Timecrimes (2007/MagNet DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

In another attempt to freshen murder thriller formula, Nacho Vigalongo’s Timecrimes (2007) awkwardly adds a time machine, travel-back-in-time bit to the murder of a young lady getting naked in the nearby woods.  Though it is desolate and empty, if she takes her clothes off in any way, someone will be watching and obviously will want to kill her, so she must die?

 

This Spanish production has some good moments, but they are far and few between as this fumbles through more situations than it should have.  I liked the performances for the most part, which saved this from being an outright bomb, but the time travel aspect is limited and works more as a plot device than anything that beings on any revelations or clever conclusions.  For the very curious only.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is very soft for whatever reason, including Video Black that can be weak and detail that is a problem.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo mixes are better in Spanish than English, but the Spanish 5.1 is still poor despite being the best, dialogue-based and only so well recorded.  Extras include stills, teaser trailer, featurette on the make-up, 5 featurettes on an Internet game tie-in, cast/crew interviews, making of featurette and short film “7:35 de la manana”.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo