The Grand Tour Review from Unearthed Films!

Unearthed Films guru Stephen Biro is reaching beyond the underground viscera and gruesome horror to deliver some different genres of films. Fortunately, this sci-fi thriller gem from 1991 happens to be one of them. The Grand Tour aka Timescape is an entertaining and interesting watch. Director David Twohy is known for writing such films as The Fugitive (1993), Pitch Black, Riddick, and G.I. Jane. He does a great job here weaving an engaging story with likeable characters you love and others you love to hate.

The Grand Tour opens with a freak accident involving a car and a horse and buggy colliding. Cut to Ben Wilson played by Jeff Daniels (Arachonophobia, Speed) as a widowed contractor, a single father to his daughter Hillary played by Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park). Ben is fixing up an old inn located in a small town. One day a strange lady by the name of Madame Lovine played by Marilyn Lightstone (Spasms, Heavy Metal) drops by insisting Ben let her and her guests stay at the inn regardless of it still undergoing renovations. Reluctantly Ben agrees when the lady waves a large amount of cash in his face. 

We learn Ben’s wife died in the bizarre accident with the horse and cart which occurred in the flashback at the beginning. Since then, he has been taking good care of his daughter regardless of his father-in-law’s meddling. Judge Caldwell played by the late George Murdock (Orange County, Breaker! Breaker!) is the guy you love to hate, a proverbial nuisance to Ben and his efforts to save lives in the town.

Ben is weary of the mysterious tourists staying at his inn and soon finds out their deadly secret. Despite resistance Ben must use any means necessary to stop and suppress the destruction of his town, it’s people and his daughter. What results are some great suspenseful moments.

The Grand Tour is an entertaining and well-made sci-fi yarn inspired by the novella Vintage Season written by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore. The screenplay was written by director Twohy. I gotta say The Grand Tour kept me engaged and it was a nice change of pace from all the grim and dark material that normally comes my way. Jeff Daniels plays a likeable character you’ll be rooting for throughout the film.

There are a couple cool twists and one jaw dropping scene which had me laughing. The Grand Tour is a welcome breath of fresh air in the ever-expanding catalogue of Unearthed Films which further cements the company’s diversity into different realms of film. 

AKA: Timescape, Grand Tour: Disaster in Time, Escape al future, Fugindo do Futuro, La course contre le temps, Timescape – pako eiliseen, Timescape – Le passager du future, Timescape – Im Wettlauf gegen die Zeit, Apodrasi sto hrono, Απόδραση στο χρόνο, Időrés, グランド・ツアー, Ucieczka przez czas, Замечательная поездка, Huida a través del tiempo, Zamanda Dehşet Yolculuğu

Directed by: David Twohy
Written by: David Twohy
Produced by: John A. O’Connor, Robert E. Warner
Cinematography by: Harry Mathias
Editing by: Ed McNichol, Glenn Morgan
Music by: Gerald Gouriet
Special Effects by: Apogee Productions, SPFX Inc.
Cast: Jeff Daniels, Ariana Richards, Emilia Crow, Jim Haynie, Marilyn Lightstone, George Murdock
Year: 1991
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 39min

Studio: Channel Communications, Drury Lane Holdings, Wild Street Pictures
Distributor: Unearthed Films