Earlier in May, Jean-Claude Van Damme appeared on ‘Conan’ and recreated in the dance sequence from ‘Kickboxer’. His limber straddling was omitted, but JCVD proved his dance moves are still intact. This led me to pick ‘Timecop’, one of Van Damme’s box office successes, as today’s Throwback Thursday — a look at sci-fi of the past.

Based on the comic from Dark Horse, Van Damme stars as Max Walker, a police officer who, in 1994, joins the Time Enforcement Commission to combat criminals who have access to time travel. Senator Aaron McComb (Ron Silver) heads this commission, and we can easily assume he has ulterior motives. Later on, Walker’s wife (played by Mia Sara) is killed in a surprise attack at their house. (Yes, ‘Timecop’ is yet another JCVD movie where he loses a wife.)

We cut to the year 2004. Walker is a despondent TEC agent where, through various time travel excursions, learns that McComb is illegally taking money from the past to fund his presidential campaign. Walker delves deeper into this conspiracy finds out his life from 1994 has more at stake than he imagined.

‘Timecop’ is a good introduction to Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. It’s no ‘Terminator’ as many critics point out, but, my God, this is the best movie! Like most Van Damme movies, it has your paint-by-number plot points that can potentially grab your interest depending on your mood when you’re staying in on a Friday night. It has Van Damme’s famous kitchen-counter split and his perfect attempts at pithy one-liners. So seriously, what more can you ask for?

You should also take into consideration that the time-travel logic in this movie makes no sense. Save your neurons, and don’t try to comprehend it. Just go along for the ride and literally (and I seriously mean literally) have your life transformed.