So here I am, back after nearly one year. I decided I will write a quick review about the movie on my [crappy] blog.
I wondered how I had managed to write all those old movie reviews before, and so I skimmed through those old posts...and I just have to warn you:
DO NOT READ MY OLD MOVIE REVIEWS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIES.
BUT YOU CAN READ THIS ONE. YES, PLEASE.
In the old reviews, I dropped 'spoilers' here and there without realizing, impervious that they were going to spoil your personal movie experience (I'm talking about the reviews which don't have "spoiler alert" warnings at the top). They're just awful, so stay away from them, for your own good.
No, I won't delete them because they remind me of a person I used to be. :P
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
Written by Derek Connolly
Starring Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni
This movie is something else.
Okay so basically it's about investigating a time-travel related ad in the newspaper, with the purpose of seeking a story to write for a magazine:
WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED.
Jeff (Johnson) takes two interns with him, "the lesbian and the Indian" Darius and Arnau, (Plaza, Soni) to go on a quest to find out about the person who wrote the ad (Duplass). I read on a website it's actually based on an ad in a magazine, except in real life it was written as a joke. The movie gives us an alternate reality that follows the timeline where the ad was not a joke, if the guy who put it out was serious about time traveling, or if that was the truth, was he a lunatic because he believed he could. Pretty interesting, huh?
The story is presented in a casual, unambitious way, with the feels of a typical 'indie' atmosphere, and if anything it adds to the movie's charm. I strongly suggest you watch the trailer, it's really effective in drawing you in and rousing your curiosity (it did for me). Watching the trailer made me feel like the movie had a great reveal, and, the positive reviews everywhere helped a great deal in convincing me this was the movie to watch. But I don't want to overwhelm you with the "great reveal" thing, it's really a subjective opinion which not everyone agrees upon. But in my own opinion, the movie was far from disappointing!
WHY YOU MUST SEE IT:
First of all, I think it has originality. Is that a heavy thing to comment upon a time-travel themed movie, its being 'original'? Okay let me explain. You know when someone mentions a time-travel themed movie and you immediately, just naturally grasp an idea of people traveling through time, alternating history, and such and such? Well, this movie has a different take. I won't say time-traveling doesn't take place, or if it does take place, (it's more complicated than that, watch the movie!) but let's just say, you're better off not knowing what to expect. The movie is original on its approach on the theme of time-travel, with the characters it brings to life, and how they interact with each other in reaching the 'goal' of the movie. A different aspect of time-travel is presented as a focus for the movie, and it contests our impression of the story during the movie: it makes us care about what the main characters are thinking and what they want to achieve. I don't know if this is a spoiler, I don't think it is,
Secondly, this movie has a great script, according to my opinion, in that every line uttered by the characters are mostly saying something distinguishing about their characters. It's well-written, loaded with humor, full of wit, and it not only offers an absolutely fresh take on time-travel, but also comedy, if I may be so bold to say (compared to movies I've recently watched--notice I was talking about me :P). And the charming characters: Aubrey Plaza's deadpan character and her dry humor is so refreshing to watch, and so are Karan Soni's flat remarks that actually crack you up. Oh I can't leave Jake Johnson out as Jeff, the 'leader' of the group who actually had an ulterior motive in pursuing the time-travel guy. He was hilarious, comes off as quite a jerk, one of those characters you can't really attach yourself to, but whose character actually goes through an interesting 'development' phase. And of course, there's Duplass' character, the time-travel dude...the one we're trying to figure out. He gives a solid, ironically convincing performance as a character you can't easily decide on--I mean, does he really know what he's doing, or is he just too good at being nuts?
To wrap it all up:
You have to watch Safety Not Guaranteed, if for no other reason than it's being one of those movies you immediately have the urge to talk about with your friends after watching. I laughed loads watching the movie, I envy the writer for the witty lines he invented for the script (because I often have to try hard, lol), and despite the story's laid-back, unambitious nature (debatable--it really depends on how you see it *wink*), I love how it makes us care about the characters. I like it so much I'm telling everyone on social media to see it. If you enjoyed the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ruby Sparks, the ambiance in 500 Days of Summer, or if deadpan humor / subtle humor is a brand of comedy you like, or if you're one of those who prefer indies to blockbusters, you will most likely enjoy Safety Not Guaranteed.
Arnau: What kind of lasers?
Darius: I don't know, I'm not a frickin' stormtrooper.
Jeff: This guy's awesome. He's over there right now thinking he's building a frickin' time machine. Hey Arnau, what are the chances he can do that with these lasers?
Arnau: How would I know, I'm not--
Darius: He doesn't know he's not a frickin' stormtrooper either.
Arnau: Stormtroopers don't know anything about lasers, or time travel. They're blue-collar workers.
