bowmanblue 'Retroactive.' What's it all about? Who's it aimed at? Um, hard to say really. At a push I'd have to guess 'men.' And probably men who don't mind daft, vaguely sci-fi B-movies. Any film that includes a situation where a day/event repeats itself over and over again will always be likened to 'Groundhog Day.' Retroactive isn't really like that at all, but it does borrow the idea of an event happening again and again.A woman, on her way through the deserts of Texas, breaks down. And, if that isn't bad enough, the only person willing to pick her up is James Belushi. And he's a complete psychopath. Naturally, it doesn't take long for things to go bad and gunplay and shootouts ensue. However, it's not so simple as our heroine simply having to survive the chase. She only goes and stumbles on one of those shady government labs that seem to exist in 'film-world.' There, she discovers that the lone scientist (don't high level scientific experiments normally require huge teams of people to run them? Oh well, never mind...) can transport her twenty minutes back in time.The good news is that she's no longer pursued by James Belushi. The bad news – it doesn't take long before it all starts to go wrong again. Rinse and repeat. So, time and time again, she has to figure out the best way to stop his violent rampage while getting as few people shot by him as possible.Kylie Travis plays our heroine. And she does it competently enough. She's feisty and does the job. You'll certainly root for her throughout what she has to go through. However, it's James Belushi who stands out. He's larger than life in the most bonkers way possible. He's clearly loving being completely off his head and delights in playing the nut-job – he does tend to steal most scenes, but, ultimately, it's Kylie we'll care about when all's said and done.Basically, it's a 'one on one' chase sort of film. And, like with many similar films, it can be a little bit hard to maintain the premise. The shift of power continually shifts between 'hunter' and 'prey' and there are more than a few times where one could blatantly execute the other there and then. Naturally, they don't. If they did, the film would only be about twenty-five minutes long.So, if you can suspend your disbelief long enough to get over than minor gripe, you'll actually find a solid enough little action movie. It's nothing new and it would probably never make your top ten films of all time, but it'll certainly fill just under an hour and a half of your time if you're looking for some sci-fi action fun in the desert.

Scott LeBrun Beautiful Kylie Travis ('Models Inc.') plays Karen, a hostage negotiator with tragedy in her recent past. Having quit the force, she's traveling through rural Texas when she has car trouble and is then picked up by jovial sleaze bag Frank (James Belushi). When Frank realizes that his wife Rayanne (erotic film star Shannon Whirry) has been unfaithful, he murders her in cold blood. While Karen runs from Frank, she comes across an isolated government complex where lonely young scientist Brian (Frank Whaley) has been conducting time travel experiments. Karen then realizes that here is a situation where she can go back in time and do things over...so she does. The only problem is, she actually makes things WORSE. So she ends up back at the complex, and goes back in time again. And so it goes while she stubbornly tries, each time, to make better decisions.Yeah...this does indeed sound like a serious sci-fi version of "Groundhog Day", much like an an earlier TV movie titled '12:01', starring Jonathan Silverman. But the premise is amusing, and director Louis Morneau actually does a very creditable job at keeping things very taut and compelling. The movie has a breakneck pace to it, a respectable intensity level, and characters about whom we can actually give a damn. Travis is quite good in the central role, while Belushi relishes the opportunity to go over the top in his portrayal of a hair-trigger tempered piece of scum. Whaley is very likable as the scientist, and Whirry earns our sympathies as the timid wife. It's also nice, as it always is, to see M. Emmet Walsh, as he plays cheerful gas station proprietor Sam. Jesse Borrego ("Con Air"), Sherman Howard ("Day of the Dead" '85), and Guy Boyd ("Body Double") co-star."Retroactive" is slickly photographed in Clairmont-Scope by George Mooradian, and has an appropriate sun baked look to it in all outdoor scenes. Special effects are decent and not overdone. I don't know if the script (credited to Michael Hamilton-Wright, Robert Strauss, and Phillip Badger) will bear any close scrutiny, but at least while this thrill ride is still going on, the viewer may not mind too much. It does give in to some clichés (such as characters missing their targets all too often when they shoot, or guns that take forever to run out of ammo), but the action is first-rate, and our protagonist and antagonist do set off some big sparks.Seven out of 10.

TedMichaelMor I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DISCUSS THIS FILM WITHOUT DISCLOSING THE STORY."Groundhog Day" on speed and as nightmare, "Retroactive", a well made, and beautifully photographed, expertly edited, well-acted, and creatively directed thriller, is terrific entertainment. I suppose, in some way, it is a philosophical study within the terrorist genera. Production design by Phillip Duffin might be a key to this film (that is a guess on my part because I am not certain what production design is).Cinematographer George Mooradian and editor Glenn Gardner narrate a somehow almost believable script by Michael Hamilton-Wright, Robert Strauss, and Phillip Badger. Tim Truman's musical score is understated and effective. The stunts are terrific. Casting by Michelle Lang feels perfect. Almost every detail of the film seems to have a place.Watching the movie took something out of me. I am not a great fan of movies that cause anxiety the way this film initially does. I usually do not enjoy watching Detroit Ballet and cars and buildings bursting into flame. I do not usually enjoy movies that manipulate time travel, but here time travel is merely a device to recount a narrative as theme and variation.Modulations in the narrative make the development interesting beyond the action as when we learn that Frank knows the nerdy scientist Brian and Frank returns to the past to undo it. Jim Belushi is terrific here as are most of the other players. Still, this is Kylie Travis's movie.I am not certain that it all comes to much, but I admire how the film seems coherent, at least until near the end. Too many fireworks near the end when I grew tired of the special effects. I enjoyed the ending, however, where all seems "a simple twist of fate." My rating comes from a gut feeling about the movie rather than careful analysis.I want to see it in wide screen.

Majid-Hamid James Belushi as a villain?? I used to watch this movie a few tears ago in hospital (having some kinda disease). This is really a good sci-fi movie, where James Belushi is always a master actor in every piece of his movie. The only reason i find retroactive entertaining is because of him..nothing else!! He has turned this movie somehow...somewhat...a pure sensational action movie! I'll give this a 10/10..Unfortunately,people nowadays could not create good movies like this anymore.For all of u guyz out there, give this movie a chance, and u'll find that this would be far much2 more satisfying than watching other stupid sci-fi movies (blade runner, transformer, the matrix...) Watch Retroactive!!! 10*stars(excellent)