But the prize goes to M.Emmet Walsh's Sam:"don't do it here ,please,take'em to the desert!" "Retroactive" has a couldn't-care- less side which is quite entertaining.But if one seeks meaning and brain stuff,one must move on.

An exciting, outstanding, and extremely imaginative sci-fi/action time travel treat

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 28 July 2006]

In the wake of an unfortunate incident which lead to six people losing their lives, smart, gutsy, but severely guilt-ridden hostage negotiator Karen Warren (strongly played by Kylie Travis) quits her job and goes driving cross country to get her head together. Problems arise when Karen wrecks her car in the middle of a swelteringly hot and empty stretch of barren Texas backroads. Karen's given a lift by foul, boorish, obnoxiously hostile, and hot-tempered redneck psycho criminal Frank Booth (a fabulously forceful and flamboyant portrayal by James Belushi) and his timid, browbeaten wife Rayanne (a topflight turn by erstwhile 90's direct-to-video erotic thriller starlet Shannon Whirry). Frank kills Rayanne in a fit of rage when he finds out she's cheating on him. Karen narrowly avoids being bagged by Frank, seeking shelter in a secret government compound where token nerdy scientist Brian (a charmingly boyish Frank Whaley) is experimenting with time travel. Karen goes back twenty minutes in time and attempts to stop Frank from killing Rayanne with even more disastrous results. Bound and determined to get things right, Karen goes back in time again. And then again when things go even more awry ...

Director Louis Morneau, working from a highly sharp-witted and imaginative script by Michael Hamilton-Wright, Robert Strauss and Philip Badger, ingeniously blends elements of a gritty crime thriller, a grungy road movie, and your basic ripping'n'rousing actionfest with a nifty central science fiction premise into an excitingly dynamic, absorbing, and oftentimes literally explosive handy dandy multi-genre combo synthesis. The extremely exhilarating action sequences are staged with heart-stopping brio and ability, the suspense is dexterously stoked to the nerve-frying ninth degree, the admittedly funky special effects are used with laudable judiciousness, and the furiously forward-ho headlong pace never once flags or falters during the film's fiercely zesty 91 minute running time. George Mooradian's bright, sun-bleached cinematography adds considerably to the sweaty tension. Ditto Tim Truman's lively, rattling, pulse-pounding score.

Kudos as well to the uniformly first-class acting from a swell cast. The always welcome and invigorating M. Emmet Walsh contributes a cogent cameo as a weaselly gas station proprietor. James Belushi's deliciously rip-roaring hog-wild histrionics as the dangerously volatile Frank are a riot to watch, injecting a hilariously crude'n'rude sense of black-as-coal humor to the generally serious proceedings. Most impressive of all is Kylie Travis' fiery performance as Karen, whose deep-seated need for redemption and exceptional bravery make her a very moving and sympathetic tragic heroine. A multiple award winning feature at numerous foreign fantasy film festivals, this bang-up terrific indie sleeper favorite deserves all the acclaim and accolades it has garnered abroad. It's a sheer delight that's eminently worthy of cult status.

Fun little B-movie

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 8 January 2015]

'Retroactive.' What's it all about? Who's it aimed at? Um, hard to say really. At a push I'd have to guess 'men.' And probably men who don't mind daft, vaguely sci-fi B-movies. Any film that includes a situation where a day/event repeats itself over and over again will always be likened to 'Groundhog Day.' Retroactive isn't really like that at all, but it does borrow the idea of an event happening again and again.

A woman, on her way through the deserts of Texas, breaks down. And, if that isn't bad enough, the only person willing to pick her up is James Belushi. And he's a complete psychopath. Naturally, it doesn't take long for things to go bad and gunplay and shootouts ensue. However, it's not so simple as our heroine simply having to survive the chase. She only goes and stumbles on one of those shady government labs that seem to exist in 'film-world.' There, she discovers that the lone scientist (don't high level scientific experiments normally require huge teams of people to run them? Oh well, never mind...) can transport her twenty minutes back in time.

The good news is that she's no longer pursued by James Belushi. The bad news – it doesn't take long before it all starts to go wrong again. Rinse and repeat. So, time and time again, she has to figure out the best way to stop his violent rampage while getting as few people shot by him as possible.

Kylie Travis plays our heroine. And she does it competently enough. She's feisty and does the job. You'll certainly root for her throughout what she has to go through. However, it's James Belushi who stands out. He's larger than life in the most bonkers way possible. He's clearly loving being completely off his head and delights in playing the nut-job – he does tend to steal most scenes, but, ultimately, it's Kylie we'll care about when all's said and done.

Basically, it's a 'one on one' chase sort of film. And, like with many similar films, it can be a little bit hard to maintain the premise. The shift of power continually shifts between 'hunter' and 'prey' and there are more than a few times where one could blatantly execute the other there and then. Naturally, they don't. If they did, the film would only be about twenty-five minutes long.

So, if you can suspend your disbelief long enough to get over than minor gripe, you'll actually find a solid enough little action movie. It's nothing new and it would probably never make your top ten films of all time, but it'll certainly fill just under an hour and a half of your time if you're looking for some sci-fi action fun in the desert.

I've Had Better Nightmares !

[elshikh4 · 1/10 · 16 July 2010]

It was hard to define my feelings while watching this. But sure they were all negative.

Sometimes, it's the most pointless and boring sci-fi movie. Sometimes, it's idiot, so outrageously crazy, action thriller. But mostly, it's one of the smartest, most unique, comedies ever made!

Whatever what was that exactly; it's wired, yet stupidly wired. Nothing works in a good way. The sci-fi factor is thinly exploited for making pure violent cartoon. The characters are just used fragments, not humans. The heroine has nothing to be attached to. (James Belushi) played a sarcastic low-life lunatic undying devil (!!). Yes, his lovable charisma made it kind of bearable, but his rampantly loud performance ruled; due to rampantly loud script in the first place!

The blank circles are highly comic. For instance, I can't hold myself at the line of "We have to go back!". And truly with all the random killing every time, being in bigger shape every time too; I have never laughed like this since (It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World - 1963). Let alone matters like having a gun with a 70 bullets, a governmental institution for time travel's experiments THAT HAS ONE HUMAN BEING TO WORK IN IT!, etc.

The action was hyped in totally the wrong place; that made the movie like a piñata full of explosives, or psychopath clown who plays with dynamite! I'm pretty certain that there are plot holes, though I have enough headache to count them for you (sorry, I have just finished the movie!). Strikes me how its makers convinced any sane producer to finance it, or all its cast to do it (what a mystery indeed!). And it's the top of silliness already when the end expresses something like being a feminist movie!

Overall, it might be about "Don't mess with the time", however the movie itself did mess with the time travel's theme BIG TIME. If it succeeds in anything, then it's making you nervous!

Save some catchy yet absurd action, and some good yet wasted direction from (Louis Morneau), this is frantic B movie from pedant hell. In another word, "Mindless" wasn't literally, or monstrously, portrayed like this before. To admire this, you have to be whether a 12- year-old, a stoned, an alien from outer space, or 12- year-old stoned alien! Or a searcher of seen-to-be-believed bad movies; where it'll be a cult favorite indeed. Most importantly, I think (Retroactive) is a very notable reason for why (Orion) bankrupted one year later, in 1998. According to this movie, they deserved what happened. THEY UTTERLY DESERVED IT!

Although this is worst than any nightmare I have ever seen, but did you see how the kid near the end traveled in time too? Original moment in the history of comedy!

Wow! An excellent action film with a female lead.

[kelley-8 · 10/10 · 1 September 2001]

This film is great from the first moment. I love James Belushi as a baddie. There are so many time travel films out there and this one is a stand out. Cinematography is beautiful. This film deserved to be shown on the big screen. If you are looking for a good film at the video story, Retroactive is an excellent rental title. No one will be disappointed.

Interesting setup and concept, cool title, poor execution

[bregund · 6/10 · 9 June 2013]

I loved the whole idea of the stranded motorist being picked up by a crazy guy, and the dynamic among the characters as the story rolls out. There are themes of unresolvable domestic disputes between Frank and Rayanne, the instinct to start off this story with this basic idea is a good one, we can identify with the characters. The viewer is grounded in the ugly reality of an increasingly tenuous situation, and we can see it coming. I love how Frank keeps needling Karen about what it's like to be a woman, I love how they show the villain trying to get inside her head. One of the most interesting effects is how Karen is forced to become increasingly violent with each iteration, as repeated time travel slowly turns her into a gun-toting thug.

I love Karen's attempts to fix things as she keeps going back, and she discovers news things every time she does, and more and more people die in more spectacular ways, it's almost comical because you know she'll just go back and try again. There are some deep existential themes hinted at in the plot, for example one person can go back and it resets everyone else's life, but when two people go back, does it reset just their lives or everyone else's? Would have been nice to see these themes explored in more detail, for example it is the ultimate conceit to think that one person can change the entire world, but that's exactly what's happening here.

The film falls apart with basic believablity issues: James Belushi is terribly miscast, he's not scary, he's just John's brother who happens to have become an actor over the years. He is a serviceable doofus in the film, but rises above his mediocrity in a memorable scene where he realizes the significance of the machine, and in a bit of psychopathic inspiration, says to Karen and Brian that he is going to repeatedly go back in time every ten minutes and kill them over and over again.

The gigantic research center is staffed by just one guy? I know the film has a budget, but they could have explained this away somehow, for example maybe he was working on the weekend or something. The see-saw between the person holding the gun, the other person knocks it out of their hand and picks it up and now they're in control, goes on back and forth so many times that it's laughable. There are lots of explosions to keep men watching the film, but there's no way a Cadillac has that much gasoline in it. There was no reason to destroy the machine, even though Karen insisted on it. Brian had a 20-minute limit on the machine, but at the end he miraculously pushes it to 60 minutes...how? This is never explained. And it bothers me that she would leave her car in the middle of the road for someone to crash into, this from a woman who was conscientious enough to go back and fix everyone's lives.

All in all, an interesting film and it kept me watching to the very end.

Worst Movie I`d seen for a long time

[MichaelJSchulz · 1/10 · 2 November 2001]

This movie is bad, real bad. In the middle of the movie I thought by myself: my god, girl, shoot down the bad guy and everything is fine! But she won`t hit him until the movie has reached nearly two hours duration. Oh no, don't waste your time!