Main Cast: Catherine Bell, Casper Van Dien, Theresa Saldana, Martin Sheen, Peter Outerbridge, Julian Richings
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
Plot
Hired by a cheap tabloid, washed-up reporter Tom Merrick (Casper Van Dien) begins collecting research for a series of articles on famous disasters. Along the way, he makes a curious discovery: In the photos of such catastrophes as the San Francisco Earthquake and the Hindenburg explosion, he notices that the same person keeps showing up in the crowds. It soon develops that a group of futuristic "tourists" have signed on with an organization called Thrill Seekers, which whisks its customers to historical tragedies so that they can experience the thrill of being eyewitnesses. Much to his horror, Tom finds out that these time-traveling tourists have shown up in his own town, preparing to watch a cataclysmic disaster that has not yet transpired -- one that, unless prevented, will claim the lives of Tom's ex-wife and son. Originally telecast as The Time Shifters by TBS on October 17, 1999, this made-for-cable feature has since been released to video as Thrill Seekers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Thrill Seekers is quite the big-thinking little adventure, with a plot worthy of early Ray Bradbury or Isaac Asimov, but with more explosive action. Director Mario Azzopardi's chops are razor sharp in this breathlessly paced, entirely entertaining science fiction romp that should have even non-sci-fi fans engaged to the end. The gaping hole in the plot (the people of the future didn't know about Merrick in the first place?) and Martin Sheen's cameo (on a static-covered computer monitor) can be easily forgiven. Casper Van Dien, who usually acts using nothing but his elongated chin, isn't quite the dim-bulb puppy of previous outings, which is vital, because one false note brings this entire puzzle cascading into cinematic oblivion. But he's OK, and so is the movie. Those expecting another Back to the Future will be only slightly disappointed, but those expecting nothing more than a captivating fantasy that makes the most of its TV movie budget (it was produced for TNT) will be roundly rewarded. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Lawrence Z. Dane - FBI Agent Baker; Catherine Oxenberg - Thrill Seekers Spokeperson; Mimi Kuzyk - Eleanor Grayson; Jim Allodi - FBI Agent Stanton; Deborah Odell - Jen; Matthew Bennett - Capt. Tyler; Marc Donato - Kevin; Stephen Bogaert - Steve; Sumela Kay - Girl on Plane; Carole MacKereth - Flight Attendant; Trevor Bain - Man at Gas Station; Matt Birman - Cameraman; Jim Codrington - Copilot; Brenden Connor - Subway Newscaster; Kathryn Humphries - Reporter at Arean; Oscar Hsu - FBI Agent Subway; Tony Meyler - Cop at Turnstyles; Billy Otis - Gas Station Attendant; Lee Smart - Arena Manager; Robert Thomas - Cop Outside Arena; Catherine Bell - Elizabeth Wintern
Credit
Greg Chown - Art Director, Trysha Bakker - Costume Designer, Mario Azzopardi - Director, Ron Wisman - Editor, Cary Brokaw - Executive Producer, Karen J. Lauder - Executive Producer, Marcus Ticotin - Executive Producer, Kurt Inderbitzin - Executive Producer, Gay Walch - Executive Producer, J.J. Jamieson - Executive Producer, Fred Mollin - Composer (Music Score), Peter Cosco - Production Designer, Derrick Underschultz - Cinematographer, Tom Luse - Producer, Kurt Inderbitzin - Teleplay By, Gay Walch - Teleplay By
Tom Merrick (Van Dien) works as a TV reporter when he's nearly killed in an accident while informing about a fire in a power plant. The sight of a creepy-looking man leaving the place accidentally saves his life, but gets another reporter killed in his place.
After some time, he decides to do some research on catastrophes for a documentary he's preparing when he accidentally stumbles upon several pictures of the man at the power plant (Richings), who appears to turn up in different disasters as far apart as 50 years, but who still looks the same in all the pictures.
He goes deeper into the mystery and ends up discovering that a futuristic enterprise --Thrill Seekers-- will make time travel possible in the future and will sell trips to the past. These trips consist of travelers going straight to a catastrophe right before it happens, so they can experience the emotion but are able to travel back in time again before they get killed.
Thanks to that knowledge, Merrick is able to save a plane from crashing and killing hundreds of people. Unfortunately, this type of discoveries endangers the very fabric of space-time and his own life, when Thrill Seekers sends a couple of agents to find and kill him.
