REVIEW: ‘Time Hoppers: The Silk Road’ Is Landmark Muslim Sci-Fi With Some Hiccups

Muslim kids are rarely the main heroes in major media. With only a few shining examples like Ms. Marvel, Zari Tarazi of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Violet Harper of Young Justice, and Khalid Nassour (Dr. Fate) and Green Lantern Simon Baz of DC Comics, Muslim heroes are scarce in Western sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero media. As such, Muslim kids have few options for representation of their culture or faith. Luckily, with Milo Productions’ new film, Time Hoppers: The Silk Road, Muslim kids are front and center in this sci-fi time-travel adventure.

Directed by Flordeliza Dayrit and written by Dayrit, Nuha Elalem, and Sakina Fakhri, Time Hoppers: The Silk Road takes place in the year 2050 and follows Layla (Jayce McKenzie), a young girl who has recently lost her mother, and her father Habib (Omar Regan) as they venture to Vancouver’s futuristic Aqli Academy.

At the Academy, Layla joins her aunt Hafsa (Aliyah Harris), her cousin Khalid (Tareek Talati), and fellow students Aysha (Angel Haven Rey) and Abdullah (Emily Gin). From there, Layla and her friends get into time travel hijinks across ancient Iraq, Syria, and Mali, as our protagonists venture across history to stop the dastardly Fasid (Morris Seng) from reaping his evil schemes.

Overall, what follows is an enticing adventure full of rich Islamic history to educate kids and adults alike, with wonderful characters and fun antics. While the film has rough patches in editing, sound design, and background vocal performances, it is still a well-hearted effort that is a landmark in Muslim representation in sci-fi, with promise for the series planned to follow it on the Muslim Kids streaming service. 

Layla is a solid lead protagonist. Her relationship with her father is the throughline of the film. Dealing with the ramifications of her mother’s loss and her father’s incessant work puts strain on their relationship that she must increasingly confront. Starting off as timid and thrust into adventure, Layla gradually comes into her own as a hero, making her easy to root for on her journey.

But Layla doesn’t overshadow the other protagonists by any means, and the core four is balanced. Aysha is a huge standout with her bubbly and determined personality, making her the natural leader of the group. To see a hijabi girl be so confident, smart, and a skilled martial artist is wonderful representation for all girls and women who choose to wear the hijab. 

The kids of Time Hoppers bring wonderful representation to screens.

Khalid is the smartest one, devising ideas and strategies for his friends. He doesn’t always succeed and has his own quirks, making him relatable as well as impressive. Abdullah is joyful and gregarious, as he accidentally falls through various time periods but never loses his chipper attitude. While his character occasionally has some fatphobic moments, such as being shown eating more than the other kids, it doesn’t detract too much from his overall positive depiction as a plus-sized protagonist.

The main protagonists are solid, but the other characters, including the villain Fasid, could use some work. Layla’s father, Habib, and his sister, Hafsa, are mostly one-note. They constantly worry about the kids without much more depth. It seems like there’s so much more to explore between the two characters and their interesting situations at the school, as well as their dealings with accidental time travel. Fasid is also one-note, with unclear motivations beyond making himself important in whatever time period he’s in. While his resolution is intriguing, it’s not enough to make him compelling. He’s more of an annoyance that the kids have to deal with. 

But the time periods the kids visit are superb, with Baghdad, Timbuktu, and Aleppo as vibrant societies with markets, architecture, and historical figures like the Persian scholar Al-Khwarizmi of Abbasid Baghdad and the West African ruler Mansa Musa of the Mali Empire. The film does an excellent, thorough job of teaching these figures to kids and to adults who may never have learned about them in school.

Time Hoppers has the potential to be the Muslim version of Carmen Sandiego.

Despite these landmarks, Time Hoppers has rough edges that keep it from being a truly great piece of children’s media. The sound editing, particularly in some of the vocal performances, needed work. One historical figure’s actor, particularly, had a rather atrocious echo and soft diction, indicating that they were not even recording in a basic studio.

Some moments seemed hastily edited together, creating an odd sensation of micro-pacing, even as the film as a whole was well-paced. With more work in the editing and sound departments, further Time Hoppers media is sure to be up to par. 

Overall, Time Hoppers: The Silk Road is a promising start for a sci-fi kids franchise that still needs work in certain areas. With great characters, an intriguing premise, and great educational value, this has the potential to be the Muslim version of Carmen Sandiego. It just needs more work in its sound department and overall editing to get there. With that work, it can achieve the true greatness it and its audience deserve. 

Time Hoppers: The Silk Road is available to watch on Muslim Kids TV.