What a waste of my time!!!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

WARNING!!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! Set in the near future of the year 2022, humanity's last hope lies with Captain Michael Raynor (Mark Hamill, the man who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series) who is hurled through a time warp back to the year 1992. Scientists send Raynor back in time after the satellite he occupies is damaged and the woman he loves is killed in the alien attack. He ends up in the past, less than a day before he is born and learns that he has a chance to prevent the alien invasion from happening. Ruthlessly pursued by an agent belonging to a super-secret government organization, Raynor learns he can affect the future and, with the help of scientist Karen McDonald(Rae Dawn Chong), attempts to alert authorities to the upcoming alien threat.Time Runner is in my opinion an unappreciated movie. It is true, I originally hunted down this movie because it had Mark Hamill in it. I am not saying that this film deserved an academy award, I won't even go so far as to say that it was Mark Hamill's best work. I will say that it is memorable, Mark Hamill kicks serious tale in this show, his deals with the trauma of time travel as only a disciplined and trained soldier of a terrible conflict can: he picks himself up and charges back into the fray to get the mission done. Not every sci-fi film will set a new standard like the "Robocop" series, and they do not have to, they just need to be entertaining, and this film really is.It has a lot going for it. For starters there is a great soundtrack to the film, classic low budget 90's music that takes you to a war torn future. There is a great supporting cast. Mark Hamill is a believable lead, the rest of the cast are also realistic for the parts they play. I can see the humor in casting Brion James as the future president of the United States! I love Mark Hamill, in fact he's one of my all time favorite actors, sadly it did nothing to help his career. True, going back in time to save humanity has been done before. Still, this film does say that for what it had to work with it did the job nicely.I will say that there are a few down points on the film. It is low budget, you can tell by the quality of the special effects that were used in the opening scenes. The lack of funding shows in other areas as well. The shootout scenes are not the best I have ever seen, but it beats the hell out of equally low budget action films like "The Substitute" series. Though the part about Michael Raynor trying to save himself as a baby has been done before, it was still done well. This film did not really do anything to forward Mark Hamill's, or the rest of the casts careers. Realistically, not every film will make a high mark on a performers resume. That does not mean that it did not have merit or that it was not worth mentioning or seeing. It is a "B" movie. But I give it a "B+".There are better movies out there, this is true. However, as a dyed in the wool movie buff, I can also tell you there are a whole lot worse. This is one of those movies that you will remember seeing years from now, and though it may not land on your list of all time favorites, it will register as being a memorable film that you did not regret seeing. Anyone can say the film could have been better, lets see those people, what are they doing with their lives? Are they writing budget films in Hollywood too, or just posting inane blogs and waxing about what they could do if only they had the chance, or the courage, to try their own hand at writing.

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.

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. (*)

Mark Hamill tried hard to prove himself as a rising actor afterRETURN OF THE JEDI back in '83, but alas, the poor dope couldn't find anything that would bring him back to the same superstardom hereceived 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 early90's in order to prevent a disaster from skewering the timeline. As tired as the storyline sounds, TIME RUNNER is actually an enjoyablepiece 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.