'The Lazarus Project' (2023): What Would You Do if You Could Turn Back Time?
We’ve all experienced that sense of déjà vu at one time or another. Whether it be from a certain place, a conversation, or even a distinct scent, sometimes you just can’t shake that feeling. But what would you do if you woke up and realized you’re reliving the past six months of your life over and over again?
Created by Joe Barton, The Lazarus Project takes you on a sci-fi time-travel whirlwind like you’ve never experienced before. George (Paapa Essiedu) is an app developer who wakes up one morning, specifically on July 1st, in preparation for one of the biggest days of his career. He is greeted with a warm embrace from his girlfriend Sarah (Charly Clive) who wishes him the best of luck as he is applying for a loan to expand his business app. News headlines are running rampant with talks of a new virus coming to fruition in other parts of the world. George and Sarah reluctantly ignore the warnings and go about their life.
As time passes, the MERS-22 virus is now prevalent in society. It’s the holiday season with Christmas right around the corner, the streets are filled with twinkling lights and bustling citizens who are getting their last-minute shopping in. Coughs can be heard in the distance and masks are being worn. Illness falls upon George and a newly pregnant Sarah and they become weary of what their future has in store for them. Suddenly, we fast forward and George wakes from a deep sleep, only to realize that he is reliving July 1st, the loan day, all over again.
Confused and in shock, George knows what is to come in the next few months, and ultimately stops the unplanned pregnancy of his girlfriend Sarah and tries to prepare them for the upcoming pandemic. Unfortunately, Sarah is not buying into the “craziness” that George is projecting and insists that he go speak to a therapist. Their relationship starts to fall apart and George begins to question his own sanity until time turns back… again. After wandering into an alley after a manic breakdown, George is met by a mysterious woman named Archie (Anjli Mohindra.) She hands him a card and tells him that when he is ready for answers to go to that address.
George follows through with the instructions given by Archie as he comes to the conclusion that something isn’t right, and he may not be the only one experiencing it. We’re taken to a top-secret facility that houses the members of The Lazarus Project, which consists of individuals who possess the gift of time travel. George is special though, as he has been informed that he was born with this ability. The Lazarus Project ultimately resets time on a specific date (July 1st) to prevent disastrous events that could be fatal to mankind. July 1st is essentially used as a checkpoint, similar to how you would see in a video game. If the year goes by without fault, it’s locked in. If not, then it is reset.
Without giving away too many spoilers, this series really exceeded our expectations. The casting was spot on and the cinematography made it feel as if you were stuck in an actual time loop, whilst trying to save the world (or at least salvage what’s left of it.) We’ve seen the time-travel trope displayed in films like ‘Back to the Future’ (1985) and ‘Interstellar’ (2014) but not exactly like this. The thought of turning back time to save society, is it ethically right? In the sense of should we “play God” if it meant you could save society from ultimate annihilation? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
The Lazarus Project premiers on TNT on Sunday, June 4th, 2023.
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