Today’s quick review: Time Trap. When an archaeology professor (Andrew Wilson) goes missing on an expedition, his assistants Taylor (Reiley McClendon) and Jackie (Brianne Howey) set out to rescue him with help from Taylor’s friend Cara (Cassidy Gifford), her little sister Veeves (Olivia Draguicevich), and Veeves’ friend Furby (Max Wright). What they find defies rational explanation: a cave where time flows much slower than the outside world.
Time Trap is a budget science fiction movie about a temporal distortion and the people unfortunate enough to get caught in it. Questions about the nature of the cave, how to escape, and why the professor went there in the first place make Time Trap an effective mystery. Taylor and his friends are a little slow on the uptake, but the steps they have to take to unravel the secrets of the cave are enough to turn a simple premise into a viable plot.
However, Time Trap’s ending is a slight step down from its setup. The movie has to resort to contrivances to keep the plot moving forward, including artificial danger and a couple of absurdly lucky breaks to keep its heroes in the game. Past a certain point, the movie also stops providing concrete answers. Time Trap explains enough not to feel like a cop-out, but the late-game developments are much shakier than the film’s careful opening movies.
Time Trap is a decent pick for those interested in science fiction for its own sake. Its modest scope is well-suited to the resources it has at its disposal. Its characters are just likable enough to be worth spending time with. Its mystery unfolds at the right pace and answers the important questions, even if it does leave a few loose ends. Fans of the genre will enjoy what Time Trap has to offer; others should steer clear.
For a tighter budget thriller about time travel, try ARQ or Primer. For darker sci-fi in a similar vein, try OtherLife. For another budget sci-fi movie about ordinary college students trapped in an unfamiliar place, try Signal. For a less coherent, far-future take on a similar premise, try Alien Arrival.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for an intriguing premise, competent execution, and mixed payoff.