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Clockstoppers
Working for Gates, Dr. Dopler has discovered a way to accelerate the molecules in a person's body, such that their surroundings appear to be standing still, a process he dubs 'hypertime.' However, there's a drawback: If you stay in hypertime too long, you begin to age at an accelerated rate. In the hopes of solving this dilemma, Dopler sends a wristwatch, which can access hypertime, along with his notes to his professor, Dr. Gibbs, unbeknowest to Gates. With the government threatening to close down the project, Gates forces Dopler to perfect 'hypertime' while trapped inside it. Gibbs receives the watch, though with a conference to attend, he leaves it behind. Zak finds it and inadvertently accesses hypertime. He then decides to use it to impress Francesca, a new student at school. Through these adventures, Gates learns that Gibbs was sent a watch and captures him. Now, to save his dad, Zak and Francesca must team up, armed with hypertime.
While I'm sure the film will hold a certain amount of charm for pre-teenagers, other age groups may be less impressed. To even remotely enjoy Clockstoppers, you are required to suspend disbelief, as hypertime is used in contradictory and inconsistent ways throughout the film. Furthermore, the characters are hard to identify with, as they're only slightly developed and most are one-dimensional. Overlooking the painful DJ contest scene, the film does move at a fairly brisk pace, running slightly over ninety minutes. The special effects really save the film: several of them in particular are truly neat and are worth the price of a rental…if you can make it through the film. And aren't Bradford and Garcés a bit too old to be playing high school kids?
Video:
Clockstoppers is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is crisp throughout, with nothing in the way of specks or marks. There is some minor edge enhancement, though. Colors are bright and vivid throughout, with accurate flesh tones, and solid blacks.
Audio:
Clockstoppers is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English and Dolby 2.0 Surround in English or French. The 5.1 track is mainly anchored to the front channels, though many of the special effects sequences during hypertime use the surrounds aggressively and are quite impressive. The film's music, which is mostly a mix of new or remixed pop songs, uses both the front and rear channels and sounds crisp. Dialogue throughout is clean with no distortion. Optional English subtitles are included.
Extras:
Extras include a ten-minute featurette, titled The Making of Clockstoppers, the film's trailer, four promotional spots, and two music videos ("Holiday in my Head" by Smashmouth and "It's the Weekend" by Lil' J). The featurette is best viewed after the film, as it gives away quite a bit. It does contain some information as to how the special effects were accomplished, which was interesting.
Summary:
Clockstoppers is geared more towards pre-teenagers than adults, though it does make for a decent family film. The presentation is excellent, so fans should definitely consider a purchase, though the disc is priced a tad high.
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