Nightworld: 30 Years to Life

OK, it's a TV movie and that means it was shot on a short schedule (probably less than a month) for a low budget. As a rule that combination results in a film that is something less than memorable. Not so in this case.

"30 Years to Life" is a pretty darned good film that can't be faulted in any way whatsoever. Acting, directing, cutting, writing, story, photography, sound, whatever... all the elements are there. I caught it on the late show and I'll be darned if I don't look for it again. Why? Because I love happy endings.

The idea of aging someone as punishment for crime is unique and interesting. Unfortunately they didn't look further into that aspect of the story, only barely touching on the potential problems in the most cliche manner (process questionable, side effects, etc). They don't really get much into the psychological or ethical implications, which would have made a far more interesting movie.

Instead this is strictly a made-for-TV murder mystery done in the most mundane and mediocre manner. Acting is passable but unremarkable. Directing is invisible, as characters do exactly what they're expected to do and the story goes where other murder mysteries have gone before.

In short, it's blase with nothing to stand out save the premise. I almost gave it a 5-star "mediocre" rating, but had to drop it a star for failing to meet potential. Given the premise it could have been a much better film. Instead it doesn't even qualify as a decent murder mystery. However, it might possibly serve as a cure for insomnia.

The writing where it got to introduce the process of how the main character got where he is now as an adult (what was and how it became) is good.. not too long and not too short and laid all the necessary information.. after that what got happened in the movie is enjoyable and very predictable. I watched the movie in 2019 and it was interesting to see how they imagined the future.

The idea introduced is worth thinking about.. what if the world replaces jail time by just aging up the person.. how that would be successful or failure.. by the way the answer won't be found in the movie!

I recommend watching this movie at least once for what it hold of an idea only.

I suppose if you've never seen an episode of any science fiction series, read any books from the genre or done anything within the genre, this might seem original. However, if you've had any exposure to the genre at all, the only entertainment to be found here, besides Robert Hays and the rest of the cast's hilariously wooden acting, is in the utter stupidity of the dialogue, special effects, (and boy are they 'special') and 'plot'. If you're really bored and this is on, and your only other choice is Garden Club or Ready, Set, Cook!, watch this. But otherwise, steer a clear path unless you're well and truly inebriated.