Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982)

Best movie ever!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

"Timerider" has one of the really killer movie posters. A motocross spaceman, horse-mounted posse in pursuit, the glowing laser grid design like an Omni magazine cover; it's first-rate advertising that really sells you on the movie (one that's taken me a few years to get my hands on). This is exactly the kind of thing you'd stumble on in a video store as a kid. B-movie to its core, it doesn't complicate matters with intricate plotting; just a simple fish-out-of-water story (as simple as a high-tech biker in the Old West can be anyway). No one among this cast has any illusions that they're making high art, and that's a big part of what makes this work. Once the movie actually gets going (the opening is bogged down by POV riding shots, although they're attractive) this is a breezy distraction. There are plenty of other movies that don't live up to their one-sheets, but I dig this one. It's a relic of its time and sensibilities, and I think that's the best part. 7/10

And this is one of them. Yes it is a bad movie. But it is certainly not a terrible film. It's not a good film because it lacks a cohesive plot, the narrative sorta just plods along and we never really learn much about Lyle Swann, the dirt biker part of a motor-cross marathon that accidentally gets sent from 1982 to 1877. We don't learn much more about the characters he interacts with either, and no one seems to change or grow at all by the end of the movie. The film seems to end rather abruptly, and on a somewhat bittersweet note.The biggest complaint I always see about Timerider is that Lyle Swann is pretty stupid about what happened to him. He doesn't seem to put together that he went back in time till literally the very last scene, even the moments leading up to that last part don't give a hint that Swann had realized he was sent back to the 19th century. Yes this was annoying. Though I do find it believable that most people would not suddenly think "hey I went back in time" simply because they are lost. Swann's interaction with the old man in the desert or the villainous Reese and his crew would probably not be enough for him to make that connection, but I think that by the time Swann had reached the small village something should have sparked in his mind that this was not right. Too many people were reacting with hysteria and fear upon seeing him in his red dirt bike dear and Yamaha bike (or machine as they start calling it). By this point Swann should have seriously wondered about why people continue to assume he is some demon.I want to echo the sentiments of another poster, some of the stuff I really enjoyed about this movie was the raw unapologetic presentation of 19th century America. For PG standards anyway. There was nothing romantic about THIS Old West. People were dirty, dingy, nasty cruel barbarians with guns. Apart from Claire, who had her hair done up and wore nice make up (this was forgivable since she was hot), everyone else was presented as a grimy, yellow teethed, uneducated lot of folks that likely did inhabit the real 19th century. Most of these people probably never or rarely saw a dentist, and bathing was a luxury. I really liked this, when I saw this movie for the first time as a small child this struck a chord with me, as I don't think I had seen too many films up to that point that presented the old west like that. These issues also illustrated how radically different the culture of the late 20th century was from previous eras. Simple things we take for granted such as good hygiene, were in the 19th century, almost assuredly reserved for the wealthy who had the means for such dalliances. You certainly would not want to live in Timerider's Old West, there is no compulsion to sit and write poetry or muse about the old American frontier, no the director makes you feel just as eager as Swann does to get the hell out of there. If there was a least believable aspect of the film, it's that Lyle gets shot at repeatedly but never once gets hit. Nevertheless, catching this movie on a lazy weekend on a syndicated channel back in the 80s was always a treat and it's still good viewing for any rainy day.

Can't understand the low rating at all. Only complaint is the movie isn't long enough. Saw this movie 20 years ago and it's even better now. The soundtrack by Mike Nesmith (former Monkees) touches on all kinds a genres. Hard to find DVD too. Fred Ward is a very interesting actor in all his movies. His uniqueness and style adds to the interest. He's one of few actors whose eye gestures needs no words spoken with it. Tremors is another great example where he adds to the quality of the movie.The supporting cast is excellent too. 1) Lauter is great in all his movies. 2) Bauer is awesome and is a shame she hasn't been in more movies in the past. 3) As for Coyote, this has to be his best movie as the bad guy.Thumbs up!!!

Time Rider made today would be a great film. Somehow the creators of this movie were so wrapped up in showing us how the people in 1870 reacted to modern marvels such as pre-packaged granola snacks and cyalume light sticks that they forgot about the acting and building a better script. Fred Wards continual sweating and saying things like "Where's my bike" and "I gotta get outta here" just don't hold you for 90 minutes. Then there's Peter Coyote (wasted here) gritting his 50 or so gold fillings while saying "That's mine, that's mine" The premise here is good and the film entertaining but another 15 minutes of character building and a better use of Swan's gadgets would have been a big help. 6 out of 10. Re-write the film and put "Arnold" on the bike and you may just have something here!