Rare do you find European flicks where youth are portrayed with empathy and a sense of realism. This refreshing movie is no masterpiece for sure but it does entertain and even educate. I found it charming even at my advanced age. Acting is real, the writing fine and the direction decent. Worth a look.
50 Reviews
More entertaining than washing the dishes
info-7441528 September 2022
Okay, sure, you could drive a caravan of semis through the plot holes in this and the acting ... well ... let's just say it wasn't exactly top notch but, sorry, I rather liked this movie.
The dubbing was hilarious, rather stunted with long, open mouth pauses as if the actors weren't quite sure what they were suppose to do next. The obnoxious drone/AI had to be the spawn of HAL, the evil dad was pretty much what you'd expect from a rich butthead while the wimpy son was pretty much what you'd expect of his offspring.
Worth the hour plus and by far more entertaining than washing the dishes or folding the laundry though I suppose you could fold the laundry and watch it.
The dubbing was hilarious, rather stunted with long, open mouth pauses as if the actors weren't quite sure what they were suppose to do next. The obnoxious drone/AI had to be the spawn of HAL, the evil dad was pretty much what you'd expect from a rich butthead while the wimpy son was pretty much what you'd expect of his offspring.
Worth the hour plus and by far more entertaining than washing the dishes or folding the laundry though I suppose you could fold the laundry and watch it.
Interesting. Funny. Slow.
yeslr18 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The main idea is interesting, but the execution is bad.
The first fifteen minutes I was astonished, for the way the movie started; I thought it would be an excellent sci-fi movie, sadly, I was wrong.
The movie is very slow, and tells almost nothing.
I think they tried to focus all the plot in the romantic relationship between the two guys, but it wasn't interesting enough, since they didn't give any clue of that in the first hour.
But the worst thing of this movie, and the reason for my rate, is the way how they resolved the plot in the last fifteen minutes, is was completely weird, anticlimactic, and with no sense.
I rate it with seven stars only because I've never watched a time travel movie which the traveler gets young, that's a great idea.
The first fifteen minutes I was astonished, for the way the movie started; I thought it would be an excellent sci-fi movie, sadly, I was wrong.
The movie is very slow, and tells almost nothing.
I think they tried to focus all the plot in the romantic relationship between the two guys, but it wasn't interesting enough, since they didn't give any clue of that in the first hour.
But the worst thing of this movie, and the reason for my rate, is the way how they resolved the plot in the last fifteen minutes, is was completely weird, anticlimactic, and with no sense.
I rate it with seven stars only because I've never watched a time travel movie which the traveler gets young, that's a great idea.
Such a shame
slseed19694 April 2022
There are some very redeeming qualities about this movie. There are some very good visuals including the cinematography and vfx. The acting is pretty decent for the most part and the score is very cinematic.
The problem with this film is the writing. It's just horrible. They should have sent this back for a few more rewrites. Nothing makes sense and people do things that have no motivation. The underlying theme is so basic and the situations are so poorly fabricated that the whole story just unravels by the end.
The problem with this film is the writing. It's just horrible. They should have sent this back for a few more rewrites. Nothing makes sense and people do things that have no motivation. The underlying theme is so basic and the situations are so poorly fabricated that the whole story just unravels by the end.
Decent
mattkratz4 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This wasn't too bad a movie as a lady gets sent back 25 years to warn about a pending environmental disaster. The problem is that it also makes her 25 years younger into a 12 year old and no one takes her seriously except a fellow kid. It was an ok movie with a message that you could possibly get into. It also had a decent story, which helped.
** 1/2 out of ****
** 1/2 out of ****
Who wrote this...
dmtannen9 April 2022
It feels like a 12 year old wrote this as part of a creative writing class and then had their rich dad pay to have it made with their friends.
Even the adults were terrible actors.
What was it with all the adults who just automatically decided to help these kids when they should have turned them into the police.
90 minutes of my life I will.never get back.
Even the adults were terrible actors.
What was it with all the adults who just automatically decided to help these kids when they should have turned them into the police.
90 minutes of my life I will.never get back.
Innocent but a good story
getuliohf18 April 2022
Despite of a innocent approach about time travel and its impacts on time line, this story was getting better when reaching the end. The theme is good after all, because we have to think seriously about what humanity is doing against the nature just because of money.
Too may plotholes!
debruin19752 April 2022
Where to begin? What started time travel? Where did/do all the ships come from (of a desolate world, who does all the maintenance), without water no one can survive, where do the people go for a drink where there is no water, all of the people would be dehydrated long ago! If they are going to the past, making them young again and back again into the future and saying that it's too dangerous why do they even bother time travel in the first place? Where do these people live in a desolate world?
Questions questions questions in a movie with way too many plotholes! No wonder the Dutch are bad movie makers!
Questions questions questions in a movie with way too many plotholes! No wonder the Dutch are bad movie makers!
Uncertain future
kosmasp8 March 2023
No pun intended - and future or rather time travel "logic" aside ... just try to enjoy the movie for what it is. The movie is more ... well it is aimed at a younger audience. I assume that even the Dutch secret service is way better in real life. Also way more deadly probably.
This is for young ones and they get a lot of things that will make them feel good. Main characters who are as young as they are (or similar age group). The robot thing is as straight as they come. And being "not funny" makes it even funnier. I would also say that you can tell where the movie is heading. No points for guessing that right then.... light movie for those interested.
This is for young ones and they get a lot of things that will make them feel good. Main characters who are as young as they are (or similar age group). The robot thing is as straight as they come. And being "not funny" makes it even funnier. I would also say that you can tell where the movie is heading. No points for guessing that right then.... light movie for those interested.
Decent family fair
neil-douglas201012 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed this sci-fi kids film, with two likeable young actors and a storyline which is all too familiar if you watch or read the news.. Kika Van De Vijver is great as Nova who is sent 25 years back in time to stop a drilling project in the North Pole. What she didn't expect was to be 25 years younger when she gets there. Well paced and enjoyable, the police woman is also played with charm by Hannah Van Lunteren.
It is a solid Dutch 7.
olga-0662018 July 2022
Yes, it could have been better. It could have been a lot better with the same budget, same cast, same visuals, and just a teeny-weeny bit of less wooden acting. But to be fair and square, the high-budget films based on overhyped Philip Pullman's books were much, much worse. This is TV-series level acting in a feature film. But in the times of never-ending Marvel spin-offs it feels a welcome attempt to create something original.
Het is een "goed zo". Keep up good work.
Het is een "goed zo". Keep up good work.
Pathetic and childish
wtudorin1 April 2022
More like Captain Snora
lincolnx4 April 2022
Banal dialog, one-dimensional characters, lifeless dubbing, along with an unpolished story make for a movie that will help those with insomnia finally fall asleep. Entire film could have been condensed into 10 minutes.
I can not see why anyone would give this film more than 5 stars out of 10.
I can not see why anyone would give this film more than 5 stars out of 10.
An interesting attempt to undo the effects of an ecological disaster
Stanley-UK2 April 2022
This Dutch language (but well-dubbed into English) sci-fi movie concerns a female pilot who is chosen to go back in time from the Earth of 2050, which is suffering the consequences of a man-made environmental disaster, to 2025, in order to prevent the disaster from taking place.
As with most time travel movies, it has the problem of logical twists; one of these is that the woman loses 25 years in age and becomes the teenage girl that she was in 2025, although the dilemma of meeting her actual self never happens. She then has the challenge of persuading the man who caused the disaster to stop what he was intending to do and thus change the future of the planet. Quite why the pilot did not take a letter from the 2050 man to his 2025 self, or why she did not go back to, say, 2024, which would allow her plenty of time to prevent the 2025 disaster, are never made clear, but the 'last minute' nature of her mission does add to the dramatic tension.
There are some amusing aspects to the story, including a mechanical drone that accompanies her (and which is both seemingly purposeless and never seems to run out of energy) and guns that 'freeze' (put into 'pause mode'), rather than kill, their intended targets.
The film is quite dark and sombre, both in terms of lighting and moods, and the characters seem to be very serious all of the time. The authorities/army of 2025 seem particularly ineffective, with the teenage girl and a boy who helps her continuously running rings around and escaping from them.
The film is well-made, if not spellbinding, with good special effects and credible characters that you want to succeed. Although the target audience is clearly teenagers, the filmmakers do not treat the viewers like idiots, which makes it an interesting and pleasant film for adults, too.
As with most time travel movies, it has the problem of logical twists; one of these is that the woman loses 25 years in age and becomes the teenage girl that she was in 2025, although the dilemma of meeting her actual self never happens. She then has the challenge of persuading the man who caused the disaster to stop what he was intending to do and thus change the future of the planet. Quite why the pilot did not take a letter from the 2050 man to his 2025 self, or why she did not go back to, say, 2024, which would allow her plenty of time to prevent the 2025 disaster, are never made clear, but the 'last minute' nature of her mission does add to the dramatic tension.
There are some amusing aspects to the story, including a mechanical drone that accompanies her (and which is both seemingly purposeless and never seems to run out of energy) and guns that 'freeze' (put into 'pause mode'), rather than kill, their intended targets.
The film is quite dark and sombre, both in terms of lighting and moods, and the characters seem to be very serious all of the time. The authorities/army of 2025 seem particularly ineffective, with the teenage girl and a boy who helps her continuously running rings around and escaping from them.
The film is well-made, if not spellbinding, with good special effects and credible characters that you want to succeed. Although the target audience is clearly teenagers, the filmmakers do not treat the viewers like idiots, which makes it an interesting and pleasant film for adults, too.
Not worth the boredom
gillies3 April 2022
After 30 minutes I still could not tell you a single thing about the story or a single fact about a character and their back story. It's as if someone gave a middle school film maker $1m to do a homework assignment. I'm out.
Not bad, not great.
fibulator7773 April 2022
The story is decent enough. Though the whole "I'm 12 now, and my suit and clothes magically fit perfectly" falls squarely in fantasy, not sci-fi. And that actress playing a 12 year old is a bit of a stretch... but "Nas" the boy is supposed to be 10... when the Actor is much closer to 16 than they are 10... LOL.
The dialog is a bit sparse, with the rest filled in with bizarre quantities of mouth breathing. Not sure why they even left that in...
The dialog is a bit sparse, with the rest filled in with bizarre quantities of mouth breathing. Not sure why they even left that in...
Nice idea, subpar execution
don-4012 April 2022
I'm not a film producer but I'd say the screenplay needed lot of work. It's a nice original idea but leaves a lot to be desired in the production. I have to mention it is a Dutch film and I had to endure reading subtitles to follow the plot. And I use the word "plot" loosely. Thankfully there is not a lot of dialog so it was easy to follow along. One of the main problems for me was that the pace of the story was very very slow but the main thing that made me continue watching until the end was to find out if she obtained her goal in the end and save the planet. As another reviewer put it "this movie is no masterpiece".
Low key rehash of time travel and the younger you scenario...
bheadher7 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, the whole premise has been done before...this one isn't too bad but could have included a couple items, like a bit longer intro and some back story...instead it launches into the weird time ship taking off on its mission less than 5 minutes in. The pacing of the story is really slow throughout, with the only interesting thing being the cute and snarky AI robot that hangs around on Nova's shoulder most of the time.
I didn't really want to sound too negative about this Netflix movie, but it did kinda slip out...honestly, it is a fairly good one, and you can feel comfortable watching it all the way through...if you stay awake of course, heh heh...yes, it is a good one...
I didn't really want to sound too negative about this Netflix movie, but it did kinda slip out...honestly, it is a fairly good one, and you can feel comfortable watching it all the way through...if you stay awake of course, heh heh...yes, it is a good one...
Pretty bad
ErkalTaskin8 April 2022
The Art and Craft of Moviemaking
BajaJayhawk8 April 2022
"Captain Nova" is a prime example of why I love movies -- and why most of the mega-budget schtick coming out of Hollywood leaves me cold. This is a competent science fiction tale with a special effects budget that wouldn't buy breakfast on the set of an Action Hero movie.
The set-up is simple and plausible, given the suspension of disbelief necessary for any sci-fi story. A messenger from the future returns to warn humanity against a catastrophe, but an unforeseen twist of time travel leaves her with little credibility.
Unlike another reviewer, I found the screenplay serviceable (I was reading the subtitles, as my Dutch is, well, I don't speak Dutch!) and the performances convincing, even from the child actors.
Was this a life-changing experience? Have I found new favorite actors or a director? No, not at all. But I'll pay attention the next time I see that a film is from the Netherlands, and I respect the integrity of this team for crafting a beautiful "little" movie that ticks all the boxes for this fan of post-apocalyptic stories, without having to green-screen every other scene or blow up a city or three.
The set-up is simple and plausible, given the suspension of disbelief necessary for any sci-fi story. A messenger from the future returns to warn humanity against a catastrophe, but an unforeseen twist of time travel leaves her with little credibility.
Unlike another reviewer, I found the screenplay serviceable (I was reading the subtitles, as my Dutch is, well, I don't speak Dutch!) and the performances convincing, even from the child actors.
Was this a life-changing experience? Have I found new favorite actors or a director? No, not at all. But I'll pay attention the next time I see that a film is from the Netherlands, and I respect the integrity of this team for crafting a beautiful "little" movie that ticks all the boxes for this fan of post-apocalyptic stories, without having to green-screen every other scene or blow up a city or three.
Nice idea. Just drop the obvious
graham-987329 April 2022
A real snoozer.
nobiggie-0722310 April 2022
There's no character build up at all.
Just a bunch of ridiculous situations. Why would the old people stick their necks out and take a chance of being jailed for kids they just met? The acting is pretty bad too.
I wanted to like the movie but it's pretty bad.
Just a bunch of ridiculous situations. Why would the old people stick their necks out and take a chance of being jailed for kids they just met? The acting is pretty bad too.
I wanted to like the movie but it's pretty bad.
Dumbest Movie of the Year Award
AlexSureUK11 April 2022
Netflix said we're raising our prices to bring you more great films, are you serious??? Story was beyond stupid intended for a 4 Year Old (it's that simple). Everything that could be considered logical in this movie doesn't happen. The children and actors in this movie have been portrayed to have a negative IQ it's that bad...
Greta Thunberg Story
Nobbsy14 April 2022
Most people don't know that Captain Nova is the true life story of climate activist Greta Thunberg, who came to us from the future in an attempt to avert a world wide environmental catastrophe. Without knowing this, "Captain Nova" is just a somewhat pleasing sci/fi adventure for children.
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