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Clockstoppers
Clockstoppers
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*** Stars
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Rating
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PG for action violence and mild language
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Director
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Jonathan Frakes
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It's hypertime!
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Starring
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Jesse Bradford
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Paula Garces
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French Stewart
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Robin Thomas
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Michael Biehn
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This sci-fi comedy finds Zak Gibbs (Jesse Bradford, from "Bring It On") as a high school senior who desperately wants a car, specifically a convertible he's picked out at the local used car lot. In his quest for funds Zak scavenges junk from all over town and his own house, to sell on eBay. He now needs his father's signature on the dotted line as a co-signer. As usual, his dad, George (Robin Thomas), a college professor, is too busy to do it right now. He'll take a look when he gets back from his science conference.
One press of a button on a wristwatch sent from one of his dad's former students, Earl Dopler (French Stewart), jettisons Zak and his new girlfriend, Francesca (Paula Garces), into hypertime. In hypertime your molecules are moving so quickly-even though you appear to be moving normally-that time, people and animals seem to go into freeze frame.
It's great fun for a while, as they help their friend Meeker (Garikayi Mutambirwa) win a DJ contest. Then things get serious. Quantum Technologies (QT), headed by the maniacal Henry Gates (Michael Biehn), who plans to dominate world trade with this device, is holding Dopler prisoner to work out a major glitch; in hypertime people age years in several hours. Dopler sent the watch to Professor Gibbs, hoping he could reverse the aging process.
When Dopler escapes, the QT goons kidnap Gibbs from his conference and force him to work on the project; after all, world domination awaits! Zak is determined to free his father and save the planet. Along the way he develops some interesting scientific devices and proves to his dad that the apple of brilliance didn't fall far from the tree.
"Clockstoppers" is a sweet and engaging comedy, with wonderful energy and a great cast. It's sort of a "Back to the Future" for this age. There are a couple of fumbles here, Julia Sweeney as Zak's mom is a bit ditzy and whiny and the dialogue sounds stilted at times.
Great fun with special effects and a bumping soundtrack keep "Clockstoppers" rolling. The film will appeal to pre-teens and younger families rather than older teens because, unfortunately, of what it lacks, the usual teen-flick fare of flatulence jokes, bare breasts and gratuitous sex.
Director Jonathan Frakes is well qualified to explore the science fiction and action components of this film. He directed "Star Trek: First Contact" and Star Trek: Insurrection." And Frakes is Commander Riker in the hit television series and feature film presentations of "Star Trek." In "Clockstoppers" Frakes succeeds in creating what he calls "…a family movie that my kids can see."
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