Timequest |
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 • USA • 2000 • 92m •   • Directed by: Robert Dyke. • Starring: Victor Slezak, Caprice Benedetti, Vince Grant, Bruce Campbell, Barry Corbin, Larry Drake, Ralph Waite, Joseph Murphy, Rick Gianasi, David Haig, Debra Port, Amanda Bernacchi, Dawn Lafferty. • Music by: Daniel Peter Kolton.    A story about a man who travels back in time to Fort Worth, Texas on November 22, 1963 and prevents the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
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Review:
Timequest has a pretty good cast. True some of them may not be greatest physical look-a-likes in the world but they manage to catch the spirit of the real-life people they portray. This is true of the three leads (Victor Slezak as JFK, Caprice Benedetti as Jackie, Vince Grant as RFK) and especially of Slezak. Slezak makes you believe he is JFK in his appearances especially with his speech at Rice University and the sequence that follows it (which sells this film the best in my opinion). Then there's Bruce Campbell as Oliver Stone like director William Roberts. Now I'm not a Bruce Campbell fan by any means (far from it in fact) but I found his short appearances to be enjoyable none the less. While it is true the cast has a few misfires (Jeffery Steiger as Oswald and Dan Miller as Dan Rather both come to mind instantly) but for the most part it is a fine cast all things considered.
The main selling point of this film isn't the cast though but the story. Writer director Robert Dyke has crafted a good alternate history film based around one of the most profound "what-ifs" of the last century: what if JFK had lived? The world that Dyke and the film shows us is perhaps a bit too optimistic for some but one has to consider all the events that never take place in the film that happened in real-life and it seriously makes one wonder. The film also finds time to poke fun at some of the conspiracy theories regarding the JFK assassination in some of the most unexpected places which is fun for anyone who has a good knowledge of the subject.
That said the film does have some problems. The first of such is the time-travelers' motive for his journey (which is the one cringe-worthy moment of the film to say the least). But perhaps the biggest problem is the fact that the film viewpoint of the world is perhaps too optimistic (yes that is both a plus and minus sadly). There is also the matter of the jumping around in time which I've had people I've shown the film to tell me is confusing (especially in the first third or so of the film). For once though as the production values are excellent for the most part. The low budget nature of the film isn't an issue in a science-fiction film.
Yet outside of these problems there is a rather good film sitting here. From a fine cast to a well crafted "what-if" story, Timequest shows that that the term "low-budget science fiction movie" is at times not an oxymoron. Here is an intelligent, well thought out, and well produced film that gives an interesting answer to one of the most profound "what-ifs" of the last century: what if JFK had lived? Here is a (perhaps too optimistic) answer and a good one at that.
Review by timdalton007 from the Internet Movie Database.
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