A Path in Time

Not as bad as others who reviewed this said. It is a Christian movie. I expect this was the foundation story for more to come..but didn't???

Sometimes reviews are helpful, of course, but any review that tells me to NOT watch something betrays the agenda of the reviewer. I might give an atheist movie like Religulous a 1 (or not), I wouldn't tell you not to watch it.

The story line of A Path in Time was pretty easy to follow actually, if you watch any sci fi at all. The special effects and music were just fine for this kind of movie as well. The script needed a "doctor" and I'm guessing the author didn't want to spend the time or might have felt offended by the feedback. Had the script been upshifted in pacing a notch and revised to use more common phrasing, and had some of the actors either been selected differently or pushed to greater potential, the whole presentation would have carried the sense of urgency and excitement that the story deserved.

I thought Jason Mitchell, Claire Thomas, and the fellow who played the father were especially convincing and likeable.

Whatever the "coulda been betters" we might identify, I nevertheless found the story captivating and I watched it all in one sitting, wanting to know what is going to happen next.

I used to feel uncomfortable watching "Christian" movies, somehow resisting the references to God, Christ, the Bible. As an agnostic and later a new Christian, I sometimes felt like the thoughts and feelings the Christian characters exhibited were not something that was either real or would resonate with me.

Now a Christian over 36 years, I can report: the thoughts, feelings, and conversations of many "Christian" characters in such movies reflect what really happens in our minds and lives. We actually take scriptural words seriously and discuss them. So I actually identify with the characters and what they are feeling and saying. I understand the "doubters" in such stories as well.

It's funny how some reviewers think they are attacking a movie, with eyes rolling and condescension, by calling it "Christian." Somehow they think it is trite or childish or proselytizing when a Bible is used or read by a character, for example. Then I think of a movie like Hobo with a Shotgun, or any of the grisly Saw movies, etc., and I wonder if these same "enlightened" reviewers realize that portraying torture, destruction and death is itself actually proselytizing for the worst possible human behavior.

I'd watch A Path in Time or darn near any faith-based or Christian movie 100 times before I'd watch any movie like Saw for more than 15 minutes into its horror show. You choose what you put in your mind and call entertainment.

No subtitling for us hard of hearing and background music, noise and whatever else drowning out the character words and speech. No real verifiable plot that I could really discern. Jumps around in time and place like there was a fire the actors needed to be at. Confusing at best but that seems to be the Hollywierd way these days. Very short attention span required! Save your time and forget this one.

Thus is literally a failed attempt at Christian propaganda. Seriously you can tell the one guy is reading the lines, he's not even looking at the kid he's supposed to be talking with.

If you enjoy the Hallmark channel, you'll love this film. It's definitely TV-movie-quality and the style feels like something you'd see on the Hallmark channel. The editing and cinematography are pretty good -- only a couple of mistakes that will likely go unnoticed by viewers -- the lighting, camera angles, and continuity are spot on. The special effects are pretty good, too. As with nearly all movies that feature young actors, the acting is about the quality you'd expect from a TV movie. (Great acting takes talent AND experience, and it's rare to find great performances from young players unless they are surrounded by great A-level talent and directing, and even then it's rare.)

This is a religious movie, if you haven't figured that out already, with a Christian message. As with many Christian projects, the authors have favorite verses from the Bible that they want to talk about and this film is no different. In this one the passages they highlight are Romans 8:38-39 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15. (You can look them up -- not much of a spoiler if you do. It's your choice.) The story contains several metaphors which enhance its value, but the plot is simple (for a time-travel story) an there's no real back-story or other deep intricacies to the plot. As I said, it's a TV movie.

The ending is left open-ended as if the producers wanted to use this film as a pilot for a series or to leave room for a sequel. If you're bothered by movies that don't end with all the loose ends neatly tied up, be prepared for a sudden, unfinished story.

All in all, this is a great family movie that most people will enjoy, especially those whose religion is very important in their lives.

Triggers: strobe effects, text content at >200 wpm