One of my favorite movies from the past 25 years is Frequency. Frequency is a movie that focuses on time-bending. It fuses several genres from there and is a solid thriller with emotion and fleshed-out characterizations.
We follow NYPD Detective John Sullivan, who is in the middle of a divorce. He is down on his luck and finds a ham radio, in which he begins to talk to his father, but there’s a catch. The catch is that his father, a firefighter named Frank, died in 1969. They connect across time and start to alter history, preventing Frank’s death while causing a rift in the timeline. That rift produces a serial killer, and it’s up to the duo to figure out how to stop him from the past and present. The puzzle creates an intriguing plot, which throws you for a proverbial time loop.
Now that you know the synopsis, consider the film’s emotional core. Many thrillers forget to tie together the pathos exhibited by the characters. Not this time, you get an emotional connection, which is the movie’s heart. The bond between John and Frank deepens, and though they are in different times, the changed memories hit each with bricks to the dome. Not only does the relationship drive the heart of the movie, but it also helps drive the stakes, especially when Frank’s wife, John’s mom, is a target of the serial killer.
Not into sappy things? That’s okay. This is a science fiction workshop with time changes and timeline shifts that would make Doc Brown proud. The film uses real-time changes to the past and present, and updates memories. There are even mid-scene changes, and much tension and surprise come through the traditional and sometimes non-traditional time travel tropes. There are rules to time travel, and we adhere to them in Frequency.
Perhaps the strongest element of Frequency is the merging of science fiction and a police drama. You don’t just get one solid genre focus; you get several, and they all work well with one another. What makes this movie heavy is that it gives you every genre rule without forcing it. The twists and turns are done well, the heartfelt moments don’t seem out of place, and you are given a unique ride of science fiction and drama.
You can stream Frequency on the cheap, or buy it on blu ray, either way check out more information by clicking here.
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