REVIEW: ‘The Door Into Summer’ Changes Up Time Travel

The Door into Summer is a Japanese Sci-Fi movie starring Kento Yamazaki (Alice in Borderland). Soichiro Takakura has seen everything he loves slip away from him. His biological parents died when he was young and his stepparents, who inspired him into his career as a robotics engineer, were taken from him too. Now, having only his step-sister Riko and the company he helped found, Soichiro seems to finally found a stable place in life. Until his company is stolen from him and his enemies have him cryogenically frozen for 30 years. Upon waking up in 2025, Soichiro becomes determined to find a way back to the past to undo the damage that has been caused.

At the core of The Door into Summer is a unique approach to a time travel story that ultimately serves as a narrative double-edged sword. As I realized what the movie was attempting to convey through its use of time travel I was instantly amused and impressed. I can’t remember the last time a movie sold me so thoroughly on its portrayal of time travel and how such a scenario would play out. If you generally have issues with the many loopholes and inconsistencies tales of time hoping characters create, this story will present a pleasant surprise.

However, this unique narrative approach comes at a huge cost. That cost is in narrative tension. Due to how the story plays itself out, any possibility of Soichiro not completing his objective quickly vanishes. As the story unfolds, it almost feels like Soichiro is as much an observer to events as the viewer is. This doesn’t prevent the story from being enjoyable, but it deflates any tension or urgency from the tale.

The characters that take part in Soichiro’s tale are generally well delivered and interesting. Soichiro is a wonderful protagonist that the viewer can easily root for and the antagonists are delivered with just the right amount of villainy to make the deplorable, but not so much as to feel too dark for the tone of the movie. There is a stellar comedic presence in Soichiro’s newfound future friend PETE who steals many of the scenes he is in. The only awkward aspect of this story’s characters comes with Soichiro’s little step-sister Riko.

Ten years Soichiro’s younger, Riko confesses feelings for her step-brother early in The Door into Summer‘s story. While the movie doesn’t dive too deeply into the sibling’s affection for each other, some strong implications are surrounding it. Given that Riko was seven when Soichiro first meet her, with him being seventeen at the time, this romantic setup could be offputting for some even though the duo is 17 and 27 at the film’s start.

The visual presentation of the film is well done. I do find it interesting how technologically advanced the film presents the world of 2025. Someone seems to be expecting some major technological leaps in the next three years. Whether plausible or not, the world of the future delivers a classic sleek sci-fi look that, while not overly original, is implemented excellently.

The Door into Summer delivers a sci-fi tale that manages to deliver some unique twists on its concept, even if it comes with some narrative shortcomings. If you want a solid sci-fi story that is willing to approach well-worn concepts from a new angle this film is worth the two-hour run time.

The Door into Summer is streaming now on Netflix.