Set to open today in the states is Kim Hyun-seok’s South Korean sci-fi thriller 11 A.M., a mediocre at best time travel film where desperate people go to desperate measure to try and change the future they already created.
Set sometime in the near future, 11 A.M takes place in an underwater research facility where a group of scientists have been able to build a working time machine. With the promise of more funding after a successful test flight, the desperate head scientist of the lab, Woo-seok (JUNG Jae-young), and one of his research partners Young-eun (Kim Ok-bin) take a risk and successfully travel to 11 A.M the next day. Upon arrival they find their research facility has been ransacked and that their friends and colleagues are missing soon realizing that someone is there to try and take them all out. It’s up to Woo-seok and Young-eun to go back in time in an attempt to figure out what happened and find a way to stop it before the chaos erupts again.
11 A.M. is one of those time travel thrillers that you hope will end up being smart and filled with twists but once the first incident that they try to avoid repeats itself, you know that all parties involved are going to lose control and let time run its course. As a result, and if you’re familiar with how basic time travel works in film, they are basically doomed to be stuck in a loop of recurring instances unless someone can figure out how to alter their fate slightly which, if that happens, wouldn’t be surprising to any intelligent moviegoer.
It isn’t often that a good, serious time travel film is made but when one does arrive, it’s not because of the effects that make it amazing but rather the captivating story that either keeps you on the edge of your seat in suspense or keeps your braining churning as you try to figure out where the film is going (unless it’s a comedy in which case scratch both the aforementioned reasons). Looper, The Terminator and Primer are a couple of solid examples of great time travel films so for me it’s very difficult to say that 11 A.M. is anything close to a solid entry into the genre when there are clearly better choices that make this one look like a high school effort.
There isn’t much I like about the film but I can say that for not being a mainstream Hollywood film, I thought the effects were pretty good. Some of the fire effects looked a little fake for me but anytime they showed the time machine warping or the outside of the research station I thought the effects artists did a great job. Also, the Korean acting was pretty good, the Russians on the other hand were miserable when the spoke English.
Overall, as a fan of Korean cinema I have to say that 11 A.M. is a forgettable and predictable thriller that’s only worth a watch if and when it’s available on Netflix or other similar services. It isn’t a film I’d spend my money on right now, especially with all the quality films that are hitting theaters this weekend and throughout the rest of November.
Rating: A time travel thriller that’s easily forgotten and one you’ll likely never return to again (4/10)
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