23 Hours (2024)

Movies about alternate realities and the multiverse have become increasingly common in recent years, as seen in films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022) and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022). And now the latest addition in this genre comes to us from Puerto Rico from writer-director Bruno Irizarry, a sci-fi comedy about a road construction worker, Manolo (Roy Sánchez-Vahamondes), who stumbles upon a fragment of a sacred Taíno medallion with magical powers lost centuries earlier in a remote location on the island, home of a mystical transcendental portal. In the process, he’s whisked away to an alternate version of reality, where he finds life very different from what he’s typically known. Fortunately, he finds much-needed help when he encounters a reality control field agent, Lorena (Jeirmarie Osorio), a newly assigned operative charged with reconciling discrepancies and anomalous conditions in various lines of probable existence (in this case, the stranger’s presence in a version of reality where he doesn’t belong). Together, this unlikely duo must work together to get him back to his indigenous existence before it’s too late, a challenge given that they only have 23 hours to accomplish this task. Nevertheless, even though Manolo is sorely out of his element, his deep knowledge as a sci-fi trivia geek makes him eminently qualified to work with his cohort to sort out his situation. And, simultaneously, this eye-opening and enlightening experience affords him valuable opportunities to learn important insights about his true self and the very nature of existence, including manifesting an idealized version of his island home. However, while the film spins a generally amusing and engaging yarn, its overall execution is somewhat uneven. Many elements, such as the picture’s decidedly quirky humor, work quite well, but, at times, it can spill over into overblown slapstickish silliness, an unfortunate tendency that undercuts the inspired wit used to carry much of the story. Moreover, various aspects of the narrative seem wholly extraneous, while others are left only partially (or, in some cases even, completely) unexplained, weakening the production’s credibility in imparting some genuinely useful theoretical knowledge about the nature of the multiverse. The result is a project that, though commendable, still feels like it should have gone through an additional round or two of script revisions, along with some refinement in the film editing. That aside, however, diehard sci-fi fans are sure to appreciate the picture’s many nods to iconic movie and TV offerings, especially those mentioned above, as well as the “The Matrix,” “Star Trek” and “Back to the Future” franchises, as well as its inventive special effects. Enjoy this one for what it’s worth, despite its room for improvement.