Time After Time

An acclaimed writer and scientist named H. G. Wells perfects a machine that can leap through time. When a murderous scalawag steals the device to escape his own century, Wells takes off after him into present day San Francisco. The chase threads Wells through a city of fast cars, coffee, and crowded streets, where nothing is familiar yet everything feels possible. He finds an unexpected ally in Amy Robbins, a sharp, grounded woman who helps him decode modern customs and manners while keeping him focused on his quarry. As Wells tries to slow his pursuer and understand this strange era, the pursuit blends danger with wit, romance and a sly, adventurous humor.

Directed by Nicholas Meyer, Time After Time offers a stylish, genre bending take on H. G. Wells's time travel legacy. The screenplay by Meyer with Karl Alexander and Steve Hayes builds on Wells's world rather than adapting a single work.

Time After Time has become a touchstone for fans of playful time travel hybrids. It fuses period drama with contemporary genre cinema and a dash of romance, and McDowell's performance as Wells remains a standout memory for sci fi audiences.

Critics responded with mixed but overall positive notes for its brisk pace and inventive premise; some cautioned about tonal shifts. The film meditates on power responsibility and the cost of changing history while celebrating curiosity, courage and the human pull toward connection across ages.