Time After Time
It's 1893 London. Futurist H.G. Wells believes that the future holds a Utopian society. He also believes in time travel. He has just built a time machine which he is displaying to a group of skeptical friends, including surgeon Dr. John Leslie Stevenson. Unbeknown to Wells or anyone else among that circle, Stevenson is better known to the public as Jack the Ripper. Just as the police are about to capture Stevenson, he uses the time machine to escape, with Wells being the only one who knows what happened to him. Not telling anyone except his trusting housekeeper, Wells follows Stevenson in order to capture and bring him back to face justice. Where Stevenson has gone is 1979 San Francisco. There, Wells is dismayed to find that the future is not Utopia as he had predicted. But Wells is also picked up by a young woman named Amy Robbins. As Wells and Amy search for Stevenson, Stevenson conversely is after Wells to obtain the master key to the time machine. As Stevenson continues his murderous ways, he will stop at nothing to achieve his desires, which places Amy in danger.
The film earned $13.0M at the global box office.
7 wins & 7 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Time After Time (1979) reveals deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Nicholas Meyer's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 52 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.3, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Victorian London, 1893. H.G. Wells hosts a dinner party with his scientific friends, proudly showing off his newly completed time machine, proclaiming it will create a utopian future.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Wells discovers Dr. Stevenson has stolen his time machine and fled to the future. The police reveal Stevenson is Jack the Ripper, and Wells realizes he's unleashed a monster on an unsuspecting future world.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
At 57 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Wells confronts Stevenson at the Hyatt Regency. The Ripper reveals he feels perfectly at home in the violent modern world, proving Wells' utopian dream false. Stevenson escapes, and Wells realizes the future he idealized is morally bankrupt., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Stevenson kidnaps Amy, leaving Wells a taunting message. Wells arrives too late at her apartment, finding only evidence of her abduction. The woman he loves is in the Ripper's hands, and his idealism has led to her doom., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 89 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Wells confronts Stevenson at the museum, rescues Amy, and tricks the Ripper into pursuing him into the time machine. Wells sends Stevenson infinitely forward into time to his death, then must decide whether to return to 1893 or stay in the flawed present with Amy., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Time After Time's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Time After Time against these established plot points, we can identify how Nicholas Meyer utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Time After Time within the adventure genre.
Nicholas Meyer's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Nicholas Meyer films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Time After Time takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Nicholas Meyer filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Bad Guys and Zoom. For more Nicholas Meyer analyses, see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Volunteers.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Victorian London, 1893. H.G. Wells hosts a dinner party with his scientific friends, proudly showing off his newly completed time machine, proclaiming it will create a utopian future.
Theme
Wells declares his belief that the future will be a socialist utopia free from violence, stating "The first man who raises a fist will be scorned." His friend Dr. Stevenson counters that man's savage nature is eternal.
Worldbuilding
Wells demonstrates his miniature time machine model to skeptical friends. The police arrive searching for Jack the Ripper. Wells learns his colleague Dr. Stevenson is the killer and has escaped using the time machine to 1979 San Francisco.
Disruption
Wells discovers Dr. Stevenson has stolen his time machine and fled to the future. The police reveal Stevenson is Jack the Ripper, and Wells realizes he's unleashed a monster on an unsuspecting future world.
Resistance
Wells pursues Stevenson to 1979 using the machine's recall mechanism. He arrives disoriented in modern San Francisco, struggling to adapt to the chaotic contemporary world while searching for the killer. He exchanges his sovereign for cash and begins his hunt.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Wells and Amy search for Stevenson across San Francisco. Wells explores modern society with wonder and horror, discovering war, violence, and chaos persist. Their romance deepens as they track the Ripper through museum records and news reports of fresh murders.
Midpoint
Wells confronts Stevenson at the Hyatt Regency. The Ripper reveals he feels perfectly at home in the violent modern world, proving Wells' utopian dream false. Stevenson escapes, and Wells realizes the future he idealized is morally bankrupt.
Opposition
Stevenson stalks Amy while Wells desperately searches for him. The Ripper continues killing, staying one step ahead. Wells' Victorian values and methods prove inadequate against a predator who thrives in modern chaos. The police suspect Wells himself.
Collapse
Stevenson kidnaps Amy, leaving Wells a taunting message. Wells arrives too late at her apartment, finding only evidence of her abduction. The woman he loves is in the Ripper's hands, and his idealism has led to her doom.
Crisis
Wells races to save Amy, processing his failure and fear. He realizes he must abandon his passive idealism and take decisive action. He prepares to confront Stevenson, accepting he must use the Ripper's own methods to stop him.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Wells confronts Stevenson at the museum, rescues Amy, and tricks the Ripper into pursuing him into the time machine. Wells sends Stevenson infinitely forward into time to his death, then must decide whether to return to 1893 or stay in the flawed present with Amy.