This review was originally published as part of my coverage of Fantasia 2018
A low-level thug gains the ability to travel in time in Mega Time Squad. Johnny (Anton Tennet) is a low-level drug dealer in Thames, New Zealand, who hangs with his friend Gaz (Arlo Gibson) and does petty tasks for the local crime boss Shelton (Johnny Brugh). When an opportunity to steal Chinese Triad money arises, Johnny takes a chance to try and rob the money the money for himself. He ends up failing miserably, but thanks to an ancient relic picked up during the robbery, Johnny gains the ability to travel back in time. With the help of multiple doubles, Johnny hopes to get the money back and prove that he has got what it takes.
Mega Time Squad is a New Zealand action/crime/comedy that focuses on a loser of a thug, who suddenly gains time travelling powers, with each trip back in time resulting in a new double of himself. As the “Mega Time Squad,” these multiple versions of Johnny hope to beat Shelton, get the Chinese money, and win the heart of Shelton's sister Kelly (Hetty Gaskell-Hahn). However, it soon turns out that there are consequences to exploiting the time travel powers of the amulet.
The last number of years have seen a rise in quality genre cinema from New Zealand and Mega Time Squad is no exception to that. While the story of the film is a relatively simple one, the execution of the plot results in much hilarity. Despite being the villain of the film, Johnny Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows) steals the film as Shelton, who comes across like a crime boss version of Murray from Flight of the Conchords. Altogether, Mega Time Squad is a quite entertaining time travel romp.
