Jean-Claude Van Damme has indeed graced the screen with a varied collection of films, and while many may not have reached cinematic heights, a few stand out as true gems. Among them is “Timecop,” Peter Hyams’ **joyously absurd** sci-fi action flick that brings us the delightful premise of a cop who travels through time—a concept so intriguing, it’s hard to resist.
As “Timecop” gains a fresh **4K release** from Shout Factory, revisiting its quirky brilliance opened the door to a fascinating revelation: **Roger Ebert**, the iconic film critic, made a startling prediction about the future of sci-fi sequels nearly a decade before it became reality.
Exploring the World of Time Travel in Timecop
Set in the retro-futuristic backdrop of **2004**, “Timecop” plunges us into a realm where time travel is not just a dream but a regulated reality. The film introduces us to **Max Walker**, played by Van Damme, who works for the **Time Enforcement Commission (TEC)**. The rules of this temporal playground are simple: one can only venture backward into the past; the future, however, remains a closed book, untouched and unalterable.
This setup, while rife with paradoxes, allows for a riotous ride of explosive action and **hilarious absurdity**. Van Damme’s Max embarks on a mission to thwart a wicked senator—**Aaron McComb**, played with charm by **Ron Silver**—who has sinister plans to leverage time travel for personal gain. In this whimsical tableau, **silliness reigns supreme**, making “Timecop” a unique breed of entertainment.
Silliness: The Secret Ingredient
Having first experienced “Timecop” on VHS in the mid-’90s, I found an unexpected **nostalgic joy** in its playful disregard for logic. **The TEC’s** strict adherence to timeline preservation seems ludicrous when Max’s adventures pivot around altering time for his personal motivations. It’s this **gleeful chaos** that fosters an infectious enjoyment, propelling the film from the realm of critique into a guilty pleasure.
Action, Humor, and Logic—Who Needs It?
On this second viewing, the absurdity is striking. How could the TEC enforce time laws while, paradoxically, sending Max back in time to tackle rogue agents? Such logical lapses only enhance its charm. The scenes where Max is shot through a time tunnel in a vehicle that *might* crash into a wall only add to its unpredictable flair, emphasizing that the film’s **priority is pure entertainment**, not strict adherence to time-travel physics.
Roger Ebert’s Prophetic Critique
In revisiting “Timecop,” I sought out Ebert’s review, drawn by the reverence for his insight into cinema. While Ebert awarded the film **two stars**, a fair assessment for its intentions, the conclusion of his review is nothing short of **prophetic**.
“It’s not so much that the premise of the original ‘Terminator’ has been ripped off, as that Hollywood went traveling into the past and inalterably ripped the fabric of time, and that’s why we got ‘Timecop’ with Van Damme instead of ‘Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines’ with Schwarzenegger. You see what can happen.”
Through this exceptional passage, Ebert humorously suggests an alternate cinematic reality where “Timecop” eclipsed what would eventually become the actual “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” in 2003—almost a decade later. The **fortuitous timing** of such predictions raises eyebrows at the coincidence of Ebert’s forethought.
A Time-Traveling Mystery
Did Ebert unearth a time-traveling portal, or was it sheer luck that placed him ahead of his time? While whimsical fantasies paint an amusing picture of Ebert stepping into the realms of futuristic cinema, what he truly achieved was a keen eye for trends and narratives in Hollywood.
Experience “Timecop” like never before with its new 4K edition available here.
