Matter of Time movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Matter of Time

This family-friendly movie is now playing in theaters. (February 27, 2026)

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 52 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+/A-

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IN A NUTSHELL:

This film really caught my eye because one of my sons is a professional video game level designer, and another one of my sons is a 3D senior artist at Blizzard!

The story is about a 29-year-old video game designer whose dream is to hit it big in the industry. In order to make a deadline to pitch his game to a big studio, he uses a time-stopping device that his friend hesitantly lets him borrow. Will it save the day or cause him to lose days of his life?

The film was directed by Jeremy Snead, who also played the roles of Screenwriter and Producer. Writing credits go to Zach Smith, Sean Wilkie, and Jason Baumgardner.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Video game fans will love this. Parents who want a peek inside the video game world that their kids live in will find it this movie to be a fun education for a family-friendly flick night.
No profanity. One of the characters stops himself from almost swearing.
We see a shirtless young man and all of his abs
Young adults get drunk a few times.
A character encourages the audience to drink energy drinks, which I absolutely don’t recommend! They are terrible for your health!
We see the death of a parent.

THEMES:

The consequences of tampering with time displacement
The cost of ambition
Family support
The importance of having a tribe to support each other
Working together vs. going solo

THINGS I LIKED:

Myles Erlick is well cast in this movie as a hopeful video game designer. He’s got a likeable Jay Baruchel vibe from the How To Train Your Dragon animated movie. I don’t know why, but I always find it funny when characters break the fourth wall in a movie. In this film, his character does that a few times.
I adore Sean Astin and love seeing him support lower-budget films. He has been making movies for 40 years, and you can tell he loves every minute. The movie really plays with the idea of him and his magical ring, which Lord of the Rings fans will get a kick out of. (Best movie trilogy EVER!) This is the first movie he has done with his daughter, Ali, who plays a character named Bree. So fun!
Jamie Alexander’s over-the-top performance made me laugh out loud every time he was on screen…in a very good way.
I’ve always loved movies about time travel.
I love how the movie moves between real-life actors and those that look like video game characters. Cute effect.
The fast pace suits the target audience perfectly.
You might just look at video games differently after you see how much work goes into making them.
Something significant happens at the 1 1/2-hour-mark that felt like the grand finale, so I was genuinely surprised when the movie kept going!
Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see some more cute clips.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The pacing is slow in the middle, and we see some repetitive scenes.
One thing younger generations aren’t learning is how to honor commitments and legal contracts in today’s world. Rather than taking responsibility for promises they make, they decide that what they want, personally, is more important and magically grants them the right to whatever they want, even if it hurts others. Wow, I sure sound like a mother right now, eh?

FUNNY LINES:

“Can you not come up with a Marvel reference all the time?” – Charles (Myles Erlick) “You know I’m not a DC guy.” – Gibbs (Sean Astin) This conversation made me laugh out loud because people could say the exact same thing about me!
“A magic grin does not solve all your problems.” – Charles (Myles Erlick)
“Don’t time shame me.” – Charles (Myles Erlick)

INTERESTING LINES:

“You have to recharge yourself.” – Gibbs (Sean Astin)
“What’s more important: your friends or your ambition?” – Gibbs (Sean Astin)
“I told you…The Justice League is always stronger together.” – Gibbs (Sean Astin)
“What’s the point of climbing a mountain if you’re all by yourself when you get to the top?” – Charles (Myles Erlick)
“If you fail with friends, you still win.” – Bree (Ali Astin)

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