As a tot in the 1980s, my parents had a then-revolutionary Laserdisc player. The discs themselves were giant, with colorful art splashed across the top of each. They were aesthetically pleasing and offer some of my earliest memories of movie magic. One of my favorites being “Timerider.” Blending the genres of science fiction and western, “Timerider” is a simple time travel movie three years before the iconic “Back to the Future.” Its comedic value may or may not be intentional.
Lyle Swann (Fred Ward) is a champion dirt-bike motorcycle racer competing in the Baja 1000. If you didn’t know how good a racer he is, the opening scenes depict him bandying about the track as watchers’ comment in cheap ADR how the helmeted rider must be Swann. Apparently, no other racer in the Baja 1000 knows how to ride.
Government scientists are preparing a time travel experiment oddly close to the racecourse. Lyle goes off-road, and off-radar as he is unknowingly transported back in time to 1877. Cue the hijinks.
The 1980s are in full effect.
Much of the film’s 94 minutes is reduced to scenes of Lyle Swann racing around on the bike with loud music blasting. 80s technology is displayed with POV shots from inside his helmet which look out of place even by today’s standards. It was written and directed by William Dear and Michael Nesmith, the ladder of which is known as a founding member of the Monkees. And of course, there’s an ambiguous gaggle of Government Scientists playing loosely with the safety and the rules of time travel.
The gist of the story is Swann’s aloofness. He has no idea he’s in 1877 but we the viewer does. Swann meets a beautiful woman (Belinda Bauer) and instantly has sex with her. A gang of outlaws led by the great Peter Coyote is in constant pursuit of the motorcycle. “If General Lee had that machine,” the outlaw played by Coyote states, “we’d have won the war.”
The supporting cast is made up of recognizable faces Ed Lauter as the priest/town sheriff and Richard Masur and Tracey Walter as the comical outlaw gang.
Spoilers Ahead!
The ending scene in which Peter Coyote’s character is eviscerated by the helicopter tail rotor has been tattooed in my brain for 40 years. I read that various versions were released after the original which have removed this imagery. If you watch, make sure to watch the original version.
“Timerider” is a lost classic from Generation X. If you want a fast, simple, and somewhat silly time travel movie, its worthy of watch. A more critical review would flunk it. But the kid in me can’t allow that.
Download the JustWatch App for the best place to find “Timerider”
