I remember seeing Millennium back in the day, rented on VHS from the local video store, and watching with my family. It was great fun, and I had fond memories. Sure, it wasn't a big-budget blockbuster, but I wouldn't class it as a low budget B-movie either. It was a solid, mid-budget movie of the time.
Years later, I had a little trepidation in re-watching, worried that it wouldn't hold up but, in all honesty, I think it was even better. The story was every bit as engaging as I remembered, with one of the most fascinating and creative time-travel concepts I've seen, combined with a heart-warming eighties aesthetic that throws me back to that era.
Sure, the effects are of their time, but they're also pretty well done. In addition, the visual style of the future world is enjoyable in a slightly over-the-top, grimy, chunky, "made on a budget with heart and enthusiasm" feel to it.
A lot of people are critical of the romantic side of the story, but I think that is what makes the heart of the movie. It stops it from being a mechanical A-to-B-to-C, and helps to motivate the characters and events. I will agree that it all dives in pretty quickly, but the performances from Cheryl Ladd and Kris Kristopherson sell it well, being a slightly more mature couple as opposed to the usual teens or young twenty-somethings.
I'm not saying it's the best mid-budget sci-fi movie ever made, but it's relatively unique, original, and great fun! I would rank this alongside movies such as Spacehunter, Moon 44, and Solar Warriors, and you could do a lot worse than be in such company.
Years later, I had a little trepidation in re-watching, worried that it wouldn't hold up but, in all honesty, I think it was even better. The story was every bit as engaging as I remembered, with one of the most fascinating and creative time-travel concepts I've seen, combined with a heart-warming eighties aesthetic that throws me back to that era.
Sure, the effects are of their time, but they're also pretty well done. In addition, the visual style of the future world is enjoyable in a slightly over-the-top, grimy, chunky, "made on a budget with heart and enthusiasm" feel to it.
A lot of people are critical of the romantic side of the story, but I think that is what makes the heart of the movie. It stops it from being a mechanical A-to-B-to-C, and helps to motivate the characters and events. I will agree that it all dives in pretty quickly, but the performances from Cheryl Ladd and Kris Kristopherson sell it well, being a slightly more mature couple as opposed to the usual teens or young twenty-somethings.
I'm not saying it's the best mid-budget sci-fi movie ever made, but it's relatively unique, original, and great fun! I would rank this alongside movies such as Spacehunter, Moon 44, and Solar Warriors, and you could do a lot worse than be in such company.
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