bigass time plothole

you're both forgetting the fact that this is Jean Claude Van Damme. spacetime and its fundamental laws don't apply in a van damme-centric universe.

It's not a plot hole.

In Back to the Future, when Marty comes back, he sets himself to return 10 minutes earlier than the time he left, so for 10 minutes (and for 10 minutes only!) there will be two Martys (or is it "Marties"?) running around in 1985. When the other Marty, however, uses the time machine and goes into the past, he no longer exists in the 1985, so the 'other' Marty can take his place (and indeed does).

The same principle applies here - Walker works for a TIME-TRAVEL agency, which means that he gets sent to the past a lot. There actually HAD to be a mission to send him back to accomplish (though curiously, no one pays much attention to him when he comes back, although with time travel, you'd think they would, because you never know what has changed, etc. and for after-mission report (or is it called 'debriefing'?), etc. No one even asks: "Well, did you accomplish the mission?"), for him to just casually waltz back from a mission into the agency.

If there hadn't been a mission, everyone would be like: "Hey! How did you get into the time machine, when none of us saw you come and leave for a mission! Besides, I just saw you in the cafeteria, how did you end up there?"

There had to have been a mission where they needed to send Walker into, and from their perspective, Walker simply returned back from that mission, and everything functions as normal.

So, the sequence of events:

1) Walker goes on a mission - WOOSH! - exits from the timeline.
2) Walker comes back from a mission - into a timeline where the previous version of him just exited because he went on a mission, and now HE is the one returning.

Though I have my own questions about a lot of things - you have to be very careful as not to harm anything or change events, but Damme sees no problem in beating people up violently and brutally, and talking about TVs and future celebrities in the presence of past locals. The 'villain' guy, the ex-partner even says that he is not harming anyone - and he makes a good point, because Damme certainly harms people and that's supposedly ok?

But does Walker REMEMBER now his own son? How is his memory? Time-travel movies never really go into a great detail and depth into the whole "memory" thing, although that's a key issue in all time travel stuff. Who remembers what and why, and if a memory changes, how does it happen - gradually, instantaneously or what, and why that way?

I mean, it must be SURREAL to suddenly come 'home' to a building that you have not lived in for 10 years, and to be greeted by a kid that you have never seen, but you suddenly (in a second or so) develop "fatherly feelings" for.

So he inseminated a kid in a session of 'fun inbetween sheets' ten years ago, and that's grounds for hugging a 10-year old kid like it's your long lost son (which, in a way, he is)?

Wouldn't the kid be just like a stranger whom you don't necessarily instantly want to touch so intimately, meeting him actually for the first time? Especially considering the slightly creepy pedo angle.

And does Walker really want to be shocked about how much women can age in 10 years? Sure, some women don't age that badly (Walker's wife looks relatively good here, although she was prettier in Ferris Bueller's Day Off), but some certainly do.

And because you have always seen her ONLY up until the 'younger' version age, now, for the rest of your life, you will ONLY see her older (and aging) version.. wouldn't that be a psychological-emotional shock, too?

Only the MEMORIES could ease the shock, but .. does he have them? Oh well.

It's a pretty harmless flick anyway, not to be taken seriously.

Not a very good film in almost any account - the effects are ugly (even for their time, although time doesn't really alter aesthetics, only what people are 'used to'), the plot is awful, predictable, unimaginative and typical, misandristic, childish, with injected romance and "the american dream", where a policeman can afford to live in a HUGE mansion near a beautiful lake and a forest (although the rest of us will never be able to live like that).

I'd like to call it a 'fun flick', but it's not really all that fun. The interesting beginning is actually the best part of the whole movie, and the actor who threatens the confederation men has more charisma than most actors in the film.

The rest of the movie follows a typical movie rail with mindless action, the expected events, the expected plot developments, and the expected stupidity.

I mean, why would a guy who works in a TIME TRAVEL AGENCY wonder about someone who returns from a mission remembering things differently than he does? Wouldn't that be the CORE of everyone's training there? Wouldn't.. agh, I can't do this, it's just not worth it. Not for this film.

There would be tons to dig through and ask and wonder and question, but .. I am too tired and there are more worthy movies.

The movie has it's moments, and it can be slightly fun here and there, but mostly, it's pretty much just a waste of time.

If your memory changed when they happened, how would you know whether they happened all the time or not?

----

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Things might change everyday, and we would never know it.....

You Have a Hard Lip, Herbert..

Better Living Thru Chemistry

That's why you forget things... haha

You cannot solve a reverse time travel paradox...it's not the writer's fault...it simply can't be done because as far as our science can explain reverse time travel is impossible.

If it were possible, I expect all sorts of odd things would be happening like your best friend suddenly vanishing along with all your memories of him or her. The fact that these things don't happen al the time is further evidence that reverse time travel is impossible.

But that things could be happening right now, because the memories are erased instantly from everybody´s existence. I mean, we don't know if something has been changed.

"The fact that these things don't happen al the time is further evidence that reverse time travel is impossible. "

Or we are very careful to make sure we clean up our messes. Van Damme and this movie, do not In any way, shape or form, describe how reverse time travel would really work. There are two types of time change.

One where there is ONLY one Universe and any change that you could potentially make, has already been made, or is impossible to make. This movie does Not describe that one.

There is also the type where any place you could conceivably change the past branches of an alternate universe. The problem with THIS is, as has been stated by the OP, when Van Damme reaches the "present" he reaches a present which is a future to his past self where History has been changed. a History where he may not have gone back in time, or may have gone back to a different time. So there will more than likely be a doubling. The ONLY way a doubling is avoided is if the future self of the new past Van damme, becomes a time cop, and goes back to the past to the exact moment he left for the exact same reason, and that vam damme is the exact same person as " our Van damme. And that is impossible...

So this time travel needs to be seen exactly like "Back to the Future" good enough to fool those that do not think about Time travel regularly.

I have to stop and recommend an awesome Book..." The man who folded himself" by David Gerrold. I think he already wrote it, wait is it 2011.. or 1911? ahh Internet was... never mind. Ya he wrote it.


There are also two short stories by Robert heinlein... "...All you zombies" and " By His Bootstraps". Both dealing with Time Travel but with different themes. One deals with a strange version of the Grandfather paradox. And the other with well, I leave you to that one for you to figure out on your own... it's less of a " who done it" and More of a " when was it done?"

A very intelligent response. Kudos.

You are absolutely right. Until the technology is there, no one can predict what will happen. It's no different than someone in the 1500's hearing that one day people wouldn't need horses or other animals because everyone would be getting from place to place on a "cart mounted on four circular things that is also capable of propelling itself forward and backwards at a high rate of speed for miles on end, without resting, simply be replenishing the readliy available liquid that makes it capable of the propulsion"

Nobody questions cars now. No one will question time travel, once it is actually possible.

"I love it when some people act like they know something about something that no one in the world knows a thing about."

you forgot a phrase that turns this into a proper response...

" .... that no one in the world knows a thing about yet...that we know of."

Here's an interesting question. If someone say in the year... 2574 As you reckon with your calendar were to make time travel practical, even if costly... then from the point of view of those in this era... No one knows yet... but...if viewed by someone that knows that future...it is known now.... by that person... then.... and if that person came back in time, to before today...say.. 100 years ago... then... your statement is totally false... since..

" someone knows" The existence of time travel, makes use of the verb tenses problematic. So when the technology arrives, grammar will change ( has changed? Will have been changed??.. see what i mean? " To will have been or not to will have been, that has will have been the question") as well.

Guys, you're overthinking things. It's just a movie. It's supposed to be entertaining. You have to remember it's a Van Damme movie. Time travel rules don't apply to the hero of the movie.

"Second, if you touch your younger self, the matter isn't really in the same space; you're simply placing part of your body right up next to your younger self, which is different from actually occupying the same space. "

That wasn't a Plot Hole though, that was Bullsh*t the writers came up with for the deus-ex-machina moment of How to deal with the bad guy.

You are right, mearly touching your past self is no different than touching someone else. even if you go back in time 1 day, and decide you wannna " *beep* yourself" and turn it into a pleasant experience instead of fighting words.

If BOTH sets of atoms were trying to occupy the same space at the same time, regardless of whom they belong to or how old...you would have catastrophic consequences. But mear touching??? That can be very pleasant indeed.