Though the movie encounters some of the usual pitfalls of time-travel plots (predictability, muddled rules) and sports some hokey, eighties-style special effects, what it offers in terms of diversity and messaging is a treasure.

No matter the inspired cinematography or considered, authentic performances, these stories carry a weight of inevitability as they suck every particle of hope out of the air.

The teenagers speak with authentic voices, and Bristol builds a believable world for them (they conduct their science experiments inside Sebastian's grandmother's garage) without bogging them down in science.

See You Yesterday is colorful and fun, but it also manages to achieve some critical themes, giving the film a different genre, almost.