Time After Time (1979)

Jack the Ripper (David Warner) has escaped Scotland Yard and found his way to the 1970s to continue in his heinous killing using H.G. Wells’ (Malcolm McDowell) time machine. H.G. is determined to set things right again and travels to California in pursuit. Along the way, he meets Amy (Mary Steenburgen), a lonely bank employee. Fascinated by this man with impeccable manners, Amy forms a quick attachment to H.G. who is disappointed that the 20th Century is not the Utopia he hoped.  The unlikely duo partners to hunt down Jack.  Along the way, H.G. and Amy share their worlds.

Time After Time is a great bit of sci-fi adventure. Limited only by the technology available, the film is smart with its cat and mouse play. More interesting is McDowell’s portrayal of writer and scientific wonder H.G. Wells. McDowell is convincing as 19th Century gentleman and scholar. David Warner is equally good as the ambivalent surgeon turned evil incarnate.

All historical inaccuracies aside, Time After Time is a lively thriller. The added subplot of Wells’ assimilation into the 20th Century and whether he would have been pleased or disappointed—here he struggles with the overwhelming violence reported on television—by what he sees gives the viewer something to think about. One of my sci-fi favorites!