Yet, Tim quickly learns that not even this magic can save him from the inevitabilities of life.

Time travel is a fairly popular trope in movies and TV.

For example, characters give a shot to change history and end up affecting the rest of the timeline.

about-time

Miraculously,About Timeavoids all of thisthanks to one simple rule.

They are basically copied and pasted from one segment of the timeline to another.About Timedoesn’t work that way.

Thus, he gets to embody himself in various points of his past rather than physically moving through time.

Rachel McAdams as Mary and Domhnall Gleeson as Tim laugh together in About Time

Although this may seem like a subtle difference, it allowsAbout Timeto avoid common time travel problems.

He can only travel through his own lived past.

This may seem like a huge creative restriction, but it actually keepsAbout Timefrom being overcomplicated.

Custom image of The Time Travelers Wife, About Time, and Your Name

When Tim Lake learns that he, like all the men in his family, has the ability to travel back in time, he decides to use this ability to help him find love and improve his and his loved ones' lives.

The big force that Tim must fight against is actually life itself.

This is a more compelling story than one focused on the problems time travel creates.

…About Timeflips the script in a way that makes time travel interesting again.

tim and mary in a art exhibition in About Time (2013)

About Timeactually shines a light onhow exhausting time travel movies can be.

Time travel has become less exciting the more it is used.

However,About Timeflips the script in a way that makes time travel interesting again.

Tim and his father in About Time

More movies should take a page out ofAbout Time’sbook.

A common complaint around time travel-centric movies is their incoherent story.

Headshot Of Domhnall Gleeson

Headshot Of Rachel McAdams In The Premiere of ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’

Movies

About Time