Directed by : Janet Chun
Written by : Anthony Ma (novel)
Starring : Chang Liu, Baihe Bai, Yixin Tang
Release Date : November 13, 2015
"A Journey Through Time With Antony" is a coming of age movie, that emphasizes appreciating the common things in life that we shouldn't take for granted. From friendships, family, connections, where you live, pursuing what you want to do with your life, experiencing new things, and finding that special someone to be in love with. It's just a smorgasbord about life experiences that teens and college kids should appreciate. Basically this is more or less a typical and simple story that is suppose to make you feel good about life and living.
To set this movie apart from similar movies of this genre, there are several visual flairs that are implemented. From an animated character that looks like our main character in a bunny outfit, a flying whale, to just great shots of delicious looking food or beautiful sakura trees. There are also montage scenes set to a song, like a mini-music video, that successfully compliment the tone of the film. All these elements make the movie feel whimsical, sentimental, nostalgic, and charming to watch.
As typical to a character that is created in a young-adult novel that this movie is adapting from, our main protagonist Antony is a little too idealized, romanticized, and the whole world seems to just conveniently revolve around him. Exciting things happen to him, but he doesn't really have an exciting personality. That's where the stronger supporting cast comes in to give us some dynamic story telling, from the lively and energetic chef he meets in Australia, to his childhood friend who moved to Japan to pursue a career in sound design and audio editing.
Although "A Journey Through Time With Antony" doesn't break any kind of great ground as a movie, I did find it entertaining enough to watch in a comfortably familiar and relaxing fashion. Despite it's simplicity and flaws, I can't deny that I ended up having some affection for the movie anyway.
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