Movie: (1990) A small-town inventor builds a time machine, only to see it misused by a greedy corporation.
First shown: 11/22/97
Opening: Mike explains what’s happened since the last show, but Tom just needs him to say “Lost in Space”
Intro: Mike & Pearl have a nice chat
Host segment 1: Tom sends Crow back in time to convince Mike the dude to stop taking temp jobs
Host segment 2: Crow succeeds and, returning to the SOL, finds Mike’s big brother Eddie in Mike’s place, and learns that Mike’s new future was worse than the old one
Host segment 3: Having seen the future, Crow returns to the past to keep Crow from performing his mission
End: Mike refuses to say what needs to be said, and, during another nice chat, Pearl points out a troubling detail
Stinger: “Matt, it’s time for you decide if you’re gonna be one of my team players or not”
• Another very strong episode, with great host segments (now that the Roman Times stuff has mercifully ended), a baffling movie, great riffing and a guest star of sorts in the theater.
• Paul’s take is here.
• This episode appeared on Rhino’s (and now Shout’s) “Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 5.”
• Two notable things Mike’s surly, pun-hating older brother Eddie does: most notably he does two theater segments. Also, he pauses to grab a smoke at one point. It’s a very memorable turn for Mike.
• There was something very satisfying about Mike’s two little chats with Pearl.
• This episode got internet fans talking about the number of Crows that are out there — remember you also need to count the one that went back in time in episode 807- TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000.
• Patrick gives his most powerful performance yet as the cheese factory worker. “Dude!”
• Tom’s “Nicknicknicknicknick” is a Firesign Theatre reference. We don’t hear them as much anymore.
• Nice callback to the old days with Mike’s reference to “chinderwear,” an invention exchange in episode 505- MAGIC VOYAGE OF SINBAD.
• Cast and Crew Roundup: None.
• CreditsWatch: Produced by Kevin. Directed by Mike. An intern named Scott Bowman worked on this and only this episode.
• Fave line: “I’m gonna buy some Liva-snaps and a hosta!” Honorable mention: “Oh, he’s like poo, alright.”
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The fact that Nick couldn’t drive is actually an “in-joke.” You can actually get your pilot’s license prior to the age of 16. I know several people that got theirs BEFORE they got their driver’s license, and some didn’t get their driver’s license until they were 19. I know one got his at 13 and the other at 15, so they were flying planes before they learned how to drive. I don’t know if one could do that today (for obvious reasons), but back in they day, this was very plausible.
Funny how Matt was explaining to Nick when they first traveled to the future on how one could go back in time, put money in the bank, and watch the interest grow, and be rich in the future. Nick has this look of “Crap. Why did I tell you guys about this? I could’ve got the money I needed THAT WAY.”
And the Bob Evil thing. I guess he was corrupt and got greedy and didn’t think of the mess that would occur in the future by doing greedy things each time he traveled. He probably realized he wanted to change history and make a name for himself, then went to the future, and saw what a mes he made.
Overall, not too bad of a film considering the director was 19 when this was filmed. I think what helps the majority of the movies during the Sci-Fi era is they were enjoyable and easy to sit through without the guys riffing on them. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy their riffs on them and they were hilarious, but I can honestly say that the majority of the episodes during the last three seasons I would like to have the original movies to watch.
This ep gets quoted often around my house…
“Let’s go this way…. even though we see them running that way!
And when we are at the grocery store… “The sample lady has pizza in aisle five”.
A top five favorite!
Great episode although as others have said, this wasn’t a terrible movie. I particularly loved the host segments which is a rarity for me in the post-Joel era and this showed they could still do good ones when they wanted to, it just seems like they didn’t want to very often. Riffing was great throughout and I think this episode is one of the top 5 of the Sci-Fi era.
And @146 Dan in WI: Atari computers were vastly superior to Commodore 64s and everyone knows it :) I may be a little biased since an Atari 800XL was my first computer, but I have decided to not penalize the movie for its computer choice.
I loved the “Dude” stuff. It’s amazing how many different thoughts you can express with one word. I remember seeing a commercial (or TV show?) years ago that did the same thing, and wondered if they’d ripped off MST3K or just independently came up with the idea. Wish I could remember what it was.
By the way, I’ve worn my Castleton t-shirt many, many times but nobody has ever known what it was from. The only comment that I’ve gotten is “Which Castleton, Vermont or New York?”
Another thing that’s kind of funny regarding computers is that the movie was made in 1993, long after the reign of the Commodore 64. Even the Amiga was on the way out by then, saved briefly by the Video Toaster.
#145 – I believe the mint still produces half-dollar coins (they still keep appearing in proof sets), although actually seeing one in circulation is a rare event. I acknowledge, though, that using a half-dollar coin as the “coin from the future” in a movie made in 1993 was still an odd choice, as those coins weren’t much circulated even then.
I suppose the filmmakers chose to fake up a half dollar since the coin is so large, making it easier to see the date on camera. Still and all, it woulda been better to go with an ubiquitous quarter, and just do a zoom cut to the date.
He’s climbing an ent!
“why am i so evil? well, i’m full of hate for one thing…”
#154 – i remember that commercial – it was about a guy having a nightmare business trip – his luggage gets lost, the hotel doesn’t have his reservation, etc – and after each set-back all he says is “Dude” – not sure of the advertiser, although i think it was some beer brand.
I like this episode a lot. Great riffing, strong host segments, and Mike as Eddie is terrific. Even the movie I don’t think is too bad. Low-budget, sure, and maybe a bit too ambitious for the resources they had, but it still winds up being fairly entertaining (but not so entertaining that it doesn’t make for a good experiment, of course). I loved the Commodore 64 making an appearance; guess those things were more powerful than people realized! I’ve still got one (actually, over the years, several, including an ostensibly “portable” one), so does that mean I’ve had the secret to time travel in my hands the whole time?!
I’m probably in the minority on this episode but I am amazed that people like this movie. It’s like a bad made for TV movie with actors so wooden they should be in front of a cigar store not a camera. This is one of the few episodes I just can’t sit thru.
One more thing…
Mike-from-the-past’s defense of the advantages of temping? Not so true anymore. You “bail any time you want,” good luck on getting another job. And getting “bennies” is pretty rare.
If only every Sci-Fi Channel episode were like this one. This episode is near perfection, and is easily the crown jewel of Season 8. A storyline that’s started and wrapped up within the episode. And it’s funny and clever. Not to mention the wonderful opening host segments with Mike and Pearl. Finally, the Brains are starting to settle in at Sci-Fi. Too bad it was only for two more seasons. I feel the longer they were on Sci-Fi, the better they got.
I still can’t rate this one? Five friggin’ stars all the way, one of the most legitimately enjoyable episodes of the entire series, top 5 material. Love it, love it, love it!
Is this the only MST with a cast and crew roundup of “none”?
Maybe Teenage Strangler? Horrors of Spider Island?
This is on my favorites list too, mainly from it being during the season where I first really started following MST3K and never looked back. Two of my favorite lines I don’t think anyone’s mentioned:
Servo [as shirtless Nick on the phone]: Mom? Hi, it’s me and I’m nude!
Servo [as we see the same half-eaten sandwich in Nick’s fridge]: Please! Eat me!
Servo’s desperate tone is what sells that last one.
Another great episode, one of my favorites of Season 8. Time Chasers is a ridiculous bad movie (I can’t see the defense of it that some have taken in above comments. Sorry) with a terrible hero, crummy acting, corny humor, and a plot full on nonsense. I’m sure a lot of effort went into the making of this movie, this is not the result of people who “just didn’t care,” but rather of people who “just didn’t have enough talent or resources to effectively pull off a sci-fi adventure like this.” That’s all.
Great Host Segments and opening/closing bits, but I gotta say I’m a little lukewarm on Mike’s turn as Eddie. He gets off a couple okay riffs in the theater (“Hey she’s gonna drop shorts on the runway!”) but it’s telling that my favorite bit with him is him standing to the side of the theater having a smoke break. . . not saying anything. :cigarette:
Crow’s time traveling is pretty fun, past-Mike is a doofus, of course. I tend not to think too hard about the implications of Crow’s traveling in time. Makes my head hurt. Oh, and also: “Dude.”
Love the segments with Pearl and Mike outside the ship, talking like neighbors. These are some of my favorite Pearl moments. As someone pointed out above, she’s like a midwestern housewife who also happens to be unrelentingly evil. It’s fun. Oh, and nice little touch by having “Wash Me” drawn into the (space?) dust on the Widowmaker’s windows.
–
RIFFS:
Crow: “Cut the lawn way too short, he’s down to the bedrock.”
Crow: “Wait a minute… this isn’t our star is it? I will not accept this as our star. Sorry.”
Crow: “C’mon, this can’t be the hero of the film. He has a geeky 10-speed!”
Crow: “No, this can’t be the star, can it Movie? Movie? Hey, Movie! Can I see your supervisor, Movie? This will not stand!”
Servo: “Stop splaying!”
Crow: “So in the future, kids become gay agents?”
Crow: “Did somebody tape a dinner roll to his chin?”
Mike: “Arrrrrrrr, 16 men on a dead Dodge Dart.”
content look on Lisa’s face,
Crow: “I’m willing to settle.”
Crow: “The movie really heightens the lack of interest in the film.” —- <THIS
Crow: "Weeeee! We're getting poison sumac! Weeeee!"
Crow: "Awwww, he's trying to ask himself out."
Crow: "47 Keebler elves were killed today when a light plane plunged into their tree."
Mike: "E.L. Fudge remains in critical condition."
movie: "We're all connected, you fool! You, me. . . "
Servo: "Nipsey Russell, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Chesty Morgan!"
Crow: "He died as he lived: "mud-stained and splaying."
during the credits,
Crow: "This was written..?"
–
One of the best of Season 8,
one of the best Sci-Fi eps,
one of the worst heroes,
Classic MST3k.
5 out of 5
:clock: :airplane: :clock: :airplane: :clock:
I think the way Tom spins around saying “Warning!” in a cheerful voice is so cute. Pearl always thinking of Crow as “Art” is cute, and the way she says “excape” always charms me. And I like the novelty of Eddie. It makes me wonder how Eddie would have interacted with Pearl. He’s already kind of nihilistic, and they’re both self-centered, so maybe it would’ve been funny to see her try to RULE him. (As #58 suggests–Eddie Nelson, deliberate destroyer of worlds?)
“You’ve got mail…pattern baldness!”
“Just a floppy disk for breakfast, honey?”
Time travel’s a real mess. I’ve definitely over-watched this episode, and haven’t learned a damn thing about how it works.
So, did they ever finish the sequel to “Time Chasers”?
By the way, I can see them do a future episode of “Doctor Who” where one of those temporal “fixed points” gets changed and the Doctor discovers that it’s caused by the other Crow.
Cheapskate Crow 153> I never touched an Atari computer so I honestly wouldn’t know. I know it isn’t an apples to apples comparision but I was comparing the family Commodore 64 computer to the Atari 2600 game machine because I actually used it. The Commodore blew away the 2600.
Lisa’s butt does look good in the future!
“I don’t think they’ve ever seen an uzi.” Yes, one would have to think not. Seriously, who thought THAT line was a good use of two seconds?
Kind of an odd choice on the movie’s part for Marty (during the sequence when he suspects Nick of being a drug dealer, because Robertson and Matt have taken them prisoner) to call attention to the fact that Nick shouldn’t be able to afford his project on a teacher’s salary. Not a good sign when the characters are pointing out the plot holes to each other.
Of course, that sort of begs the question of what Marty thought Nick was doing all this, uh, time; the whole “time travel” thing seemed to take him by surprise. I suppose maybe he just really seriously couldn’t have cared less so long as he got paid, but that seems like a pretty high level of apathy. Then again, this IS (was? will be?) the guy who risked being stuck in the 18th century because he thought getting shot at was too tense, so…
Also, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned it yet:
Does Crow’s visit to Past-Mike occur within the eleven-year-period that Crow spent with Mike’s family, as seen in 807: Terror from the Year 5000? If so, that means there are TWO Crows back there now. Too bad neither of them are Beaulieu-Crow.
To each other, in unison: “Your voice sounds weird!”
I have a soft spot for this movie. I like the homeliness of the actors and the rent-a-studio computer graphics. I even got a little impact out of the ending; with Nick getting shot and killed, J.K Robertson getting crushed beneath a plane (that angle of the shot of the plane crashing on top of him was like a good horror movie) and alternate Nick meeting alternate Lisa in a grocery store as had happened in the original timeline. There was something bittersweet about the original characters dying off while the alternate characters met and romantically connected in the same way. I can at least give that much credit to an otherwise hopelessly ambitious movie.
Time Chasers stands in sharp contrast to something like Space Mutiny, which stole special effects from Battlestar Galactica and was itself an inept and uninspired space action movie. That’s what makes Space Mutiny so fun to laugh at, while with Time Chasers I always feel a little guilty about it but laugh anyway.
“You’ve got mail. Pattern baldness.”
I don’t recall this being brought up yet. However, there’s the question of how Pearl and Mike can have their chat with the Widowmaker’s door hanging wide open like that (for that matter, there have been many instances where it had clearly been depressurized). For those of you for whom, “it’s just a show,” isn’t good enough, I have a theory. Simply, the Widowmaker employs Spelljammer gravitics.
Attention any writers for “Big Bang Theory”: You can get a whole episode out of “The Bolern”‘s thread, starting at #98
. . .just a thought.
I remember showing this episode to an ex-gf 8-10 years ago, and the concept of porch-sitting/talking that Mike and Pearl were doing, was completely foreign to her. I guess being from Iowa, I got it a little easier.
This is still one of those episodes I love to re-watch, notably the time-traveling that Crow does (I’ve been quoting Crow and Eddie in my apartment during the last few weeks): “Would you put those down you simp!? You stupid, repulsive-uh, hope of our nation’s future.”
Btw, was there ever a reason given why Crow keeps calling Eddie, “Edward?”
Michael #175> Btw, was there ever a reason given why Crow keeps calling Eddie, “Edward?”
I always took this as a way to show that newly arrived time traveling Crow hasn’t been brow beaten into submission like non-time traveling/has been there in this alternate future the whole time Tom.
This may be my favorite episode. It actually has a solid time travel story,
frankly better then most Hollywood scifi, which tend to quickly turn to another
monster stalks crew plot (yawn). And on a shoestring budget they portray three
different time eras (even showing Mrs. Khruschev sweeping a street).
And the Crow time traveling also is fun (although posing the questions)
1) What happened to the spare Crow
2) Did that Crow ever meet up and work with peanut and/or any of Peanut’s
descendants (including Peanut’s kind of not too attractive spouse).
Oh, and whatever happened to Mike’s brother?
“We could send Bob Saget to meet Charlamagne.”
Because just posting my favorite line once wasn’t enough!
What exactly does “These guys are going to bury you with their corporate crap” mean, anyway? I mean, yeah, it’s the same kind of knee-jerk “Big Business Is Bad” stuff that turned up in plenty of eighties-era movies, but really, what was Lisa’s bright idea for an alternative? Nick clearly stated that he’d run out of money, and the only people you can get money from are people who HAVE money. They didn’t have Kickstarter in 1990, y’know.
Kind of a shame that Nick didn’t want to just, you know, work things out with Robertson in a civilized way (Robertson overreacted too, of course, but then, he was *intended* to be a jerk). I mean, what’s the hurry? What, was the future DOUBLE-PARKED or something?
Then again, that probably would’ve made for even less of a movie than the one we got.
Still, might’ve been nice to at least get a clue of exactly what Robertson DID that changed the future so dramatically. And how exactly did the US government get involved, anyway (that was Robertson’s excuse for claiming Nick and Lisa would be imprisoned as “traitors”)? In a way, some of the most interesting parts of this movie were the parts we didn’t see. Oh well.
I always figured that once the military got a hold of the Time Transport technology they started using it to launch per-emptive strikes against enemies that had just staged a successful operation recently, or maybe killing Hitler or Bin Laden as young adults. Eventually either our military escalated their use of time travel and blew up the future. Or opposing forces got a hold of the technology and you ended up with bombs or nukes being launched through time until the future was ruined (but oddly not the present or past). Possibly too much time travel for military or economic reasons (like the “put money in the bank 100 years ago” scheme that our genius inventor didn’t think of) weakened the space/time continuum and caused the cities to fall apart, and most of life to sicken and die. The whole “Butterfly Effect” alone could get you a ruined future with the slightest changed in history having catastrophic results, like stepping on a butterfly in the Jurassic era resulting in a global totalitarian regime (perfect order) upon returning to the present. I’ve heard the opinion that the impossibility of time travel means that if someone somehow did it the universe would be destroyed. So please, let’s not mess with time travel kids. Think about it. Won’t you?
Here’s a comic I recently discovered which is relevant to this episode.
http://www.spburke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DoctorWho-MST3K-NextSundayAD-web700.png
I like that the characters go into a grocery store a couple of times.
I’m not sure why. Perhaps it transports me back to grocery stores of the early 1990s.
They’re not really all that different now, though. I’m not sure why I brought this up.
One does get the sense that none of the people who had a significant role in shaping this movie had major issues they were working through. No one seemed to hate women, themselves, or the whole human race the way some of the other cinematographers the riffers have had to face. Hence the lack of Coleman Francis references despite the abundance of light aircraft. The movie would probably have been more interesting if the director had been a twisted freak, but it’s also kinda nice to know that there are some people making movies out there who aren’t all screwed up inside.
My favorite riff is probably the one about the runway surface being the result of mowing the lawn too short. It’s a hilarious thing to say about what’s on screen, but it’s not a comment on something inept or stupid or wrong about the movie. It’s a funny thing that you could say at any airport.
Well, let’s fire up our dial-up modems, sit back with a nice bicycle sandwich and enjoy the movie.
On the other hand, since the founding fathers had, indeed, never seen an uzi, can the Second Amendment be interpreted as applying to uzis?
Many people would, of course, say YES. The implication, I guess, being that the founding fathers could predict the next 200+ years of the development of firearm technology.
This is only vaguely connected to “Time Chasers”, so please forgive me if I’m somewhat off-topic.
In 2015-2016, my brother Brian finally got to have a job he’d wanted for a long time: coaching lacrosse at the collegiate level. He was head coach of the girls’ lacrosse team for Johnson State College in Johnson, VT. It was tough work, but he really enjoyed it, and he made every effort to do a good job. Unfortunately, due to financial issues, he was only able to coach for one year. Both Bri and the school were disappointed to see him leave.
Once, not long after seeing “Time Chasers” again, I mentioned to him about how it was made in VT, and the Castleton T-shirt worn by Nick. Bri told me, “We don’t mention the C-word.” Turns out Castleton is a rival of Johnson State and, being a larger, richer school, has better access to resources and potential players.
Bri passed away suddenly from a heart attack nearly a year ago. When they learned the sad news, Johnson State sent my Mom a picture of Bri with his team and a touching letter of condolence. The letter mentioned how once, after a big loss, the team was in a depressed mood. Bri, however, encouraged them to view even a loss as a learning experience and to use it to improve for the next time. (Being a longtime Rutgers fan helped him develop this attitude.) The team they lost to: Castleton.
Make no mistake: I can still watch “Time Chasers”. It’s an OK, well-meaning movie and a very funny episode, both for MST and RT. But, with all due respect to Castleton and their fans, I’m rooting for Johnson State.
Just thought I’d pass this along.
A line Pearl uses that I use to this day, especially if I’m in a bad mood:
“I’m full of hate; I don’t know if that helps.”
Better get my comments on this episode in before everyone’s (least) favorite troll ruins the thread. I LOVE Time Chasers, and it’s probably the MST3K episode that has most improved for me over time. We watched it when it first aired and I thought it was OK then but not great, and I realize now that not enough time had passed — no pun intended — between then and when the movie was made, so things like clothing styles and computer technology weren’t nearly as funny as they are now, decades later. It was a big relief to have the tedious Roman Times story arc over with, and I love the time travel/evil brother Eddie/porch sitting segments.
“It’s supposed to get down to Absolute Zero tonight. That’s why I always wear a sweater.”
The two little conversations between Pearl and Mike are great, and show an interesting take on the dynamic they usually share. Good stuff.
“…he’s a good kid.”
Gare
WHAT-EVER! WELL, I S’POSE!!
It looks like this is where I came in. I think my first posting of thoughts and favorite lines is on the previous page. As always it’s a blast to watch the episodes in order week-by-week and in my humble opinion we’re in a good stretch here, right up there with the first half of season 5.
The show did lots of unmistakably 80s films, but I think this one is the most 90s they ever did. From the fashion to the politics, it’s truly of it’s time and I love it.
Right before I started writing this, I dared and clicked on the link to Edgewood Studios in Paul Chaplin’s write-up. Lo and behold, the site’s still functional, complete with pictures of the ‘Time Chasers’ cast today! My word, except for some sliver hair, everyone looks practically the same!
Some more fave riffs:
“Do me a favor…”
Tell me to stop acting like Richard Dreyfuss!
“The real reason I brought you up here today…”
To CRASH!
Maple syrup, three for a — oh hell just take it! It’s free, we’ve got so much of it!
We serve a delicious Bruch every Suday.
Mike’s… Brother. That is all
Easily, hands down, the absolute best host segments of the entire Sci-Fi era. But the movie’s not that bad, so the riffing just kind of lays there uninspired. Way better than last week’s episode, and much much better than next week’s. A nice little oasis in the end of the dullest era, mid season 8 to it’s end. After next week, it’s all uphill from here! The show vastly improves in seasons 9, 10 and 11, with only a few clunkers along the way.
On a side note, on the recent re-issue of Vol. 5, the new transfer of Time Chasers suffers from major orange/purple enhancement. It’s not terrible, but very unnatural.
Between Eddie Nelson and Evil Boy Scout Mike from “Codename: Diamond Head”, we did seem to get a number of suspiciously well-placed alternate-history host-seg jokes in the Mike era of “Y’knooww, they always could have ended up with someone NOT so nice, outgoing and self-effacingly warm and lovable…Or even if they had gotten someone Nice, how long could you have put up with the Frugal Gourmet, huh?”
Doth-protesting too much? You make the call.
(Just, y’know, saving time.)
Have to admit a soft spot for the movie, though, since libraries ARE the buildings of the future.
This episode passes the Barkeep Test: it makes me laugh.
But since no Europeans have a conversation with dogs it fails the Barkkeep Test.
Also, nobody talks seriously about golf, therefore it fails the Parkeep Test.
Etc… etc… etc…
Not a bad little low budget movie. Fun all the way around.
One of my top five go-to MST episodes.
Dude!
I love this episode! It’s one that I can watch over and over and still laugh out loud. The movie isn’t terrible, but just silly enough to provide plenty of riffing fodder. And the host segments are topnotch!
In my top ten. The time traveling plot offered something different, and the theater segments have so many quotable lines.
“Loser status confirmed.”
“You could send an egg into the future!”
“So in the future, kids will be gay agents?”
“Is the boom mic hiding in the salad?”
“No, I’m saying MAKE ME DINNER.”
“No monologues with poopy pants, please.”
“Okay, if you can see a character’s eye boogers, you’re too close.”
“He’s “like Pooh”, all right.”
“(after the hero and villain both die one after the other) Oh! Well, thank you, movie!”
“He died as he lived: Mud-stained and splaying.”
I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you.
To represent high tech, Frankenstein had its arcing jacob’s ladder. Forbidden Planet had Robby the Robot. Time Chasers had a Commodore 64 in a Beechcraft Bellanca. Nothing says cinematic visual excitement like 5 1/2 inch floppy disks. Who wouldn’t thrill to the sound of the hard drive spinning up. Wow.
This episode is another one of my go to’s. I can watch it anytime for a good laugh. And the movie really isn’t unwatchable either. I think it’s one of the good newbie episodes to introduce to others for that reason as well.
At least it’s better than the sound of old dial-up modems, remember them? Sounded like a bunch of Loony Tunes characters crashing around. Nothing dates a movie like whatever is high-tech at the moment.
“Eddie Nelson” eh?
Not to be confused with Nelson Eddy, one supposes …
… or IS he?
Since the last time we covered this one, Time Chasers was the subject of a Rifftrax Live show. This allowed us to see scenes edited from the MST3K version. Most notably, we find out that EvilCo is an aeronautics firm. This offers a decent rationale as to why Professor Noodley would go to them for financial backing. Still, I stand by my prior semi-rant about the proper usage of evil, soulless corporations in fiction as regards this movie.