https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZuR8p3FM24
Paradoxically Speaking
I’ve always been a big fan of time travel. Whether it be The Time Machine, Terminator or the fantastic 12 Monkeys TV series, this medium continues to throw up constant surprises and well written scenarios for us to ponder over. Excursion is the latest film to showcase its time travel prowess with a tight-knit plot and a methodical pacing to boot. While some will inevitably be put off by the cheap budget and lack of special effects or polish, the actual story content is pretty good, even if it is a little rough around the edges. The story begins with Tom awakening in the middle of the night to find a strange man in his room. Claiming to be from the past, Tom is tied up and questioned by a man named Tomas. Armed with a time machine, his intention to find out if the world has embraced socialism or not is met with a side effect. This side effect causes them both to be stuck in a time-loop paradox that prompts a woman named Alexandra to show up and explain to them what’s happened. This leads to an interesting knot of time jumps that result in both men trying to figure out what’s happening before it’s too late. Unlike some of the bigger budget films in this genre, Excursion is an Indie film through and through, complete with a slightly jarring audio design and pretty standard composition of scenes. However, the use of colour is generally pretty good, with blues and yellows used a lot early on to give these scenes an aesthetically pleasing vibe. Thankfully, Excursion makes up for its shortfalls with its acting. The trio of main stars here really shine in their roles and despite some scenes being exaggerated or emphasised a little too much, there’s enough here to look past this. They certainly help elevate the film too and some of the late tension is definitely improved by this. Really though, Excursion is best watched for its story more than anything else. Sometimes an injection of originality and some good plot execution is all you need to really elevate a film like this. It may not be the prettiest picture released this year, nor is its sound design as tight as it could be, but what’s here is enough to make for an enjoyable watch nonetheless. If you can look past some of the rough edges and take this for what it is, Excursion is a pretty decent thriller and if you’re a fan of time travel, this one has enough in its tank to see it through to the end.
