At least since Groundhog Day we have known how time loops work in fantasy and sci-fi films: someone has to experience a day over and over again and find the reason for the involuntary time travel. This is the only way to break the cycle. This concept also wrote Netflix’s 2016 science fiction thriller ARQ on the flag. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely catch up.
Netflix’ twisty sci-fi thriller ARQ takes us as time hostages
Engineer Renton (Robbie Amell) wakes up at 6:16 am next to his ex-girlfriend Hannah (Rachael Taylor). Shortly thereafter, three men storm his bedroom and he breaks his neck trying to escape when he falls down a flight of stairs. But Renton wakes up again and has to find himself stuck in a time warp.
Remembering his past failures, Renton tries to escape his time prison by reacting to impending dangers. He quickly realizes that not only are his hostage-takers here because of one of his inventions, but also his morning ones Restarts tied to the so-called ARQ machine in his house are. This futuristic device should actually serve as an independent energy source to save humanity, but apparently has other talents.
Netflix
Sci-Fi time loop in ARQ
Netflix’s ARQ takes place almost all of the time in the building that houses Renton and his mysterious machine. It doesn’t get boring anyway, because with each additional time loop the sci-fi action film opens up new twists that put the events in a different light. Because the plot twists and turns, the limited space becomes an anchor within one’s brain node.
As with the time warp movie Happy Deathday (currently streaming on Amazon Prime*), Renton’s awakenings in ARQ tend to end fatally before the reset begins. That Netflix here the Recommended age 16 voted is justified, because in the fight against blackmailers and hostage-takers things can sometimes get bloody.
But if you now think that you are seeing the time loop theme, which has often been interpreted by Source Code, Edge of Tomorrow and Co., only played through one more time under the direction of Tony Elliott (Trickster), you can look forward to one clever variation of time travel be happy. Because just when we think we’ve figured out the principle of ARQ in the 9th round, the sci-fi film brings out its last amazing twist.
And then you actually have to watch the Netflix film from the beginning again to enjoy the traces laid early on.
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