Time Travel is Dangerous review

By Mark Hockley

The synopsis for this low budget British sci-fi comedy reads: best friends Ruth and Megan run a vintage shop and after stumbling across a time machine, they embark on trips to the past to find stock, with no idea of the damage they’re causing to the fabric of the universe.

Feeling more like an episodic comedy series made for something like BBC Three, your enjoyment of this lightweight romp will entirely depend on your individual sense of humour.  Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy mixed with a TV show intended for older kids, would sum this up well. 

Personally, it did very little to engage me, despite featuring some fine actors such as Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Mark Heap and Guy Henry, as well as the voices of Brian Blessed and Stephen Fry. All of the above bring their usual class and professionalism to this eccentric story, but can’t lift it above run of the mill. 

The focal point of the film are Megan Stevenson and Ruth Syratt, playing versions of themselves, as the two time travellers. Given that they have to convey naturalism and exaggeration in equal measures, they acquit themselves well. In fact, all of the performances fit the style of this very British affair, but hopes of amusement or drama are soon lost. 

Although everyone does their best with the material, the premise and ultimately the script itself are throwaway and trivial, lacking anything that might make the story memorable.

There will probably be some admirers of this brand of humour and the presence of Johnny Vegas is a good indication of the overall tone. Actually, his personality encapsulates much of the comedic and dramatic style Time Travel is Dangerous is aiming for. For better or worse.

Time Travel Is Dangerous is coming to UK cinemas from 28th March