Review by I_Ailurophile

I've got to hand it to Michael Nesmith, his flavorful synth-driven score for this 80s flick is utterly delightful, and possibly the single strongest facet of these ninety minutes. The fact that the Monkees mainstay also co-wrote this romp, and had a hand in producing it, shows that there was much more to the man that I'd have ever known before I sat to watch. Throwing together time-travel science fiction and the western, it's safe to say that 'The adventure of Lyle Swann' is a bit of silliness built purely for fun. Even with that in mind I don't think this is without its flaws; the dialogue and scene writing are often very clunky and unwieldy, if not outright forced, as if Nesmith and filmmaker William Dear had a hard time fitting all the pieces together and making it fluid. While the western adventure remains intact this does mean that any intended humor is rather dampened; moreover, the plot is decidedly light and goes nowhere fast, least of all in the first half. This is a flick that's trusting in we viewers to get swept up in the spirit of it all rather than look to any details, and it surely is better that way since some of the details are kind of troubled. Rest assured that 'Timerider' is still definitely a good time with a fair bit of cleverness, if falling short of being a must-see.

Beyond the root ideas the writing may stumble a bit, but there really are terrific ideas here in the overall narrative and in the scene writing, with some especial highlights to come in the tale of a modern dirt bike racer who is accidentally transported to the Old West. All the while this is well made in every other regards, including not least superb art direction, costume design, and stunts and effects. Dear's direction and all the acting are solid, helping to make up for a script that's a little less than perfect as everything looks and sounds good more than not. True, this lacks any major spark of brilliance, and up until the last act - the last sixth of the runtime, if we're being honest - it lacks the energy and vitality to really foster the engagement and excitement that it ideally should have had. Simply put, the feature lacks the punch to make a significant lasting impression. Even with distinct weaknesses and shortcomings, though, the result is reasonably entertaining; we get what we came for, warts and all. All told this is hardly something one needs to go out of their way to see, but the title has no illusions about being something it's not, and it makes the most of the space it's given to play in. It's surely suggested most for those who are fans of the folks involved, but if you're looking for something light and uninvolved, 'Timerider: The adventure of Lyle Swann' is fairly enjoyable if you do come across it.