Time Runner

Let's be honest, just by looking at the cast, you can tell that this is another cheesy science fiction B-movie. The special effects won't exactly knock your socks off, but they are not detrimental to the movie, an enjoyable one for a straight to video title.

The storyline is a just a new spin on the often used time travel story. Mark Hamill plays a soldier (Raynor) from the future. He is involved in a rebellion against aliens who have taken over earth. Of course, they look just like us, but don't feel pain, and are harder to kill. Just as his future earth is about to be doomed, Raynor travels back 30 years to prevent the aliens from ever coming to power. One major complication is the fact that he is to be born in just a few days, which leads to two problems.

1) If the aliens find out about him, the baby Raynor/his mother could easily be killed, hence, causing the 30 yr. old Raynor to cease to exist.

2) Only one Raynor can exist in any timeline.

Perhaps a little formulaic, and not an Academy Award candidate, this movie is good for some mindless fun. It's a must-see for any Mark Hamill fan, as Mr. Hamill played a character more than 10 years his junior admirably.

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.

Do you like time travel paradoxes that really don't make sense? Alien invasions with gun fights & blue screen special effects? How about a slow mo shot that leads to no where? Or even Mark Hamill hamming it up like no other?

Then this is the movie for you!

Mark Hamill tried hard to prove himself as a rising actor after

RETURN OF THE JEDI back in '83, but alas, the poor dope couldn't find anything that would bring him back to the same superstardom he

received as Luke Skywalker. With the exception of his truly excellent voice-over talent as the Joker in BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, Hamill had to work in low-budget flix, like TIME RUNNER. In what looks like another TERMINATOR-style sci-fi flick, Hamill plays a soldier from (where else?) the future, who was sent back in time to the early

90's in order to prevent a disaster from skewering the timeline. As tired as the storyline sounds, TIME RUNNER is actually an enjoyable

piece of work. Hamill plays a less-restrained performance, going gonzo on the baddies with guns instead of using the Force or light sabers. The late, great Brion James also shines, as the head honcho of the villains that Hamill's character so truly desired to eliminate.

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'.