Riley Rewind (2013) User Reviews

For a series, made with a 75k budget and a youtuber... I say well done!

[Alan_H4 · 7/10 · 12 December 2013]

I have watched all episodes on Facebook and i must say that i am quite surprised.

When watching this series you'll easy forget that it is made by Ray William johnson, why? it's because its made very very well. You wouldn't even see the difference between a high budget series or this one. The actors, special effects, lighting music etc.. they all look really good and are well executed. I do not believe that there is anyone out there that can do better with a 75K budget.

This shows the potential that ray has to offer to those Hollywood suits people with bags of money. He shows that you can make a good series with very low money/resources.

He also shows that if you put enough time and effort in it (love in what you do), that you can make everything work. I am truly amazed by how far our midget has become (love you ray).

There is a bright future ahead of you, keep on holding it and you'll be sitting next to the stars that we all desire to meet.

Hopefully will see the sequel to this well made web series! keep up the good work ray!

7/10

Good, but could have been great!

[phrostbyte18 · 8/10 · 12 December 2013]

While I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was lacking in a few places, and there were a few things that it could have done without. I understand that this was a first for the director, writers, and producers. I feel they hit the gay story just a little too hard (and by that I mean a LOT too hard. Too much gay story going on.) The acting was pretty hard to not laugh at on some scenes as well. Knowing Anna Akana's work, I felt like she was being herself, and not Riley. I did love the cartoon cut-scenes of introduction. Great for laying out parts of the story. I also loved the humor in many of the lines. Overall, I would definitely recommend to friends and family. I'm excited to see Runaway Machines next project.

I would rewind and watch it again.

[ricardo_s-l-benfica · 8/10 · 12 December 2013]

In this review, I will include what I commented on Ray William Johnson's Facebook (the director's Facebook) after I watched the trailer and I will use that to compare to the opinion I have now, AFTER watching the entire movie/web-series.

This is what I wrote in Rays Facebook:

"I'm not even close to be an expert but I will give you my opinion. To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting, but I was expecting something a little better. I mean, I've been following your projects since 2009 and you kind of spoiled me with great quality and perhaps that is why I was expecting something better. In my opinion, all the shots in Anna's room were pretty good. But on all the other shots there's something up with the lightning. On some of the shots you can even see Anna's makeup (not in a good way). Regarding the acting, Anna is pretty good overall, but the main character friend (the black dude) is not very good. I don't buy anything he said. The special effects that are meant to look like "electricity" are just awful. They don't look real at all. I understand this is a low budget series and all, so don't take this comment the wrong way. I'm only writing this to give you my opinion (which can be shared by other people).

Also, the plot seems A LOT like "Butterfly Effect". (travelling back in time; bleeding nose as a "symptom"; the more "travels" you do, the worse it gets; getting your past all f*cked up, as you proceed on "traveling", etc) But as far as time travel goes, the stories can be very similar, so I am hoping that I'm just thinking this because of the trailer.

In conclusion, it looks nice. I am going to watch it for sure, but there is still a lot of room for you to improve! Keep up the good work :)"

And this is my opinion after watching the entire movie/web-series:

After watching the trailer I was a bit let down by it. But now I must confess that Riley Rewind was pretty good. It is not "Breaking Bad" quality, but it is certainly better than most shows on TV at the moment. It is extraordinary, considering it is a low budget project. It has pretty decent acting overall, but Anna Akana stands out with a great performance. I have changed my mind regarding Lamar Legend (which I referred to as "the main character friend (the black dude)" on the comment on Ray's Facebook). His acting was decent, but he still needs to work on that. Watching the trailer, I had the feeling that the lightning was bad. But now I think it might have been the director's intention for it to be like that because of the "temper" that the movie/web-series require. But I still think there are some major errors. The same thing goes for the special effects. Some may have been premeditated to be like that, but some may have been a mistake. Regarding the plot, it was not what I expected. It was better. Sure, it had it's similarities to some movies about time travel, but it also had some sweet twists. However, I didn't like the ending for two reasons: 1- It was confusing - Who are those guys? What do they want? Why are they looking for Riley? Why is Riley forbidden to rewind? What made one of the guys be able to stop Riley's powers? (and if they are from the government)Where is it written that one can not rewind time?,etc. 2-If there is going to be a sequel, then it makes sense that they will explain it all on the sequel. But I don't think they made a build up for that. In my opinion, everything indicated that the story would end there (before those guys came into Riley's room) (and in my opinion, it should have). Plus, if they DO make a sequel, I strongly believe it will be a disappointment for everyone involved, because the plot is headed in a direction completely different from Riley Rewind.

In conclusion, I am very pleased with the final result. And I am deeply happy to see Ray William Johnson's career evolving. My congratulations to everyone involved. Good job.

If a person could turn back time

[notoriousgrk · 9/10 · 12 December 2013]

Riley Rewind illustrates and narrates the high school life of Riley Brown with the uncanny ability to rewind time. Riley told only one soul about her superpower, being fellow protagonist Jay. Her superpower tends to pain and damage her body when she exceeds in activating it.

Like other heroes, Riley has decided to use her powers in a way that is benefiting to others as well as to her surroundings. When she encounters Angela she journeys herself into challenging settings with a person who distances themselves by believing that the world is deserting them. Riley knowing this feels for Angela and backtracks to save her. As she does so she recognises that undoing time impacts the lives of others too as such Riley questions it.

Riley and Jay debate the time traveling powers thus contrasting a person forging their own future versus what the future has forged for them. This personifies people debating about how they relate to time and tends to even call to people on any side of this human debate to consider the other way of thinking about time. As such it tends to encourage viewers to imagine different possibilities of how the story could have unfolded.

The story's scenes move quickly in an interesting way and plateau for the build up of scenes to come and then to move rapidly again. What seems to make it interesting is how those scenes link together with the story. It appears that the makers intended it as such to excite the audience as well as to get them participating from the start like they form part of the story too. The plateaus are about creating suspense and anticipation and its well measured since its emotive nature continues to carry forward as it progresses.

The sound track is quite ambient which essentially adds an affectionate atmosphere to the story. It includes acoustic and electronic tunes which appear to express the human element and the science aspect of the story respectively. This fits well into the scenes in terms of their tone, timing and rhythm.

Riley Rewind makes for enjoyable & friendly viewing with its humour, adventurousness, creativity and likable characters. It also rewinds us back to our time in high school where we can relate to the themes of the formal/prom and relationships. This might be a mini-series, but in it exists a big heart.

Enjoy!

Did the best with what he had , and he did it like a boss

[MaxHills · 9/10 · 13 December 2013]

So if you are a fan of Ray William Johnson you were probably waiting for this one , plus the constant reminding helped to , you were waiting for this because what ever Ray did in the past he did it with everything he got .

You remember YFM it was amazing .

So going into this I was exited , because it was his first time directing , and it was a story close to home for Anna , so I was exited to see how it was presented , I gotta say

I loved it , I loved it so much , specially because it's an indie movie done cleverly .

Story : Story ways it's was very simple and yet very calculated , we all know what happens if someone manipulate the past , this was like that but calculated , and specially how some people react when something goes differently off the sudden , like you can't be someone's friend just like that and want to change his life .

Yes there were some , were they could've written it better , like the last act it could've been written better .

Acting :

There are some who did a really great job , and some who suffered from over acting to a degree that it was awkward , I won't drop any names you can find that out by you self .

Directing and story telling : The directing was unbelievably great specially for a first time director , you can see the care put in screen it was great to watch , and I love how Rays love for comic books played in the story , oh yeah the story telling , I love this kind of story telling for the end to the beginning seriously keep it up Ray .

All n all I loved this movie although specially because it is indie I felt It was I little short keep the love and care in your projects you can go to the sky with it , trust me . ( hoping you are reading this Ray ) lol .

-----------------------------------the end-------------------------------

OK but lacks depth.

[dooshi · 13 January 2014]

In a nutshell this was OK. It did lack depth within the characters. The only characters that felt real were anna's (riley) as opposed to all the others that felt superficial.

Anna acted the best while everyone else pretty much sucked.

Hey best friend Jay was terrible and fake as was his love interest too - he was really over-acting.

The other two main actors were the antagonist in here (disabled kid) and the girl who commits suicide.

The animations were cool and it started off promising. I liked the intro too but it lacked depth - it was literally just one scene to another - movies have some filler inbetween but this didn't.

Having said that for a free web series and RWJ first attempt it was a good effort by both him and Anna.

Full review and all the episodes are available here:

http://www.gizhub.com/riley-rewind-review/

A great independent story, well produced and well balanced.

[keircharlescampbell · 7/10 · 12 December 2013]

As a long time fan of both Anna and Ray, I was expecting myself to be bias as i was awaiting the release of Riley Rewind therefore I watched it with a purely critical mind.

The concept of a high school teen that can inexplicably 'rewind' time can be misread as cheesy or cliché, but with minimal amounts of verisimilitude the narrative of this story really comes to light. Although there is the occasional cliché moment, (it is set in a high school so what can you expect) The introduction of serious hard hitting subjects negates them into creating a continuous balance throughout the film giving it a really fun yet serious feel. The story, yet being rather simple at the beginning; soon unfolds to be a great climax which had me debating my own morals somewhat.

In terms of production quality, I was impressed by how great it look aesthetically. There are blatant traits of 'semi-low-budget-independent- ness' but this is not a flaw in their film, as the special effects looked believable where placed; the camera framing was good; lighting was well coordinated. It could easily be mistaken for something on a high quality TV show. It's well paced , although scenes can feel a little jumpy at some points, as it can quickly move from scene to scene.

Regarding possible cons, there are some minor elements that could be improved upon, for example the overused repetition of the soundtrack theme; the interaction between characters in a dialogue can feel somewhat staged sometimes. But these are minor, and they will surely learn from this experience and get better and better.

In conclusion, definitely worth watching. The narrative is captivating, the production value was great, the acting was good; and it all came together for a brilliant piece of film.

I'm very impressed with Runaway Machine on their first project, and I hope to see more of them in the future!

A good attempt but needs some honest work.

[wboy8807 · 5/10 · 13 December 2013]

I have never wrote a movie review but for RWJ and Anna Akana this was an easy choice to make. I hope my following review helps them perfect their potential as creators of art in the film industry.

Acting: 4/10 The acting in this movie was mostly sub-par. It was good by amateur first attempt standards but most of the acting seemed really forced and didn't immerse me into the movie. Anna has a great YouTube channel but her acting needs a little work. She seems so much more natural on her YouTube show compared to this mini series. She has a lot of potential but needs more work and practice or should find other areas in show business she excels at. The cheerleaders were actually very convincing but as for both the gay guys, I don't know if it was the acting or just them successfully hitting the goal of very cliché, very annoying, very predictable gay guy, but it didn't rub me right at all. While the geek was convincing it seemed like the creators went to far out of their way to make him come off as geekish. The goth girl had good acting but her acting was not given enough screen time to shine. For the level of importance she played and her ability to act, co-star or at the very least more time to create a connection with this character should have been an easy decision to make but as it stands now I can't even remember her name.

Effects: 8/10 I really enjoyed the animated portraits of scenes that introduced the characters, the blood was convincing, the only way it could have scored higher here was if it had CGI animation with high budget resources at hand. All in all they were very good.

Story/Narration: 2/10 The story was very predictable, very cliché, and honestly everything was just rewashed stuff we have seen everywhere. This of course would have been fine had any kind of original twist had been placed on it. The story was not made their own and due to a few bad decisions by the director the story was very predictable and lost a lot of it's momentum very early. During act 1 at the lockers the prolonged camera stationed on what at the time I could only assume Ray wanted us to believe was an extra revealed to much. It instantly showed me the man with crutches was a man of importance, was connected most likely to the girl who they were talking about at the exact same time and just got done showing, and since most people watch trailers for movies or read descriptions before watching it, it was instantly realized that he was the man behind it. While not unique I think the one redeeming quality was the self narration by Riley. It really fit the atmosphere of the movie and was a great choice for this specific work.

Music: 10/10 The intro music was amazing, the music played during the movie perfectly fit the atmosphere. Nothing left to be said but good job.

Overall: 5/10 While the music and effects were great, the below average acting ruined the immersion of the movie. This coupled with a few bad director choices that really spoiled the plot and end of the movie pretty early on, really ruined what could have been a good movie. The only thing more disappointing then the plot being spoiled was the fact that the whole movie was one cliché after another. I hope to see in future works RWJ and Anna Akana make the characters personalities and plot their own. Rather then relying on stereotypes. The movie was good on armature standards and a great first attempt but this review is not adjusted to circumstances. If I could send one message to the two creators of this film I would say. Great first attempt, don't give up on your dreams, and strive for perfection while expecting mistakes.

Ray and Anna, fantastic job! :D

[nikozguri · 10/10 · 14 December 2013]

i loved Riley Rewind! it was powerful, emotional, had great special effects and the acting (for the most time) was pretty good. never thought midget Ray would make something this amazing!

the special effects: the effects were awesome! i loved how they showed animated sketches, it had a really great touch to the series. and there's the bomb explosion at the start of Act 1, which was awesome as hell! the bummer is that i didn't get to see it again, which made me sad a little. but overall, awesome.

the sets: Riley Rewind's a low budget independent project so at first i was like "i don't know if i'm gonna like the sets". but i was dead wrong, the sets are fantastic! everything looked so real and well done. props to everybody on that!

the script: this thing has a fantastic story: Anna plays a normal girl named Riley Brown who can time travel (or "rewind") to change her past. i thought that was awesome. it was written by Anna and honestly she did a really good job. i liked the dialogue too, it was really well written. and you end up caring about everybody in this movie, all the characters were amazing.

the acting: for the most part, the acting was way better than i thought it was gonna be. there are those moments in the series where everything gets dark and it makes you tear up (like the scene where Angela commits suicide, i leaked a few tears at that part). granted, sometimes the acting can get a little bit too cheesy and weak, but overall everybody did their job really well (especially Anna and Lamar).

Overall: i loved the show! it had me at the edge of my chair the whole time. i laughed and i ever cried it was so good. Ray and Anna, you're the best! keep on the great work, i gotta see more from you :D

9.5/10

For Those Who Don't Know, It's Based Off A True Event.

[jcjudkins · 7/10 · 15 December 2013]

Anna (the writer) lost her sister a few years ago to suicide, and this is basically a reenactment of "what if I could go back and save her?" type movie. She wrote this because of her sister.

I don't see how the plot is so "bad" by her trying to help save someone by using this rewinding ability. Some people are really harsh while critiquing this movie. I know it's not the best movie, but it has some good potential none the less. The message being sent here is supposedly: "Make every moment count, because you can't go back and change it."

It's target audience is a little unclear, though. I think it's directed at teenagers because of some language they put in, but it seems to be directed at YOUNGER people as well because of the innocent plot-line and lack of major violence and sexuality. It's quite tame, and definitely not bad for a younger audience as long as they don't mind some swearing.

I don't think it's directed at people who already have 30 or 40 years behind them... I think it's audience is the younger school kids who still have a lot of time ahead of them, and are figuring out who they are. Finding out how to "be a good person" to other people throughout their high school years.

The movie seems kinda rushed as well. They could have put a lot more into the movie if they wanted to, but if they had it may be overdone. Riley Rewind is NOT a failed attempt at a debut movie. It's very DIFFICULT to make a good movie as it is. I'm surprised Ray didn't crash and burn on this one. It's well done, considering it's his first movie. I give it around a 7.5 out of ten. I hope Ray and Anna can take what they learn from this film and use it to their own personal growth as producers.

And as for Anna, I think critics should tone it down just a tad given the fact that the movie's purpose came from her hardships of losing her sister and her desired fantasy to rewind time to bring her back if she could. I personally hope Anna is proud of this project, even if a large amount of fans aren't.

I await to see what movies they'll bring about in the future.

Serious movie watchers AVOID

[antonyrogers · 1/10 · 19 January 2014]

This "movie" is (at the time of reviewing) ranked on IMDb with the same score as Citizen Kane, which is obviously a travesty. From reading some of the reviews it seems that this is thanks to the overzealous support of their preexisting fan base.

On YouTube it might get a thumbs up for effort, but when you're running with the big boys, this doesn't cut it I'm afraid. I might have given it a 2 or 3 if it wasn't for the arrogance of the writer getting herself cast as the female lead (Riley). She is upstaged in just about every scene, mostly due to the fact that the other people in it can act at least slightly.

If you're like me, and use IMDb to try to find great films via their ratings on here, then please do not bother with this. I understand that their fans want to support them. However, I believe that IMDb should be a level playing field, and Citizen Kane this is not.

It's a Web Series, Not a Hollywood Blockbuster

[diable_666 · 10/10 · 12 December 2013]

It hit me in the same Vein as Clerks, Low Budget, But you can feel love went into making it.

I really enjoyed Anna's Monologue Solo Moments, and she could totally carry a TV show she has the kind of Charisma Corkiness as Mindy Kaling from The Mindy Project.

I hope Runaway Machine continues making Riley Rewind and see's a bigger budget come their way to really push this series into a whole other level.

Anna the Time Travelling Superhero. It could be cool if this took a Kick Ass Approach and maybe she trained so it didn't effect her so hard?

Maybe chased by a Time Travelling Government and she Pull's a Nicolas Cage from Next (get's shot, rewinds, dodge's, Punch to face :)

There are so many possibilities don't stop! the passion translates and things will only get easier and better from here!

Looking forward to more!

[zex99 · 7/10 · 13 December 2013]

I loved it! The concept is pretty cool, but I love almost every movie/series with superpowers in them. For this review, I'm going to put the fact that it's a low budget series aside.

The acting is the main problem. Sometimes Anna overacted, but she was great, and convinced me most of the time. For the rest of the cast, they could have chosen better. And I don't know what those five acts were, a season? Because It seemed a bit too short and it ended on a huge cliffhanger. I expect more of Riley Rewind, and I'm looking forward to it!

I give the series 7,5/10. Because of the acting, its shortness, the plot was a little off sometimes, and the trailer revealed too much. When she saw the bomb, I would've been more "emotionally attached" to the series if I didn't know there would be a bomb. Though that would've been solved by me not watching the trailer.

-Jonathan, a 15 year old boy in love with TV-series!

Good concept. Rushed story, bad actors.

[matt-clay-00 · 4/10 · 12 December 2013]

Time travel movies have always been a favourite in the movie world. The Terminator, Back to the future and so on. Yes i know this is a 'web series' but they were calling this a movie for the most part and then just changed it. The story was OK, a girl tries to save multiple lives using her ability to travel back in time. But towards the end (Act 4/5) it just goes really fast and is a very rushed ending. The actors aren't the worst, but certainly aren't the best. A lot of the time it sounded and looked like they were just reciting the script rather than acting, and that took away from the story and made it feel less like a movie and more like a amateur high school drama skit.

Fantastic.

[caspar262 · 9/10 · 12 December 2013]

A feel-good short film with a very meaningful message. Crying, laughing and smiling all the way though. What seems like a very personal theme, creates an atmosphere that everyone can relate to, we've all wanted to change something, and no one putts it better than Anna Akana and Ray William Jonhson.

The movie goes in depth with the personal struggle between right and wrong or doing what is right, not what is easy, Riley at any point could just let people die and save herself or give up. But instead she keeps doing no matter the cost, even if its her life. A very strong and inspirational movie. I will be watching Riley Rewind for years to come, and keeping an eye out for more from Runaway Machine.

Completely Outstanding

[kylekay9009 · 10/10 · 12 December 2013]

With knowing how much time and effort was spent into creating this amazing production, I can honestly say that I am extremely proud. Ray and Anna have worked their butts off for months upon months and finally seeing this, is reward enough. Being a subscriber to them for years, and seeing their passion towards what they do is unbelievable. Patiently awaiting the release of Riley Rewind was completely worth the wait (Aside from Anna's sneak preview last night ha ha). I am so excited to see how Runaway Machine will grow and become, what I believe, one of the greats. I love and adore you both ( Anna & Ray ) and Riley Rewind was truly astounding. The camera work, acting, light, sound, visual, the whole thing. Gave me chills, which doesn't happen often. Overall, Im very pleased and happy to see more!

More proof that online content can have TV quality, and an amazing start for Runaway Machine

[K-Kortez · 12 December 2013]

Riley Rewind manages to merge the online culture and the television-feel perfectly. With its vlog style used as a narration tool it instantly connects with the audience, making them feel a part of the experience. And with its attention to detail and high production value, it makes it clear that it's not "just another online show".

Ray William Johnson joins the list of pioneers that includes Freddie Wong, and David Fincher, who are making top quality content for the Internet. And this being Johnson's directorial debut for a feature like this, it was an excellent job. This was Johnson's and Anna Akana's (Riley Rewind writer and Riley) baby, and it shows that they did their best to produce something worth watching.

The premise is a very well known one (time travel dilemmas), but the take on it is different enough to look passed that. The acting is a little cheesy, and so are some of the lines, but in a way it makes Riley Rewind a bit more charming, and might have been done intentionally. If not, it's something to work on for future projects, which I'm sure will happen. Because Riley Rewind's strength is its ability to connect with people, and that is one of the most valuable traits any sort of media could hope for.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Runaway Machine.

Pretty good Internet show

[cless_br · 7/10 · 16 December 2013]

For an independent Youtube series, Riley Rewind has very high production values (on par with some TV series, actually).

The show was very well directed. It has a very good rhythm and I never felt bored while watching it.

The plot and dialogs are pretty decent too. Not very innovative, but still interesting and very entertaining. People who enjoy time travel stories you will surely find something to like here.

I also liked the acting and the characters. In the beginning I was worried about the show being about high school kids going you parties and things like that, but that's the case. Sure, the setting is a high school, but this is is not a high school comedy; the show is all about time travel.

Overall, I would say that Riley Rewind is a pretty good show.

Please, let me rewind time...

[paulo_jm_sousa · 2/10 · 22 December 2013]

I saw this movie because I'm a RWJ subscriber and I like his work.

But this movie makes me want to have Riley's powers so I could spend my last hour doing something useful instead of seeing this stupid web-series.

What's wrong with it? Characters and Acting - Just horrible. Anna Akana (Riley) was such a bad actress, I didn't expect that. Then, the characters are just very clichéd. The Gothic girl, the gay guys, and the person who puts the bomb on the college has a camouflage jacket!!! Really??? Ready on the first act I already knew that he was the guy that tried to explode everything.

Story - Wow, the plot holes are huge! The story is overused in other movies, everything is predictable, and with so many thing to pick with the rewind powers, the story is about a girl that wants to save the prom and another girl that wants to commit suicide. Perfect for a Disney Channel show...

I gave 2 out of 10 because of the music, with good tracks chosen.

RWJ, you have to do much better next time. Anna, please stop acting, you're no good.

Brilliant writing, brilliant directing - for a TV series

[pawtucketapartments · 10/10 · 12 December 2013]

If you want to see something where you can't easily predict the ending and 95% of the cast can convincingly act on a shoestring budget, then Riley Rewind awaits. A great concoction of science fiction mixed with super heroine that is blended on high in the TV drama paradigm; it opens on Facebook with subsequently infinite curtain calls on Youtube. Director Ray William Johnson and writer Anna Akana (the successful Youtube duo) have done what Romeo and Juliet could not: undo suicide and rewrite time to the plot's benefit. A personal tale written by Anna Akana that alludes to her own sister's real life pain provides a resilient framework that fails to be depressing, making it all the more noteworthy as a freshman effort. Ray William Johnson professionally compliments the script with directorial choices that are seamless. The $100,000 spent may be the best outing ever for a pop culture, science fiction TV series. A must see for anyone raised by the internet.

people should stop whining and enjoy this free web mini series

[eerereps · 7/10 · 18 September 2016]

I mean it's an indie film project, which took time, effort, and money to make. Personally, I enjoyed it! - Looking forward for Season 2 if any... Everything from the screenplay/story, (good job Anna!) acting (especially that gay dude!), Editing (Video Post was my favourite part about this film) was spot on! - also Ray (that fake and gay-homo-fag :-) ) did a good job directing, getting the most from the characters. what I didn't like though was the scoring/music - or at least the sound quality. Mix wasn't that warm, and audio didn't stand out to say the least. This may or may not be biased by personal passion in music production, scoring, and sound design, but the music in film left a lot to be desired. All in all though, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and was hooked almost immediately!

Wish i could rewind the time lost...

[calinn_g · 3/10 · 18 December 2013]

I'm a long time subscriber of RWJ on Youtube, but somehow i don't feel like having a moral obligation just for this reason to give this film a high vote by default. However, given the ratings so far, it seems that i'm one of the few who thinks this way. It's a well known fact that fans tend to over-value the works of their idols, but i would expect at least some degree of objectivity and fairness. There seems to be little of that among those who voted and reviewed so far, cause i can't explain myself for what other reason this series would get reviews naming it: "innovative", "entertaining", "well written" etc. and an average rating of 8.5 at the moment. I was particularly disgusted by one review that gave it (obviously) 10 stars and that judged everything about this ... thing as BRILLIANT. That was disgusting, to be that dishonest with yourself and the others: that's cheating life.

There is one excuse i've seen used for the failure of this movie more than any: the budget. To that, i will say: they made The Blair Witch Project and Clerks with less money.

There's also an appeal some people make, saying critics should give it a break, because it is inspired by Anna Akana's family tragedy, she lost her sister, apparently to suicide. To that, i will say: making an appeal to pity is not a fair thing to do. I feel for anybody who lost someone dear, but that won't make me lie to myself and to them. Judge the creation, not the creator. Many will say i'm a cold-hearted bastard maybe, but to be honest, when i watch a movie, i don't really care if those involved in its creation suffered some kind of loss in the past. I don't care about that, that doesn't make the actual film better than it is. So please, no more "give the movie a break, she lost her sister" non-sense.

Overall, this is a flop. I hope they will learn something from it and produce an internet masterpiece next time (or who knows, maybe a real movie) and shut us critics up. I would like to see how a comedy made by Ray would look like, since that's his main field of activity on Youtube. I would like that to happen, cause i'm sure it would be successful.

I support Riley 100%

[Babydolleyes · 10/10 · 13 December 2013]

Firstly, I agree with people saying the ''movie/web-series'' was over- hyped. I completely understand both sides - The need to eagerly advertise an exciting (and expensive) project, but at the same time it is difficult to approach a project like this, being the viewer without certain expectations when a project has been hyped to this degree.

Despite some flaws and aspects that annoyed me I don't think it's appropriate to compare RR to real movies or TV shows. For what it was and what it represents and that alone, I think it deserves a 10/10 on my part. This my opinion on the whole project.

Usually I hate trailers and avoid them at all costs, as they completely spoil everything and they can't be trusted in my book. If i'm looking forward to seeing a movie I NEVER watch the trailer, however I made an exception with Riley because too much anticipation was building up. I regret watching the trailer.. even though it looked interesting. A 3 minute trailer is (IMO) adequate for a movie that is 90 minutes long, but it is DEFINITELY too long for such a short movie. I don't think Riley really needed any more publicity anyway, it was over-hyped long before the trailer came out!!

Overall I thought the movie was really cute! I can totally appreciate the demographic it was made for, I think it was a good interpretation of time travel. Unlike some people, I really REALLY liked the acting - The acting was everything I expected it to be, if not better. I thought Lamar was great, very believable. Anna could easily act in any well known TV show in my opinion.

Guys please remember that there is a HUGE difference between bad acting, and forcing actors to play very annoying stereotypes. If the scripted character is a flamboyant homosexual that is in denial, then that's the character! If the actor plays it convincingly to the point where you are annoyed, then the actor succeeded. The actor didn't write his own character (except for Riley I guess).

I think everyone played their role well, but that doesn't necessarily mean I think all the roles should have been written the way they were. I don't like putting people in boxes, so I'm over the concept of using ''typical emo suicidal Goth's, gay guys that really refuse to come out of the closet, lonely introverted guy with homicidal tendencies etc..'' and I think a lot of other people are over it as well. Stereotypical characters can easily become flat, so I wish some of the characters had been more well-rounded, in other words, given more screen time. Then the stereotyping might have been more acceptable, because we would feel like there was more to the characters.

The only thing I was really disappointed with regarding the movie was its length. It wasn't in fact a movie like RWJ and Anna advertised it to be initially, instead it was a web-series which barely scraped 46 minutes.. I wish Riley Rewind was an actual movie, preferably 90 minutes long. I can just picture the film with longer scenes, and less repetition. You can't really cut up such a short movie into 5 acts, release them on the same day and have the same intro for each 10 minute act, AND a short flashback reminding the viewer of what just happened in the previous act, PLUS a 3 minute ''ending'' to each act. I personally really do not like that.. Imagine if there had been more scenes where Riley was getting to know Angela? And imagine if Angela had tried to kill herself in different ways allowing Riley to experience it differently.. It would have been nice to experience some progress albeit come to the same or a similar conclusion. Riley as a protagonist felt authentic, she was sooo darn likable and willing to make sacrifices but still not to the extreme. I also like the idea of the bomb, but I think there are some strange flaws to the climax (that the disabled introverted guy wanted to kill all the kids at prom because no one cared about Angela dying) although the resolution was beautiful and well worth it.

The music was AMAZING! I also loved the light hearted parts of the movie.. I have a feeling that good scenes were removed from the movie in an attempt to keep the audience interested or to speed things up or something.. I for one would love an extended real movie cut of RR if it exists haha. Riley Rewind was too short, contained too many flashbacks of events that had happened only a few minutes ago,and stereotyped characters that could have been better if they had been more well rounded (the only well rounded characters were Riley and Jay). On the other hand I loved the mysterious aspects of the movie, such as the fact that Riley didn't wholly understand her power, that we don't know the long term side effects, etc. I honestly don't know what to make out of the ending, and I just pretended that the movie had finished right before the FBI walked in :D

Decent - not great

[nasht00 · 5/10 · 13 December 2013]

Fist off, I didn't really like the format: five videos of about 10 minutes. I would have enjoyed it better (and taken it more seriously) if it was a 1-hour movie watched in one shot. The mini- series format works when the episodes are published gradually to keep us waiting, or when each episode is long. But 5 times 10 minutes - doesn't make sense to me.

Also it was really over-hyped by RWJ.

The acting gave a very amateur vibe, although Lamar Legend ("Jay") and Christina Marie Leonard ("Angela") were kinda good.

The story pitch is good. Seen before (Butterfly Effect), but pretty good still.

I really liked the effects and overall video editing.

Overall, I think it's got potential. Everyone involved in the movie has potential if set with more experienced professionals surrounding them.

I would love to see a comedy from RWJ.

Good luck on your future projects!

Great but short!

[chadly_88 · 9/10 · 13 December 2013]

It sounds like a horrible joke... A gay black guy an Asian and a goth go into a high school... What follows is a decent hour of time travel, suicide and something to do with a disabled guy.

I found Riley Rewind was well scripted, and well acted. Like most people I feel i could relate to some of the characters and in turn made me enjoy each segment that little bit more.

The only downside to Riley Rewind is i felt the breaks in between were a bit much and made the whole watching experience a bit annoying.

Over all for a first effort, the team has done an excellent job and I really recommend watching it!