You never know what you might find in the belly of a vintage shop. The same premise applies to Time Travel is Dangerous, a film offering a straightforward premise: two vintage shop owners stumble upon a time machine in the form of an old dodgem car, and chaos follows. However, in the hands of director Chris Reading, that simple setup unfolds into a funny, unexpectedly touching mockumentary that’s as much about friendship and legacy as it is about sci-fi antics.
The plot kicks off as Ruth (Ruth Syratt) and Megan (Megan Stevenson), the owners of The ChaChaCha vintage emporium, stumble upon a time-travelling bumper car, which they hide under a huge sheet in the middle of their shop. With it, they help their struggling business by travelling across time, gaining access to an endless supply of period-perfect stock from across the ages. Following a deadly shoot-out in the Wild West, as they pull a Stetson from one of the shoot-out’s casualties, they explain to the camera that they think of their adventures more like ‘borrowing’ from time rather than stealing.
The makeshift time machine is the creation of Ralph (Brian Bovell), a washed-up presenter from an ’80s kids-style TV show called ‘The Future is Now’ and current eccentric-in-residence at the Muswell Hill Science Club. His invention draws the suspicion of the club’s rule-obsessed president, Martin (Guy Henry), who warns of temporal consequences. Naturally, the duo ignore him, until a wormhole erupts in their back room, plays chaos with their lives and eventually pulls Megan into the Unreason, a kind of time-frozen purgatory.
The two leads, real-life friends and co-owners of ChaChaCha vintage emporium, Syratt and Stevenson, are hilarious in faux-interview segments. Their dry, ironic musings poke fun at British nostalgia, as well as the low-key lunacy of the general public, focusing its humour on vintage collecting and amateur science societies. The film is stitched together by Stephen Fry’s wry and perfectly posh narration, and an ensemble cast of beloved British comedians, including Johnny Vegas, Alex Horne, and Jane Horrocks. The film carries a familiar charm and a steady current of sarcastic humour that’s easy to slip into. The cast bounce off each other naturally, delivering plenty of genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
That said, while consistently entertaining, the film often feels more like a string of comedic sketches and funny bits, reminiscent of a sitcom rather than a narrative feature. Taken on their own, these moments shine: a standout sequence where Ruth briefly reverts to her teenage self is particularly hilarious. However, the potential in the material feels better suited to another medium.
Visually, the film embraces its scrappy charm. The time-travel effects, complete with magical portals and surreal visual glitches, evoke an intentionally DIY aesthetic, reminiscent of vintage Doctor Who episodes. Far from feeling cheap, scrappy visuals enhance the film’s personality, functioning as a playful nod to the practical effects of a bygone era. Simon Porter’s score is in tune with the narrative and adds an unexpected emotional depth, complementing the film’s makeshift style and grounding the film’s zanier moments with heartfelt atmosphere.
Although wrapped up in gadgets and science fiction, Time Travel is Dangerous is a story about friendship. Ruth and Megan’s chemistry is effortless; they bicker, support each other, and share the weary but loving bond that only years of friendship and working retail, combating members of the public, can forge. Their relationship provides the film’s emotional anchor, while the older inventors’ and supporting cast musings on forgotten dreams and unrealised potential add surprising poignancy. It’s these relationships within the film that pull things back on track when it veers off course. As occasionally happens, the film drifts off track, falling into wormholes of its own creation, meaning that promising story beats and the wonderfully absurd potential of a time-travelling dodgem feel somewhat unexplored as the film approaches its conclusion.
Time Travel is Dangerous wears its silliness on its sleeve proudly. It also pulses with sincerity, aided by its lovely lo-fi aesthetic, funny performances, and emotional undercurrents. It’s a time-travel comedy that’s more than just a quirky ride through time. Just like the Vintage Store in which it’s set, there are plenty of treasures to be found inside.
★★★
On digital platforms from September 29th / Ruth Syratt, Megan Stevenson, Brian Bovell, Guy Henry, Johnny Vegas, Jane Horrocks, Stephen Fry / Dir: Chris Reading / Shakespeare Sisters & Candr Pictures / 15
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