Subject: Review: Clockstoppers (2002)

From: Robin Clifford <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 20:15:52 -0000

"Clockstoppers"

A man in a wig and fake beard stomps through an airport trying to get a
flight to Costa Rica. He has a bundle of cash and bribes a guy to sell him
his ticket on the next flight out. Just as he boards the plane to escape
whoever is chasing him, he is pulled by unknown forces through the airport
into a waiting van. Suddenly, Dr. Earl Dopler (French Stewart) is instantly
surrounded by sinister types, led by the even more sinister Henry Gates
(Michael Biehn), and they want his scientific expertise to perfect his
invention, a device that can speed up the holder to such a state that time
almost stops.

Next thing we know, we're following young Zak Gibbs (Jesse Bradford) on his
bicycle as he stops by the university where his dad, George (Robin Thomas),
teaches applied physics. Zak wants him to cosign for a loan to buy a
cherished vintage Mustang, but dad is preoccupied with attending a
conference in a nearby city. Angered, Zak criticizes his father for caring
more about his students than his own kids and the two part ways with the
rift between them unresolved, but not before Zak takes a watch that his dad
was tinkering with. The watch, it turns out, was sent to George by a former
student, none other than Earl Dopler.

When Zak is able to finally convince a beautiful new student from
Venezuela, Francesca (Paula Garces), to give him a chance, he is roped into
helping her clean the yard. He fools around with the watch and next thing
you know, time appears to come to a halt. He and Francesca have some fun
with the new toy, but, unbeknownst to them, the bad guys are after the
special timepiece and the chase is on. To further complicate matters, Gates
has also taken Zak's dad hostage to work on the anti-aging algorithm that
will make the device an unbeatable military weapon. Not only does the young
couple have to save the world, they have to save George, too.

"Clockstoppers" turns out to be a surprisingly well-made and entertaining
young teen flick that plays fast and furious with an action packed story,
slick F/X, likable young leads and decent supporting characters. Helmer
Jonathan Frakes (whom most folks know as Commander William Riker on TV's
"Star Trek: The Next Generation") does a solid job of mustering his cast
and crew in an effective manner that will hit the teen audience demographic
squarely. (I was bit concerned to see the publicity machine pandering to a
far younger aud at the screening I attended - make no mistake, this is a
movie for older kids and teenagers, what with its sinister element and
ruthless bad guys.)

The time-slowing effects are very cool to watch and, if you can forgive the
liberties the filmmakers take with the laws of physics, they will please
the eye. Discerning adults who are sticklers for accuracy in science
fiction - for instance, if you are, physically, moving at such a rate as to
be invisible to mortal beings, could a car also operate at that speed? And,
what would a car chase look like if the people were operating at hyper
speed? But, this is not a movie to be studied for its accuracy, it should
be seen for its entertainment.

The young leads, Bradford and Garces, are easy to like and have personality
enough to be heroes and good role models for the intended audience. The two
actors, and the feel of the story, bring to mind Matthew Broderick and Ally
Sheedy and "War Games." Bradford is hip and clever enough to appeal to the
teens and Garces is pretty enough to catch the hearts of the boys out
there. The supporting cast of adult players helps to fill out the
background characters and give the film some depth. French Stewart as the
put-upon scientist doing the will of the evil Gates (is the name
intentional?) has a pissed off sarcasm that fits Dr. Dopler's personality
perfectly. Thomas, as dad, though in a thankless role, does a pro turn as a
parent who realizes his boy has become a man. Julia Sweeney, as Zak's mom,
gets a few chuckles as a frozen TV dinner kind of mother who believes that
scooping the contents of Hungry Man dinners into bowls gives it that home
cookin' feel. Michael Biehn does not do his career any good in the routine
role of the head bad guy, but I guess someone has to do it.

"Clockstoppers" doesn't try to pretend to be science fiction but utilizes
the sci-fi elements of the story (by Rob & Andy Heddon and J. David Stem &
David N. Weiss) to entertain the eye and the mind. Not for discerning
adults, but older kids and teens will have a good time. I give it a B-.

For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com

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X-RAMR-ID: 31421
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 298741
X-RT-TitleID: 1112945
X-RT-SourceID: 386
X-RT-AuthorID: 1488
X-RT-RatingText: B-