Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox - SIFF [2024]

Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox [2024]

Film

This film was viewed at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival

Much like the titular protagonist of Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox, Tim Travers (Samuel Dunning), writer-director Stimson Snead is a bit of a mad scientist. Dissecting absurd gaffes, plot holes, or just downright weird moments of various time travel-centric films and throwing them into the cauldron of his film. Cooking up a concoction of hilarious sci-fi nonsense that all meshes together seamlessly. Playing like a raunchy, B-movie version of Back to the Future, Tim Travers (excuse my shorthand but we don't need to type that title out every time) is a wild ride through Snead's satirical vision. Following the aforementioned Tim Travers, we ride along as a trustworthy observer to the convoluted time travel mechanics as Travers sets out to understand the "Time Traveler's Paradox"--more commonly referred to as the "Grandfather Paradox."

The paradox is set up as such: you first build a time machine of course, then travel back in time and kill your grandfather--or in the case of Tim Travers, your younger self. Do you, now a future version of yourself with no past self, continue to exist or simply disappear? Well, Travers continues to exist after killing his past self from a minute prior, which sets forth the wheels in his brain. An egomaniac such as himself cannot accept the fact that he's living a paradox that he doesn't understand. What unravels next, is sheer insanity.

While some time travel films can get wrapped up in their physics, or plot holes, Snead's film walks a steady line between batshit crazy and explainable craziness. We're not meant to follow each iteration of Travers, because there are many as he enlists the help of past versions of himself to understand the paradox, but instead we the viewers are the arbiter of what is now and what is past or future. Establishing an easily understandable story was Snead's first remarkable accomplishment, in a film that gets weird real quick, but the amount of witty humor he's instilled in it is equally commendable. Packed with excellent one-liners, setups, and outrageous gimmicks, Tim Travers, if anything will get you laughing until the credits roll.

Story-wise it suffers a little in the second half as it expands its scope from a story on the human experience, exploring Travers' ego and lack of self-love (except for a hilariously timed orgy with 14 versions of himself), to a metaphysical examination of reality. While I enjoyed the multiple jabs at past time travel films or even generally absurd conspiracies on life, like the universe being a simulation or video game controlled by a self-published author played by a delightfully cynical Keith David, it bloats the central story too much. I could've stayed in Travers' laboratory amidst the plethora of Travers copies all engaging in hilarious dialogue and ridiculous scientific advancements for the sake of inflating their collective ego.

As far as sci-fi B-movies go, Tim Travers is up there with the greats. It never strays too far outside its comfort zone, narrative gripes aside, and does a fantastic job highlighting a wonderfully weird performance (or performances) from Samuel Dunning. Not to mention the cameos from Danny Trejo, as an enforcer sent from the terrorist who Travers stole nuclear material from (read: Back to the Future homage), and Joel McHale, as a podcast host that's a mix of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, are phenomenal additions.

Tim Travers didn't entirely work for me, as I mentioned with the last 30 minutes or so spiraling out of control, but there's more good than bad. Not to mention I laughed my ass off and find Snead's wonderfully weird humor to be right up my alley and matches the aesthetic of a low-budget sci-fi movie extraordinarily well.

Froth

For most people, the worst case scenario for the Grandfather Paradox is ending one's own existence. But for Tim Travers, the worst possible outcome is the one he finds himself in. The inability to understand the current reality. How can there be something that this mad genius doesn't know!? Well lucky for us, his worst case outcome results in a fun movie for us. I guess that's our best case, or should I say... our West Case Scenario!

This Burke-Gilman Brewing Company West Coast IPA is a wild concoction of Eureka, Chinook and Citra hops giving it a delightful floral, citrus, and tropical aroma. Not to mention a delicious flavor bursting with pine, berries, and a pinch of lime that accents the dank hoppiness well. Overall its a worthy companion for a casual trip to the past while trying to understand the present. A tall task no?