This isn't the upbeat fun Christmas film I was expecting, in fact, I'm not sure that it even needed to be set at Christmas. Perhaps they were trying something new, as I'm always hoping they will with seasonal films, but it didn't have enough Christmas going on for my tastes and the time travel and cause and effects that occurred were never really explained. Was it magic, technology or was it some form of dementia, as Mr Sheen looked back over his years?
Michael is his usual brilliant self, as he gives a great performance in the lead role and the supporting cast are all very good too, Cary Elwes was completely unrecognisable.
'Game Of Thrones'' Missandei has come a long way from 'Hollyoaks' too, she's actually a very good actress now and does well in her role.
I personally loved the nostalgic touches. It was great to see an old Woolworths carrier bag, Hooch Lemonade and Now albums that took me back. I could also recognise elements of my parents past too, but I'm not sure that everybody would understand the references, people don't seem to look back very much anymore. There's a lot of "How am I supposed to know? It was before I was born!" I hope that I am wrong and people can enjoy these thoughtful touches.
I did find that the chronology was a bit confusing, as you don't know which year he has gone back or forward to, because he's always changed something and there's no obvious explanation as to what was happening to him next or what effect he had made straight away. I also found the ending confusing? How does he fill in the gaps having reached the destination?
Overall, it wasn't really my thing, a bit too gritty and real for me, but I can see that it's been thought about, even down to the different film or filters used to match the various eras. I would have just liked a bit more clarity.
519.71/1000.
