Coming to VOD Apr 18, 2023
The teens trying to save all of humanity in Future TX may well be tempus fugitives if they don’t get their act together. Here, Dylan (Arran Kemp) and Molly (Adele Congreve) get to buy their very first smartphones. Although they look oversized to carry, someone from the hereafter calls them and says the world is doomed! This reasonably fast set up also reveals what will happen, and Foley (played up hilariously by Griff Rhys Jones) must be stopped. He nicely fits into the mad inventor role, and although he’s not really the bad guy, some rich industrialist who looks like him wants the crazy tech he made.
This movie written and directed by Tim Clague & Danny Stack has the feel of a television show more than anything else. When considering their past production, this fact is not a surprise. What they present is a cat-and-mouse game of searching for the perpetrator who will cause a tear across the dimensions. Instead of actual time travel, the scientific explanations are smart–it’s possible to project radio waves, but to send someone back and forth has yet to be discovered.
Although the passion is as good as those 70s era Doctor Who serials, what’s needed to deliver characters I can relate to. Apparently, Molly wants a romantic relationship with the boy, and he doesn’t realise it! This subplot doesn’t get explored too much, but I liked the character development. As two are in “the now,” they have to decide whether to save each other or their world before one of them leaves London for good.
Dylan’s dad has a new job in Dubai, and to leave the idyllic life also means making hard choices. The young man doesn’t want to go, and thankfully he gets to spend time with his female friend, even though it means skipping school.
While the adventure they are in is akin to an episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures, I hoped for more future tech to present itself. The invention Foley made uses a similar tech, to the phones the kids have. While the oddball physics can be difficult to comprehend, at least the themes in why personal choices matter make sense.
Instead of branching timelines, what we have here is a story about growing up and accepting responsibility for your actions. As for it to be a better than average independently made sci-fi film, more budget is needed.
3½ Stars out of 5
Future TX Final Trailer
