Time After Time
Orion Pictures | Release Date: September 28, 1979 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The A.V. ClubNick Schager
It may eventually champion love as the guiding light amidst so much homicidal darkness, but Meyer’s film—happy ending be damned—resonates most deeply when confronting the ugly, inescapable reality that man’s murderous past is likely also his future. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
A movie that's as sweet as it is clever, and never so clever that it forgets to be entertaining. Read full review
80
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
A delightful, entertaining trifle of a film that shows both the possibilities and limitations of taking liberties with literature and history. Nicholas Meyer has deftly juxtaposed Victorian England and contemporary America in a clever story, irresistible due to the competence of its cast. Read full review
75
Rolling Stone
Nicholas Meyer deftly mingles fish-out-of-water comedy and touching romance with discreetly gory danger. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Meyer makes a fine directorial debut, pacing the film for optimal suspense despite some obvious holes in the script. Read full review
75
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
It lacks a certain grace in execution, but this SF/romantic comedy-thriller, directed by Nicholas Meyer from his own novel, is clever and well calculated. Read full review
75
The Associated PressBob Thomas
Preposterous? Of course, but somehow the movie watcher becomes thoroughly involved in the author's chase after the mad killer. [13 Aug 1979]
70
Washington PostGary Arnold
Diverting, polished chase thriller. [28 Sep 1979, p.E1]
70
The New YorkerPauline Kael
Most of the plotting is ingenious, and soft-faced Mary Steenburgen, as the woman from 20th-century San Francisco who is charmed by the Victorian Wells, makes it all semi-engaging.
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
For those who expect a tightly-written mixture of the detective and science fiction genres, Time After Time is bound to be a disappointment. It's more of a lighthearted fantasy/romance with a few thriller elements thrown in. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Godfrey
Time After Time is jolly good escapism. [01 Oct 1979]
50
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
It's a bookish joke which comes unstuck: after nearly two hours the tension has evaporated, and all that's left is a curdle of jokes and brutality. Read full review
50
NewsweekJack Kroll
Some of this is mildly amusing, but most of it is thumpingly obvious. [01 Oct 1979, p.77]
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