Time Chasers

Time Chasers is among the best of the best episodes of MST3K. This has been one of my favorites since the beginning, and it's a general fan favorite as well. This episode is tops for me for many reasons. The movie itself is not the worst ever (it's ridiculous, yes, but the main issue is it just had no budget)-it's a bad movie but it is still entertaining and even though the crew makes fun of the music, I kind of like it. The hero of the movie is a dorky dude, true, but he is not unlikable or grating like some of the heroes in other episodes. Additionally, the skits with Servo, Crow and Mike are hilarious. Servo and Crow try to help Mike avoid being trapped on the satellite by using time travel techniques to change his future. I won't spoil what follows, you should just watch! The riffing here is great from beginning to end; there are only a couple of dud riffs for me and it contains riffs I use in every day life. :P

Another aspect of this particular episode that makes it so great is the reaction of the director, cast and crew of the film. They have fully embraced the experience and even do events in connection with the show and Rifftrax to sign autographs and meet with fans. It just makes it all even better.

Bottom line: This is a must-see for fans and an excellent starting point if you are introducing someone to the show or embarking on MST adventures on your own. :)

Whenever my wife and I sit down to enjoy an episode of MST3K, we always end up watching "Time Chasers." In short, this movie itself wasn't that bad. It had a plot, it was creative, and the filmmakers really, really tried to make a decent, low-budget science fiction movie. And for those reasons, it keeps the MST3K episode moving along at an enjoyable pace. Sometimes the movies Mike and the Bots would riff were so boring or bad, it took away from the humor of the show. This is NOT the case with "Time Chasers." Everything in this episode is funny. Pearl and Mike having a heart-to-heart, Crow traveling back to the 1980s to stop Mike from ever ending up on the SOL... it's all very funny. And Mike's evil brother is probably the best side character that Mike ever played. "Hey! This little pencil-neck just say our reality sucks?!" CLASSIC.

This is my favorite MST3K episode. Enjoy it!!

This is another favorite episode of the show in my book. This one is on another generic "Back to the Future" knock off and it's understandable why they would knock this film off. From the fact this film was filmed in Vermont which is one of the worst locations in my book to make a movie in as it's not the most interesting. The effects are not on par as we see the time travel effect looks like a screen saver. Story that has about as many plot holes as that awful recent Star Wars trilogy (episodes 7-9 to be exact); though on a sidenote this film is almost more watchable than those films.

The main protagonist even though he's likeable and supposedly a genius (I said supposedly), he's kind of a moron, he has this great invention, but he squanders it's potential. Let alone his plight to getting more money (I think) by trying to sell to this corporation which is a big red flag any amateur scientist can see a mile away; as Ceral Killer from "Hackers" would put it "that's universally stupid man!". When you think about it really makes no sense, couldn't the main protagonist just use his time travel device with the knowledge he has of the present, could he just make some major investments and get more money that way.

Also don't buy him as they try to make him almost an action hero in a scene or two, as those action sequences are just not well choregraphed and actors were a bit poorly trained. But most importantly the budget is clearly not on par and it shows, and a plane really isn't a very interesting time travel vehicle as you can only go and park it so many places, which is one other inconsistence how the heck would the guy know where an airfield in the future is or even find a good spot in any time period to land.

Anyway, this episode to me is a lot of fun, it's just ripe with hilarity. From most of the riffs, really like it when Servo sings a few songs as certain tunes in the film feel oddly familiar with familiar songs. How much of a moron the protagonist is, in one lame chase sequence were we see the protagonist jack a car but then after getting out of the parking lot immediately and stupidly crashes it; beginning to see what that guy rides his bike a lot.

But I really like how much they riff on how low budgeted the film is like the title sequence and graphics at the start which look like they were done on home computer, let alone misleading from the circuit board we see you think your about to see a cyberpunk film.

Certain settings like when the protagonist takes a couple of characters to the future which looks like the 90's as we clearly see the supposedly building of the future is a modern day mall in Vermont; though just seeing that made me want to do some shopping. Another is the post-apocalyptic world which looks like just an abandoned warehouse complex which it probably is, and the and this cleched antagonist's office which look like the lobby of a University Library.

The host segments were really funny, probably one of my favorites with Nelson and the Robots as it's this story arc of Crow going back in time, trying to keep Mike from the past from getting blasted off in space. Of course, the results are hilariously out of joint just like this episode.

Rating: 4 stars

Of all the moronic movies that the MST3K crew have riffed, "Time Chasers" is of itself not so bad, but of course Mike and the Bots make it a delight.

In a nutshell: A guy invents a time machine for use in a Piper Cub-type airplane. He demonstrates it to a girl friend and a business agent for a trip 50 years into the future where everything is great.

Skip forward... a merchandiser gets in on this act and the future is changed for the worse. Later they all end up in Colonial Times for some action, and then crash from that era to the present day. Killed in the crash is the girl, but wait, her present day self is still alive and well. Huh?! Kookie but it all ends on a comical happy note. A bizarre sort of movie to watch but fun, and the MST crew never run short of wise cracks. A "thumbs up" all the way around. Mike Palmiter, Williams, IN.