Ah, the ‘90s. While there wasn’t the boom of comic book movies like we had in the 2000s, there were still some noteworthy standouts, such as the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Crow, and of course, Blade (which is still just as good as you remember it being).
However, one comic book movie that I think way too many people sleep on these days is 1994’s Timecop, starring the Muscles from Brussels himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The story of a government-endorsed time travel police force, and the problems that occur once the wrong people are control of it, Timecop was a hit in the ‘90s, but it has seemingly fallen into obscurity these days (even though there have been talks about a reboot for years).
So, why does Timecop still kick ass? Well, you’re about to find out.
I’m Sorry, But This Is Arguably JCVD’s Best Movie Ever
You know what? Some people love the Street Fighter movie (which also came out in ‘94), while others might point to Kickboxer, or Bloodsport as Van Damme’s best movies. However, for me, there’s a clear winner, and that movie is Timecop.
Based on a three-part Dark Horse comic story called, “Time Cop: A Man Out of Time,” the movie version stars JCVD as a time traveling cop who is out to save his wife (Mia Sara) who gets killed in an explosion. You might be asking, “How is he able to save his wife if she was blown up?” But, that’s where the time travel aspect comes in, which I’ll get into soon. The rest of the story follows our hero, Max Walker (Van Damme), as he tries to stop a corrupt politician (Ron Silver) who is going back in time to rise to power.
And, it’s awesome. As a ‘90s kid, Van Damme was like the alternative action hero. He wasn’t buff like Schwarzenegger, or Stallone. Instead, he was a martial artist who really shined in martial arts movies. However, Timecop is not that. It’s the kind of film that would be cool even if it didn’t have martial arts in it, but is all the better for it. The movie kind of reminds me of the Highlander series with its time component, but sci-fi rather than fantasy (and let us never speak of the sci-fi inspired Highlander II: The Quickening).
The time travel aspect in this movie is just so cool, and JCVD is the cherry on top. But, about that time travel…
The Time Travel Concept In This Movie Is Really Cool
I like time travel movies, but the one thing I especially like are the different “rules” in each one. For example, time travel in the Terminator movies isn’t the same as time travel in a movie like, say, The Butterfly Effect. The same goes for a comedy like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which plays fast and loose with the rules, as opposed to a hard sci-fi film like Primer, which is so thought out that you likely have to watch it a few times to even catch what the heck is going on.
Well, Timecop has its own rules of time travel, and I must say, I think they’re really cool. In this universe, you can only go backward in time rather than forward. That said, kind of like the Time Variance Authority (TVA) in Loki that is meant to prevent time altering shenanigans from occurring, there is a police force called the TEC, which stands for the Time Enforcement Commission (I know the TVA came before the TEC in the comics. I’m aware of this).
Like many time travel stories, going back in the past and changing things can alter the present. But, one thing that’s novel here is the idea that your present version and your past version can’t touch. Otherwise, they’ll have a face-melting disintegration that still looks pretty cool today.
I love this concept. It’s kind of like trying not to cross the streams in Ghostbusters, but gruesome. Honestly, does it get any better than this?
The Story Genuinely Feels Comic-Booky
I’m going to be real with you. Sometimes, I don’t like when my movies are too comic booky. For example, I honestly do not like Batman Forever because I think it feels way too silly (which is strange, since I love Batman & Robin…but mostly because it leans so heavily into the cheese). That said, I think it really all depends on the character, since I have a major soft spot for the first Judge Dredd movie with Sylvester Stallone, and that’s as comic booky as you can get.
What I’m trying to say is, I’m super inconsistent. I guess that’s why I really like the silly, comic book-like vibe of Timecop, because I think it works in its favor. The movie starts off during the Civil War, and we see some Confederate soldiers get blasted away by some futuristic weaponry, and like, okay. Cool. That feels like something straight out of a comic book.
Now, as somebody who never actually read the comic, I can’t tell you if this movie stays true to the overall tone of the source material. I also can’t tell you that the movie works outside of being a comic book flick, since I think there are probably better Van Damme action movies out there (The Quest might be my favorite).
That said, when viewed as a comic book movie, I think it really works. The story is a bit predictable, but I want it to be. The important thing is, it feels like it came right off the page, and that’s why I love it.
And The Action, Oh Baby
Okay, so like I just said, there are probably better JCVD action movies out there (Like Universal Soldier. That’s another good one). However, the thing I really like about Timecop is that the action feels more varied than many of Van Damme’s other ventures, and mostly because the time periods play such a large part in this film. For example, when Van Damme goes to the 1920s, he’s fighting these old-timey dudes, but he’s still doing martial arts, which is a really interesting visual.
And then you have the scene where he’s in his underwear fighting people with knives (This is also where we get the iconic leaping split scene on the counters). There’s a real sense of danger in this moment, and I just love that it fits into a movie that also has somebody shooting Confederate soldiers with futuristic firepower.
What I’m trying to say is, all of the action in this movie fits. Even though I’ve seen Van Damme kick people in the face in countless other movies, it just feels so right in this one. Traveling back in time and kicking ass will have consequences in the future, and I just love the idea of somebody’s offspring being messed up because Van Damme kicked their ancestor’s ass decades ago in the past.
It just all works. So, while it might not be the best Van Damme action movie, it’s still definitely my favorite. It’s for this reason that I think Timecop deserves more love and attention than it often gets these days.
But, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.