Watch the most underrated time travel sci-fi film on Netflix now

Netflix has a lot of sci-fi films adorning its shelves. Many of them are book to film adaptations that have become a staple of the sci-fi genre. In the recent past, films like Dune, The Martian and more have followed suit and been quite successful. There is one such underrated time travel sci-fi film on Netflix right now that deserves your attention. 

Directed by Japanese filmmaker Takahiro Miki, the 2021 film The Door Into Summer is an adaptation of the eponymous 1957 novel by Robert A. Heinlein. A time travel sci-fi romantic adventure, the film takes place in two different timelines, namely 1995 and 2021. 

The filmmaker successfully transposes the essentially American film into a Japanese setting and replaces the protagonist, Daniel Boone Davis, with a much more interesting and layered character.

Within the essential blueprint of a romance between childhood friends, the director weaves in the changing dynamics between time and space, adjusting other sci-fi elements like androids, cryosleep and other mysterious and nefarious details into the framework, making it rich and fresh. 

Starring Kento Yamakazi and Kaya Kirohaya in lead roles, the film sees a scientist named Soichiro Takakura whose life is in a complete mess after a failed sinister business arrangement shatters him. To escape the despairing reality, he puts himself to cryosleep for three decades, only to wake up to a completely different and changing world. 

If you remember how Clueless established a pseudo-step-sibling romance, then you might not get weirded out by the crush he develops on his long-lost adopted sister Riko. With a trusted android manservant, following various time travel cliches, Soichiro tries to trace his loved ones and live a happy life in this different world. 

Similar to the time travel hijinks in Harry Potter, altering the future has an effect on the past as well, as is well established via Soichuro’s antics. The film deals exceptionally well with the space-time paradox and adds a new dimension to this sci-fi J-Drama. 

Romance and fun galore, the hardcore sci-fi elements helps balance out the melodramatic tension, making The Door Into Summer an essential watch.