Time Bomb (2008)

Lack of good storyline.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Charming and brutal

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Jason tragically lost his young son when their SUV exploded. Now fighting as a soldier in Iraq, the suicide bombings that occur around him on a daily basis constantly remind him of losing his son. An army scientist approaches Jason about an experimental virus that would create a squad of suicide bombers they could use against the enemy. Uncertain if he has already been infected by the virus, Jason must struggle to decipher which explosions are real and which are in his head. When you see the poster for Time Bomb you would expect your typical low budget action film but this movie actually tries to be serious it's part drama, part thriller and part action and it basically failed in every way you could imagine. (1/10)

This would have been a fine, creative essay on war, grief and PTSD, if it weren't for the stupid "mad scientist" plot device that screams that the writer and director had no faith at all in their ability to craft a fine, creative essay on war, grief and PTSD.The production values are mid to high, though, and Jake Busey, while creepily looking exactly like his father circa 1975, has a greater acting range than papa has displayed in his later, regrettable "Gingerdead Man" career.Here, Jake turns out a sensitive, yet fearless performance reminiscent of "Big Wednesday"-era Gary, and it's a pleasure to watch.Just wish he were given a better movie to perform in.

Whereas the Vietnam War has long ago provided us with a cascade of drugs, conspiracy, hallucinatory, and tortured visions of vets, some of which turned out to be true despite being told within a fictional film, Iraq hasn't given us any before Time Bomb.While the overall story qualifies as conspiracy fiction, it does weave plenty of realities into the film. And while the nature of the story requires a lot of jumping around that can cause confusion, that's really part of the point of the film. In any event, the ending is very clear and strips away any remaining confusion - or denial - that the craziness may have left behind.One of the weaknesses of the film is also a strength in the way it was pulled off. Even though hat is and what is not real becomes confusing at times, it fits the story. And because of the consistency in the story, even those that can't follow it all the way through still get the essence of the story repeatedly. That may sound a bit boring if your attention span is in working order, but there are no shortage of twists to keep things weird and interesting.

Okay, so lets start off with my overall thought of this flick, it was average. But unlike a vast majority of the people who has seen this, I did enjoy it, and I did watch it from beginning to end, however I was still left in disbelief as to what I had just seen. This isn't the kind of film that if you watch it over and over, it will start making sense, because nor does this movie fail to succeed in clearing specific details up, it also fails at creating a realistic storyline. But not every story that has been written is based on reality, this is purely someones imagination playing a hand at poker. He thinks he has a good hand, but really... he's just an amateur at heart, trying to make something interesting, but ending up WAY over the top. Nothing wrong with that though, as long as no one expects an Oscar.This movie has an uncomfortable atmosphere, the characters were creepy and to some extent, intense. I was really let down when Jason's son didn't have that big a role, because obviously this story began around his death, and it was clear that the kid who played him is very talented, they should have given him some more scenes to bloom for his resume.Jake, Jake, Jake... You were given a lead role, you were given SO many chances to create something here for yourself, a nice big juicy "well you see, the movie sucked, but that Jake, he really had me glued!" But I was slightly let down. Okay, more than slightly, but I don't want to mentally damage this man. Because I've seen some of his other stuff and I thought he was BRILLIANT. But he is clearly either a freaky psychopathic serial killer, or... a comedy jewel. However I appreciate him leaping into something different for a change. He's talented when given the right roles. This movie did not let him go very far with my expectations. This film, if it were made by film students would be above average.But I would definitely recommend a watch if you are incredibly bored and enjoy far too original films. It doesn't deserve a three though, common, you can see the effort and the camera work very much impressed me.