TV & Film

Lost in time: A review of Throwback Today

Life can find a way to sneak up on you at times. You can either blame it on the past, or change the way you live in the present. Directed by Joseph Teoxon, Throwback Today urges us to consider the power of our actions, and how even one careless decision can make a huge impact on our future.

The movie follows Primo (Carlo Aquino), a 32-year-old who was once a promising production designer, but is now stuck in a jobless rut. His life is in a downward spiral, as he experiences failure, heartbreak, and regret. One day, he recovers his old computer and later on, experiences a time-bending phenomenon where he finds himself talking to his college self in an online chat room. For Primo, this serves as a chance for him to correct his past mistakes and turn his life around.

The time-traveling concept is highly intriguing; it leaves viewers wanting to know more about how Primo would utilize such a nifty device. However, the film fails to maximize the unique concept and ends up lacking the narrative excitement that will propel the plot to the right direction.

There’s a clear distinction between the past and present eras in the first half of the movie, but it later goes on a rapid, back-and-forth switch between the two time frames, which can easily cause confusion among its viewers. Not much change is evident in Primo’s appearance despite the 12-year gap, which leaves viewers to rely on subtle context clues to tell the two eras apart. Moreover, the pacing feels incredibly rushed and inconsistent. Several scenes would randomly jump to the next, establishing incoherent transitions instead of smooth-sailing ones. It almost feels like a montage with no room to further build the plot.

Despite the jumbled pace, the cast is what makes watching the flick a little more worthwhile. Carlo Aquino delivers a strong performance as he plays two almost entirely different versions of Primo: The defeated and emotionless older Primo, and the spirited and passionate younger one.

On the other hand, Primo’s longtime friend Andie (Empress Schuck) and his crazy on-and-off girlfriend Macy (Annicka Dolonius) are also noteworthy performances; however, they remain static and unchanged even after 12 years. Primo may be the focus of the film, but the lack of character development of those surrounding him did not live up to its promising time-traveling concept.

Throwback Today ultimately ends up falling short on pacing and character development. Its lackluster execution adds to the bleak visuals that gives the film a dull and washed out look. But nevertheless, the film has an interesting premise. Through chatting with his college self and having the chance to correct his past mistakes, Primo’s present was also altered in many different ways, whether for better or for worse. Albeit lacking in some key parts, the persistence and struggle that Primo endures to change the way his life panned out will engage its viewers until the very end.

Rating: 3 / 5

 

Featured photo retrieved from summitmedia-digital.com

You might like these!
TV & Film

Vantage Magazine’s 2024 Oscars Picks and Predictions

Best Animated Feature Nominees:  The Boy and the Heron Elemental Nimona Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Vant Fave: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse The second installment in the Spider-Verse franchise definitely lived up to our expectations. It highlighted a more expansive world of spider-people and their spider-ventures, along with a captivating array of animation styles […]

By Alyssa Adul, Chanel Ang, Rozz Lapitan and Tan Dela Cruz

March 10, 2024

By Alyssa Adul, Chanel Ang, Rozz Lapitan and Tan Dela Cruz • March 10, 2024

TV & Film

Body horror: Redefining girlhood and growing pains

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment, rape, and violence. GORY AND grotesque in nature, the horror genre could easily be perceived as an unwelcoming territory for women-centric stories. Slasher films in particular have a historically problematic relationship with sex and violence. “Final girls” in horror films are often women who tend to […]

By Mika Layda and Bella Yara

December 2, 2023

By Mika Layda and Bella Yara • December 2, 2023

TV & Film

Modern macabre for a modern audience: The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

BEING AN avid fan of the horror genre, I was no stranger to Mike Flanagan’s reputation, considering his highly acclaimed work with Netflix that cemented him as one of the go-to guys for modern horror. However, the reason why I enjoy his work lies in his ability to depict humans that feel as real as […]

By Tan Dela Cruz

November 15, 2023

By Tan Dela Cruz • November 15, 2023

Exposé

Queering the horror scene: How the community transformed its shadowy spaces

HORROR HAS always been queer. Since the genre’s conception, horror characters have long hidden their repressed selves behind the campy make-up of the supernatural. If the idea behind horror is about wanting to look at what you should not see, no one can relate more to the suppression of natural desires than the LGBTQIA+ community. […]

By Alyssa Adul and Rozz Lapitan

December 4, 2023

By Alyssa Adul and Rozz Lapitan • December 4, 2023