A Title that sounds like bargain basement Sci-Fi you'd buy from someone's van explodes on the Silver Screen! This is Time Walker, a 1982 Film that is both interesting and banal. The Title doesn't really represent the Movie in a very good way. The Plot involves a long-lost Mummy being brought to a College Campus and escaping- also it's an Alien Mummy. Mummy On Campus! Kappa Delta Mummy. Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go To College. Most of those Titles would be better...at representing the Film. They are also stupid Titles...and now The Asylum just used them both. I missed my shot! Anyhow, they went with Time Walker...for some reason. To be honest, I'd never heard of the Film until, well, I saw it on Streaming. Previously, I watched a Full Moon Film involving an Alien Mummy and a B-Plot which had a Mad Scientist making nymphomaniac Lesbians. Don't go looking for it- the Film is actually pretty dull. Weird connection here, however, as Charles Band Directed that Film- Petrified- and Richard Band did the Soundtrack for this Film. They are Brothers! Random chance strikes again! The Film is sadly (I think) the only one done by Tom Kennedy, whose other Credits involve Editing and doing Sound Work for Films like Joe, Silent Night, Bloody Night and...oh geez, Good-Bye, Uncle Tom (for the U.S Release). Another interesting Cast Note involves Co-Writer and Actor Jason Williams who is most known for playing Flesh Gordon in the infamous '70s Parody Film. Well, this trip with an Alien is not like his last one! This is also another Film with a Star Trek: The Original Series Actress in it- Antoinette Baker was in 'Catspaw.' So, with that out of the way, can they make an Alien Mummy Film that is entertaining? To find out, read on...
The Film begins in a worringly-cheap way as we are TOLD that people into a Crypt and a cave-in reveals a hidden Mummy.
Said Mummy is opened up at a California University, as you'd imagine.
They take X-Rays of the sarcophagus and see some freaky, green mold.
The morons manage to run the X-Ray machine TEN TIMES too strong and trigger the mold, which eats away a Student's finger tip with just a touch.
The Mummy inside goes missing at the big announcement event- embarrassing poor James Karen!- and the mystery is now 'who took it?'
In the meantime, those x-rays show that the being is not human...
The other foul-up involves one of the Students stealing some gems from the sarcophagus.
He gives them away/sells them, putting the main Plot in motion.
Said Mummy grabs one woman who was given a gem and his touch doesn't end well for her- especially after her x-rays!
The Mummy keeps taking the gems and returning to what is described as 'the School's Reactor.'
Maybe it is an inelegant way of describing their Power Facility, but that's odd, no?
The Mummy keeps getting the gems as our Heroes are 3 steps behind.
Speaking of steps, this Mummy floats. Neat?
The big climax involves him chasing around our Final Girl. This is done mostly with shots of it in the dark (see above) or with a green POV.
Ever the brilliant girl, she keeps going upstairs *in a Horror Film* and falls to her...oh, not death.
The Dean tries to pin it all on our Lead- claiming that he hid the Mummy to study it...in private?- and they confront him when he finds the Mummy.
It puts the gems in a device and it powers up to full as they watch on...
...and the cool look is gone. Our Mummy is fully-revealed to be a big-eyed, gray-skinned alien that now wants to go home.
The one Cop shoots at him, but our Lead takes the bullet.
He crawls to the Alien, who extends a hand.
They glow bright and...To Be Continued?!?
***One Google Search later***
Nope- no Sequel.
All things considered, it is better than its apparent reputation, but not a great Movie overall. The premise- solid. A Mummy on a College Campus- great. An Alien Mummy killing Frat Bros- great. The actual Film- so-so. The Budget is oddly-allocated here. They have a good-to-decent-looking Mummy and never show it off that much. They have some good, old-school gore and practical F/X for the decaying/melting skin stuff. When that isn't on-screen, the Film just kind of meanders. It's never bad, but it is forgettable at times. There are quite a few Characters to keep track of and not all of them matter that much. Since we don't have a Villain that's not The Mummy- an Igor-like fellow, for instance- we have no motivation for the creature. We have a blank slate to just project stuff onto. The solution they seemed to come up with is to have lots of random people be assholes instead- yea. The Cast never stands out that much, nor is it ever really let down by anyone. Like the Film as a whole, they do alright, but don't shine. James Karen comes the closest- as the crotchety Dean- but doesn't get enough screen-time. The Ending is...odd. I'm not sure why they expected to get a Sequel. This was a New Concord Film- how many of them got Sequels on Roger Corman's dime? What was the plan? If you can find anything out, let me know. As it is, Walker is a confusingly-titled Film that is pretty good, but not great. It did give us the first prototype for RDJ's Iron Man though. Look at that Arc Reactor in his chest...
Next time, I dig deep into my random collection of digital goodies. It could be a number of odd things, so good luck guessing. Stay tuned...
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