If you were to asked to name the best comic book movie of 1994, then it’s likely the film that you’ll pick is The Mask starring Jim Carrey. That probably was the best, but the runner-up is Timecop, the sci-fi film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a man who goes back in time to bring criminals to justice in the future.
The Timecop comic was only a three-part story by Dark Horse Comics publisher Mike Richardson and screenwriter Mark Verheiden, with art by Ron Randall. However, based on the strength of that proof of concept, Richardson and Verheiden co-wrote the film and brought it to Universal Pictures, where Peter Hyams was signed to direct it. Jean-Claude Van Damme was subsequently signed to star in the film, and it was a modest hit in 1994.
But in the intervening decades, The Mask has remained popular while Timecop has slipped into obscurity. Thankfully, Timecop is still readily available to stream for anyone who wants to revisit the film. And on the occasion of Timecop‘s 30th anniversary this week, we’re sharing the reasons why it still holds up.
The film has a great sci-fi premise
It’s easy to see why Timecop was given the green light by Universal Pictures. While the original comic was only a single story, its premise is tailor-made for a film. Timecop‘s title tells you exactly what the movie is about: a cop who goes back in time to prevent time-travel crimes from changing the future.
The science behind the premise is a little shaky, and it’s a little difficult to explain how the time travel tech works. But we don’t need Neil deGrasse Tyson’s approval to have a good time at the cinema. All you need to know is that in 1994, the government became aware of attempts to change the past and formed the Time Enforcement Commission to send agents back in time to get history back on track. It’s such an irresistible setup that it even led to a short-lived Timecop TV series on ABC, back when network television didn’t really support shows like that.
Timecop is peak Van Damme
Most of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s movies tend to revolve around his characters getting into martial arts fights and avenging himself or his loved ones in a final showdown with some bad guys. There’s some of that in Timecop as well. And there are also scenes in this movie where Van Damme is kind of showing off what he can do, including the moment he does the splits in his underwear while fighting the assassins who came to kill him.
But whatever you think about Van Damme, he’s not a black hole of charisma like Steven Seagal. It’s easy to sympathize with his character, agent Max Walker. We get to see him as an innocent younger cop in 1994, and as a more cynical time agent in 2004. Van Damme still gets to kick a lot of butt, but he’s also given more to do as a performer thanks to these two different personas. Consequently, Timecop has some of the best acting you’ll ever see out of Van Damme. This is the martial artist/actor at his best.
Ron Silver gives two different villainous performances
The late Ron Silver looked like he was having the time of his life while playing two different versions of Timecop‘s main villain, Sen. Aaron McComb. The thing that makes Silver’s performances work are the aspects that separate the two McCombs. Senator McComb’s younger self is corrupt and a slimy politician with a cowardly side, while his older counterpart is more bold and openly malevolent.
Because this is a time travel story, the two sides of Silver’s character do get the chance to come face-to-face, and it gives the movie some of its best moments. Both incarnations of McComb are evil — it’s just more fun to watch his older self fully inhabit that side of his personality.
The movie embraces its ridiculous side without being a farce
At 98 minutes long, Timecop neither overstays its welcome nor over-explains the story. It gives the audience just enough information to follow the movie and come along for the ride. Contemporary critics called it brainless entertainment, and that’s not entirely false. This film could have easily fallen flat on its face if not for one thing: It doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Timecop does have a few moments of humor that keep it from getting too dark, and it also doesn’t apologize for having such an audacious premise. The creative team wisely resisted the temptation to throw in too many jokes, which would have killed any drama that the story had. Instead, it’s got a good balance of acknowledging some of the story’s ridiculous moments without letting that get in the audience’s way. That’s why Timecop is still fun to watch three decades later.
Watch Timecop on Prime Video. Need more recommendations? Then check out the best action movies on Netflix, the best action movies on Disney+, and the best action movies on Hulu.
