the audience applauded

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

"Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann" has an intriguing premise: What if a modern day motorcycle rider was transported back in time with his motorbike to the age of the cowboy? The movie manages to mine some interesting and entertainment moments from this, ranging from the reaction of nineteenth century people to this modern figure and his machine to some interesting action moments. It's also fun to see cult stars L.Q. Jones and Ed Lauter.While the movie passes the time acceptably, at the same time I couldn't help but feel that the screenwriters didn't punch up the script enough. The bad guys are for the most part brutal thugs, and the reason for the chief bad guy wanting the motorbike is never revealed. The hero is also weak - we don't get to see much of him before he's transported back in time, and he seems mighty slow to figure out he's been transported back in time. And the movie doesn't take much opportunity for the modern day hero to use what he has and what he knows on these backward people.Overall, the movie is worth watching, though when you aren't feeling that demanding. It also helps if you like westerns.

Lyle, a motorcycle champion is travelling the Mexican desert, when he find himself in the action radius of a time machine.So he find himself one century back in the past between rapists, thieves and murderers....The thing that is wrong with this movie, and what deters it from other schlocky eighties movies of this nature, is the fact that there is no characterisation, no real story, no narration.The film at times doesn't know what to do with itself, so spends the time with Ward riding his bike to one situation that ends with a comedy moment, or with an action moment.But the most irritating thing about this movie is that not once does Swann ask what year he is in, thus making the title of the film pointless.There are a couple of good scenes, bloody boots and Coyote trying to start the bike, but it really doesn't hold a candle to cult movies like Zone Troopers or Solarbabies.

"Timerider" has one of the stupidest plot premises I ever beheld, but apparently the film nevertheless supports a loyal fan base and is considered a modest cult favorite. I thought it was boring, imbecilic and forgettable. All the more proof that the term "cult favorite" is widely open for personal interpretation. Bike-racing daredevil Lyle Swann (Fred Ward) loses his way during a test drive and passes through a scientific test area where he accidentally gets catapulted back in time to the year 1877. Of course, he's completely unaware of the troublesome situation he's in and when confronted with villainous cowboys and superstitious villagers that think he's "El Diablo", he only responds by pulling stupid faces. "Timerider" predates "Back to the Future", the milestone that single-handedly popularized the time-traveling concept in cinema, so it just ends up being a lame crossover between Sci-Fi and comedy. It's a very boring film that does nothing extraordinary or memorable. Lyle Swann only tries to recover his stolen motorcycle throughout the entire film and, in the end, he's rescued by a helicopter that got sent back in time as well. How stupid is that? The concept isn't properly worked out, neither and the plot is full of dreadful clichés and predictable twists. The futuristic guy on his bike is accepted amongst the townspeople rather quickly, rather than to continue regarding him as some sort of demon, and obviously the lead heroine later turns out to be his great-grandmother. There's one notably amusing sequence, when the gang of criminals that stole Swann's motorcycle – led by Peter Coyote – tries to operate it. Other than this short worthwhile interlude, "Timerider" is a dumb film that I cannot bring myself to recommend to anyone.

This is a very clever movie.I disagree with those that criticize the movie because Lyle can't figure out he has traveled through time; indeed, that's what makes the movie so effective. In reality (if I can say that here), who among us in that same situation would have ever guessed that we had traveled through a time vortex?? For years after seeing the movie on HBO I used the line "found it at an EXXON station" among family and friends. More importantly, I spent ten years (no exaggeration) periodically trying to figure out if Lyle was his own grandfather! I still don't know the answer to that one! Sappy, slap-stick sci-fi, ....maybe so, but a movie with a pseudo-classic line that makes one think about a side-plot years later can't be considered anything less than very effective! It's a shame this flick is not more readily available. A great rainy Sunday afternoon rental that has the potential to keep you entertained years after viewing.