Clockstoppers Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)March 28th, 2002
CLOCKSTOPPERS
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Zak Gibbs (Jesse Bradford, "Bring It On") is frustrated trying to get his dad's attention in order to buy a car. Dr. George Gibbs (Robin Thomas, "The Contender") is an eminent scientist and teacher who thinks his son is wasting his potential. When one of his former students, Dr. Earl Dopler (French Stewart, TV's "Third Rock from the Sun"), consults Gibbs Sr. on a molecular acceleration project, he unwittingly places the Gibbs family in danger in sci-fi director Jonathan Frakes' ("Star Trek: Insurrection") Nickelodeon production "Clockstoppers."
This likeable adventure flick is a betwixt 'n' betweener - too heavy for grade-schoolers who'll miss references to Black Ops yet too illogical for adults who'll find fault with the way the hyper speed mechanics play out. "Clockstoppers" may find a niche audience with the twelve to fifteen crowd.
The film starts on a questionable note as a disguised Dopler tries to evade the evil corporation who are holding him by breaching security onto an American Airlines flight. Henry Gates (Michael Biehn, "The Terminator") is hoping to use Dopler's invention, a watch that enables its wearer to go into hyper speed, for nefarious purposes. There's a problem Dopler needs Gibbs' help with, though - extended use causes accelerated aging. Gibbs, seeing only altruistic uses such as surgery between two beats of a heart, is excited to work on the project, but leaves the watch in his lab to attend a week long conference. Of course Zak, who has dad fix up gadgets so he can sell them on eBay, gets his hands on the watch and stumbles into its awesome feature. This helps him win over new girl in town Francesca DeLaCruz (Paula Garces, "Dangerous Minds"), get revenge for past grievances and turn his best buddy Meeker, (Garikayi Mutambirwa, "Bones") into a crowd winning hip hop artist.
Naturally, screenwriters Rob Hedden, J. David Stem and David N. Weiss have more up their sleeves than mere fun so Zak and his dad gradually come to a new respect and understanding when Dopler welshes on saving his mentor from the evil Gates (could they have chosen a more obvious name?) and Zak steps in to save the day - blood over brains, if you will.
Frakes spends too much time laying the groundwork for his adventure, but once that's finally done, "Clockstoppers" coasts along on Bradford's puppyish charm and a few interesting effects. Once Zak's figured out the workings of his watch, he brings Francesca into hyper drive. They figure out that things around them haven't stopped by observing a bee whose barely buzzing wings suggest that it's Zak and Francesca who are moving extraordinarily fast (making the film's title a bit of a misnomer).
Garces is a fresh face who's well paired with Bradford to give the film a chaste romantic spark. Thomas is believable as a highly intelligent man lost in his own pursuits and disappointed by his son's refusal to join him. Stewart, well made up to look haggard and older, resembles the professor from "Gilligan's Island" far more than his familiar goofy TV
alien. This Gibbs family is filled out by Julia Sweeney ("It's Pat") as an every-Mom and Lindze Letherman ("Bicentennial Man") as younger sister Kelly. The bad guys, including Biehn, are all generic automatons.
Technically, the film is uneven, with cheesy lighting in the initial scene and aging makeup applied to Thomas that's as fake looking as Stewart's is real. A town square, perhaps an homage to "Back to the Future," is overused, suggesting a budget drastically smaller than the earlier time travelling flick's.
"Clockstoppers" isn't exactly a waste of time, but it's far better suited to a Saturday morning TV slot than a big screen outing.
C
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