Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gamer tries to beat time in friendship-focused drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
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Matter of Time
What's the Story?
MATTER OF TIME follows aspiring video game designer Charlie (Myles Erlick), who wants to create games to honor his mother—and to make people happy. He is laser-focused on his dream, so much so that he steals a time-control ring from his friend Gibbs (Sean Astin). As Charlie uses the ring to gain more time to work on his game, he starts falling into a pattern of poor friendship: He mistreats his friends, steals others' work, and is self-centered. Ultimately, he must learn a hard lesson about what friendship really means.
Is It Any Good?
This sci-fi drama wants to capture the self-proclaimed "geeky" crowd so it can tell them a story with a good moral about friendship and forgiveness, but the journey to that moral is a little tedious. Matter of Time suffers from inconsistent pacing and, perhaps, an overreliance on "nerd" humor, such as poking fun at the "Snyder cut" Justice League debate and the Marvel vs. DC conflict and even using the time-control ring as a subtle callback to Astin's own time in Middle Earth with the One Ring. The film even feels like it's trying to capitalize a bit on the increased popularity of tabletop games inspired by Stranger Things, another project starring Astin.
It's also worth noting that female viewers who love comics, games, and the like might feel left out when watching this cast of White men, given that that's who tends to dominate these types of spaces. Here, the only woman in the mix is Bree (Ali Astin), and she's mostly accepted just because she and Charlie are in love. But if the movie's style of humor is up your alley, then Matter of Time might be fun. Just be ready for moments where you wonder exactly where the film is trying to go.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Charlie's goal in Matter of Time. Why is it so important to him to reach his goal? What does he learn while pursuing it?
What is the film's message about friendship? How about teamwork and humility?
Have you seen other movies about controlling/manipulating time? What do they tend to have in common? How does this one compare?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 27, 2026
- Cast : Myles Erlick , Sean Astin , Ali Astin
- Director : Jeremy Snead
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Falco Ink
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Humility , Teamwork
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some violence and brief language
- Last updated : April 22, 2026
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