Retroactive

My 14 year-old son and I really enjoyed this movie. Belushi did a great job as Frank, the good-old southern boy that has a bad-d-d-d-d temper. We classify this one as a sleeper, because most people have never heard of it. Good time travel movies are hard to find, but as most of us learned back in the original Star Trek days, time travel is VERY dangerous. In this movie, we learn that right away, but it goes even farther to show how even when we redo the trip back in time, even good intentions by supposedly intelligent people, can make things even worse the 2nd (or 3rd) time around. I guess the best part of movies like this is that they make you think 'What if I could go back and do something over again?' Word to the wise, if you do.... be very careful.

A Chicago cop has car trouble on a remote Texas highway, but is picked up by a murderous man (James Belushi) and his tormented wife. Before she can do anything to stop it, Belushi has murdered several people, including his wife. The cop (Kylie Travis) escapes to the inside of the Superconducting Supercollider, and manages to go back in time to try to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, her first trips back in time cause more murders, not less.

James Belushi shamelessly chews up the scenery in this one (or should I say shoots up), but Kylie Travis is wonderful in her role as the troubled policewoman. The film has an interesting time-travel premise which is similar to GROUNDHOG DAY and a certain STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION episode. Unfortunately, this means that we get to see Belushi murder the same people in slow motion multiple times. Still, if you overlook some of the silliness in the execution of the plot, the premise of the policewoman's dilemma is a compelling one.

By the way, the SuperCollider is not out in the desert in West Texas, but underneath farmland in east Texas, and the area is not that deserted. Also, the US Government shut down the project several years ago because it was too expensive.

This movie has a fascinating premise- what if you could go back in time, and change what you've done? Would it make things better, or worse?

Some of Jim Belushi's best acting is in this film- his "stream of consciousness" comments are a riot, and also horrifying, given their context. I've heard that he had just gotten out of a tough divorce, and the director let him ad lib at length, to really show the anger and madness in the character of Frank.

Of course, the lingering camera shots of Kylie Travis flying through the air in her black tank top and tight pants do nothing to detract from the overall watchability of this action/psychodrama thriller.

I'd give this one 8/10.

Ignore the haters - Ratroactive is a fun and visually inventive sci-fi time-travel movie that is worth watching.

Jim Belushi is outstanding as Jim - a good'ol Texan who loves his Caddy, and hates his wife. His over-the-top performance alot of fun to watch. He meets Karen played to perfection by Kylie Travis who in my opinion had the makings of an action star.

The Time Travel aspect of the movie means scenes are shown several times but director Louis Monreau does a great job of this by coming up with more and more creative ways to showcase each set piece.

Worth watching.

I just watched this movie on cable. Surprisingly good. Non-stop action, strong female lead, interesting plot twists. Paunchy James Belushi with a Texan twang does a great acting job as Frank, an abusive husband and all-around one mean bastard. Kylie Travis is excellent as Karen, a psychologist slash federal officer. She's no wimp and her take-no-crap attitude matches Belushi's bad-to-the-bone villain perfectly. Good movie in need of a better title. What were they thinking??