Film – Lost Time

Steve Taylor-Bryant takes on an alien invasion film with a member of Bros. When will he be famous? Not after he’s put The Cat Amongst The Pigeons…

Valerie leaves her doctor's office with her sister, Melissa, after receiving horrific news. Valerie has terminal cancer and no amount of treatment will save her. While driving home together, their car suddenly stops and they are engulfed in a blinding light. Valerie blacks out and when she awakens, her sister has disappeared without a trace. Months later, Melissa is still missing, but Valerie's cancer has completely disappeared, much to the disbelief of her doctor. Valerie, with the help of her cop boyfriend, Carter, devotes her entire life to finding her sister and to discover what happened to them on that fateful night. Valerie has considered every possibility for Melissa's disappearance except for one-alien abduction. It would be insanity to think that aliens abducted her sister and cured her cancer. Or is it? Valerie's dreams and visions of aliens would suggest otherwise. She stumbles across a book by a Dr. Reed called "Lost Time," which seems to explain the phenomena she is experiencing. She goes to meet Dr. Reed, who promises her answers if she checks herself into his institution for evaluation. She agrees, against the wishes of Carter. What she finds in the institution is beyond explanation. Nothing is as it seems and the concept of reality is turned inside out! And what exactly is Dr. Reed-Human? Alien? Or a new strain of being entirely? It is up to Carter to rescue Valerie from the evil clutches of Dr. Reed and his alien minions, before it's too late.

Lost Time is an apt title as that's seven hours I'm never getting back. Okay, it was only ninety minutes but honestly it felt longer. I was quite excited when I got my review link as I'll admit publicly now that I am a fan of Luke Goss. I liked Bros as a younger man and have seen the drumming twin turn into a solid actor over the years with Hellboy II and Blade II. Most of Luke's films are of the 'straight to DVD' variety but there is nothing wrong with that and, in these cheaper alternatives to big studio projects, there can be some real gems. Lost Time is not one of these films but I don't blame Goss. If the script is really bad, what can you do?

The thing is the premise is great and it should work, director Christian Sesma tries and you can see that there is some talent in him, with some shots being so exquisite it makes the film look even more of a mess, but he is also part of where I am heaping all the blame - on the writing. Sesma, 'star' Rochelle Vallesse and Kenneth Owens have taken a great idea, one that would be a superb short film of around twenty minutes, and managed to lose themselves, the plot and the audience. Had I not had to watch it for review purposes I would gladly have switched off on at least three occasions. Vallesse, as the film's face, spends a lot of time preening and thinking she is better than she is which doesn't help, maybe a less egotistical performance would have saved the film although I doubt it.

I'm not 100% sure but this may actually be the worst film I've ever seen, which is quite a feat with some of the guff I grew up with and have had to sit through for reviews.

I urge you to not watch this film you will lose more than time.

Image Sicily Publicity/Synopsis – IMDb.