The writing is compact and clever. The development is quick-moving. The premise is demonstrated pretty quickly and clearly. Effects excellent. It gets a little absurd and perhaps macabre at the end, and that makes it funny. Spoiler: I think the lift-off at the end is a cute parting gag -- the rocket pretty much gases a whole continent as it lifts off.
6 Reviews
Certainly Provocative
Hitchcoc25 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A sort of half man/half machine on a space ship going who knows where, has technical difficulties. When he finally manages to land, he discovers the cause of the problem. He is on a post apocalyptic planet and has the ability to mess around with time, using some sort of bubbles. He is able to move into those bubbles and take what he wants, but he has to be wary of the inhabitants, who can be a danger to him. Unfortunately, all he cares about is himself and whatever his reason for existence is. Quite a unique little film.
Space , Dystopian & Time travel
swashtikpatnaik28 October 2020
The short end of the technology stick
krabat-023 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
-------SPOILER ALERT ------
Time Trap is a very humorous short depicts what happens, when you have the short end of the technology-stick: Humanity is wiped out, most likely by a Terminator-like nuclear event, and a bumbling spaceman is stealing resources out of time as if the living past doesn't matter to those living in it.
The bumbling spaceman, in order to find spare parts for his ailing ship, employs his Time Bubble generator to locate a situation, where he can steal a precious rock, a diamond, to use as fuel for his ship. A man on a bench is viewed in several time instances throughout his life, and the spaceman keeps turning back the clock until the day the man on the bench is young and about to propose. Then the spaceman nicks the engagement ring.
In one instance the past is over - in another it is still happening. Which is a very valid point when dealing with time travel as viewed from the future - one that raises the question of "Should I meddle with time?" From the future POW there is no valid reason to assume it matters, as the past has already happened, meaning, in a sense: Anything Goes. But is this really the only valid point?
This is very confusing for someone who is brought up to care about other life: One could then say, that there should be a distinction between time travelers - the one who travels to learn, and the one who only cares for himself.
From a future point of view the first can be seen as merely being the cause of the future he/she travels from, but the other, due to his/her disregard for consequences of their meddling for selfish gain, should be seen as perpetrating crimes against humanity. Crimes against life itself.
The spaceman of the movie obviously only regards the past time as a resource for his own survival. He comes from another planet/galaxy, and really: in how high regard can you place a tiny temporal anomaly - on a planet distant from your own - in context to the whole universe?
But then again, how different is this from us, who empty the Earth of resources on order to survive in the now?
It's quite miraculous how many questions about existence can be raised in less than 8 minutes.
Brilliant short.
Time Trap is a very humorous short depicts what happens, when you have the short end of the technology-stick: Humanity is wiped out, most likely by a Terminator-like nuclear event, and a bumbling spaceman is stealing resources out of time as if the living past doesn't matter to those living in it.
The bumbling spaceman, in order to find spare parts for his ailing ship, employs his Time Bubble generator to locate a situation, where he can steal a precious rock, a diamond, to use as fuel for his ship. A man on a bench is viewed in several time instances throughout his life, and the spaceman keeps turning back the clock until the day the man on the bench is young and about to propose. Then the spaceman nicks the engagement ring.
In one instance the past is over - in another it is still happening. Which is a very valid point when dealing with time travel as viewed from the future - one that raises the question of "Should I meddle with time?" From the future POW there is no valid reason to assume it matters, as the past has already happened, meaning, in a sense: Anything Goes. But is this really the only valid point?
This is very confusing for someone who is brought up to care about other life: One could then say, that there should be a distinction between time travelers - the one who travels to learn, and the one who only cares for himself.
From a future point of view the first can be seen as merely being the cause of the future he/she travels from, but the other, due to his/her disregard for consequences of their meddling for selfish gain, should be seen as perpetrating crimes against humanity. Crimes against life itself.
The spaceman of the movie obviously only regards the past time as a resource for his own survival. He comes from another planet/galaxy, and really: in how high regard can you place a tiny temporal anomaly - on a planet distant from your own - in context to the whole universe?
But then again, how different is this from us, who empty the Earth of resources on order to survive in the now?
It's quite miraculous how many questions about existence can be raised in less than 8 minutes.
Brilliant short.
Mediocre sci-fi flick
Horst_In_Translation30 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Time Trap" is an 8-minute short film from 2 years ago written and directed by Michael Shanks, apparently also his only work in both areas so far. And I can see why he is not more prolific. There are some okay moments in here and fans of the genre will possibly enjoy it, but I do not really see some talent in here or innovation. The writing could have been better and, ultimately, it's an attempt to include too many genres, in such a short movie. This did not make me curious about other projects by those involved, be it by Shanks or lead actor Mark Taylor. Still, some may see it differently as this movie is an awards winner. In my opinion, however, it is not really worth the watch. Thumbs down.
nice
Kirpianuscus7 June 2018
A childish short film who mix Sci. Fi. and comedy. in reasonable manner, with indulgence, but not convincing. because the end is absurde, because the lead character not the most inspired and all seems pretext for a form of humor who did not work very well. short, one of nice short films who, after short time after its end, is absent in each detail from your memory.
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