Light, silly, photographed with colour and depth, and rather a good time.
Clockstoppers (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:83
Fresh:23
Rotten:60
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: A pleasant diversion for the young teens, but a waste of time for anyone older.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Zak Gibbs (Jesse Bradford) is a regular teenager who's only got girls and hot rods on his mind, but all that changes when he finds a watch developed by his scientist dad, Dr. George Gibbs (Robin... Zak Gibbs (Jesse Bradford) is a regular teenager who's only got girls and hot rods on his mind, but all that changes when he finds a watch developed by his scientist dad, Dr. George Gibbs (Robin Thomas). One day, while raking leaves with his friend Francesca (Paula Garces), he discovers the watch has special powers. It goes into "hypertime," speeding up the molecular structure of whoever's wearing it, so the rest of the world looks frozen, but is actually just moving much slower. At first Zak and Francesca have a lot of fun playing pranks on people while in hypertime, but soon they realize they are in grave danger. A corrupt corporate drone, Henry Gates (Michael Beihn), wants to use the watch for evil deeds and decides to kill Zak, his dad, and Francesca in the process. Gates kidnaps Dr. Gibbs and Zak and Francesca enlist the help of a kooky scientist, Dr. Earl Dopler (French Stewart, THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN). The rest is high action camp; it's like THE MATRIX for teens. All the action takes place to a pounding soundtrack that includes artists Smashmouth, Blink 182, Sugar Ray, and Kool Keith. [More]
Starring: Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces, Gariyaki Mutambirwa, Robin Thomas
Starring: Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces, Gariyaki Mutambirwa, Robin Thomas, French Stewart, Michael Biehn
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Screenwriter: Rob Hedden, J. David Stern, David N. Weiss
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, Julia Pistor
Composer: Jamshied Sharifi
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Clockstoppers
If I were 13, I might be sufficiently entranced by the movie's bicycle stunts ... and wouldn't be wondering why ideas for science fiction films haven't progressed very far from Star Trek's first seasons all those decades ago.
Charming,harmless amusement tailored to the oft-neglected 13-and-under set.
To be fair, "Clockstoppers" isn't a bad film, merely bereft of creativity and personality.
This is a prime example of a movie that is convinced that a little action, a pair of good-looking protagonists, and an intriguing concept will result in a box office success.
...infused with entertaining energy and written with an adult-friendly crispness that's especially rare in movies aimed squarely at pre-teens.
Although Clockstoppers sports some cool visual effects, it ultimately succumbs to a predictable plot and cardboard characters.
While Monsters, Inc. and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius demonstrated that films can be scripted intelligently for younger viewers, Clockstoppers does the opposite by delivering an empty story in a flashy package.
This could be the first movie since "Cool As Ice" that was outdated before it hit the screen.
Impressive sci-fi effects and cute actors can't save a trite, safe teen flick that should please Joe Lieberman.
The film is ridden with clichés ... as many of these teenage market films are.
The film is a sloppy, discombobulated mess that mistakes loud skate punk music for character development and prosaic special effects for a narrative.
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Clockstoppers at Rotten Tomatoes
- Clockstoppers at IGN
- Clockstoppers at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

