A man stumbles upon a time travelling amulet and uses it to attempt to get himself out of trouble and get his dream girl. Things do not go according to plan and things just get more complicated each time he travels back in time, causing a second, third, fourth, etc copy of himself that need to go back where they came from.
This crime film is written and directed by Tim van Dammen and it’s an oddity to say the least. This being said, it’s a fun film to watch and the constant addition of multiple copies of the lead does bring a bit of confusion, but this works for the film as even this character seems confused as to what is going on at times. The lead as well as the other characters are a bit like New Zealand redneck criminals, or bogans, trying to make the most money with the least amount of effort, leading them into situation that require more effort than if they had done things right from the get-go. The film keeps things as simple as it can with all its complications and much humor comes out of all the insanity present herein.
Playing the lead of Johnny is Anton Tennet who does a great job of playing the same character in multiple copies with each a little extra confusion as to why they are all there and trying to fix the same situation while making it worse. Tennet gives a natural and fun performance while bringing the viewer into the character’s story and messy life. Playing against him are a variety of bad guys or semi bad guys as may be the case, including Milo Cawthorne who is the most recognizable of the bunch to this reviewer and will most likely be the same for most international viewer. His presence is fun and a small case of “hey, it’s that guy” that helps bring a bit more attention to film while his performance does not distract from the lead but still grabs the attention from time to time.
The film here is made to give the story the forefront with acting, writing, and directing being the main attractions here. That being said, the cinematography by Timothy Flower and the editing by Luke Haigh help these elements shine by giving them good images to evolve in and an editing style that works with the story and gets out of the way, not going too complex or trying to overtake the film in either case.
Mega Time Squad is a film that entertains, puzzles at times, and brings something to the crime films and time travel films with its particular style and fairly simple story. The way the lead deals with his time-travelling self and his copies is fun and creates interest in a story where a man learns a lot about himself and how he wants to be a better person as well as how to become that man and what it may bring him.
Fantasia 2018 runs from July 12th to August 2nd, 2018.