Time Warrior - Der Time Runner

Time Runner is nothing more then a low budget ripoff of James Cameron's The Terminator. Mark Hamill hasn't had much of a film career after Star Wars well at least he did better then Carrie Fisher. Mark Hamill plays Michael Raynor a guy that has ended up in the past because of a worm hole. Michael Raynor must warn somebody about what is going to happen in the future. In the future people to launch a bomb that will destroy the aliens. A bunch of dumb events leads to Micheal trying to save his baby self. Low budget special effects, poor acting and badly put together plot kept this film from going anywhere. Sadly this film was made in Canada for the most part.

I'll pick up a dtv title for rental if it stars the right name and well ... you know where this is going. The likable Mark Hamill. 'Time Runner' sports a not particularly good opening with cheesy special FX, bad acting cut up by overlong, drawn out credits that has six people credited with the story which isn't a good sign. It's not the worst - some parts look like they're legitimately trying - but the end sci-fi result is weak.

In 2022, Cpt. Raynor (Hamill) escapes a space station hovering above Earth just before it's destroyed while an Alien race is in the final stages of conquering the planet. Entering a wormhole, he ends up in the past crash landing on the planet in the year 1992. He doesn't have much time to get his barring or make sense of what's going on because bad MiB - alien sleeper agents - are already on his trail to make sure he can't change the future and stop the invasion.

In a plot that jumps between timelines, b-movie regular Brion James is the president elect / real deal. Rae Dawn Chong a government scientist in the present day who as part of a team finds Raynor's escape pod, personally gets involved and helps. There's a standard bit of run 'n gun action, escape sequences and of course conspiracy - who can you trust - but much of it low grade. Think 'Terminator' mixed with 'Blade Runner' done cheap.

'Time Runner' is the type of generic movie that was pumped out by the dozen back in the day. At no point did it become painful, but without Mark Hamill I wouldn't have given it the time. 90 mins moves quickly enough and there's some decent moments however it never escapes it's low budget feel, being written knee deep. Fans of his might want to give it a watch for curiosity sake, but it ain't no 'Wing Commander' or 'Star Wars'.

Strange that Mark Hamill could go from having one of the most enviable looking careers (in 1977) to being cast in low-budget junk like this. This movie would *still* have been bad if it was released in 1977. The effects are embarrassing and the script is lame. Who'd have guessed that Harrison Ford was the real future star in Star Wars?

You don't expect every time-travel sci-fi movie to be as exciting as "The Terminator", of course, but you don't expect it to be a cure for insomnia either, and that's exactly what "Time Runner" is. Mark Hamill is extremely boring as the lead, but then again so is the rest of the cast, though I can at least see the humor in casting Brion James as the future president of the United States! The effects are decent but the shootouts are lame (the "hero" always has to be rescued at the last moment by his unidentified sidekick). Possibly one of the least interesting films ever made on the subject of time traveling. (*)

Okay, I admit it, I like Mark Hamill, he's Luke Freaking Skywalker for cryin out loud, but that said COME ON!. Granted the premise for this flick is undeniably clever. Another case of sneaky alien scum duping the human race, the aliens in this case appear human at first and the only way to tell them apart from humans is that they don't feel pain. The film starts out in the future where our hero is bravely battling the alien menace (and so totally losing) he then gets sent back in time by some desperate scientists to avert the original alien take over. Okay fairly predictable. This is the sort of flick that at best is a guilty pleasure, so bad its hysterically funny. The 'scientific base' of the plot is ridiculous. The effects are 'good enough' -remember it was 1992- so considering the times no real complaints there. The actors are less than good but slightly above god awful. All in all I'd say rent it with a grin, don't expect any awards and its running time may seem like a prison sentence at times but remember, you're name isn't attached to this lovable junker so feel free to turn it off and catch your breath, you're going to be laughing, A LOT.