Matty waves goodbye to one of the great institutions of the VHS era.     

The original Project Shadowchaser (1992) was such a hit for distributor Prism Entertainment that the sequel rights were quickly snapped up by action specialists Nu Image. The resulting follow-ups, Project Shadowchaser: Night Siege (1994) and Project Shadowchaser III (1995), proved similarly successful for Nu Image and their then-distro, New Line. In fact, when Shadowchaser III landed on U.S. shelves on 21st November 1995, ‘Shadow Chaser 4’ was already being bandied about the film markets as a pre-sale item. Like its awesome predecessors, B-movie demigod John Eyres and his outfit, EGM Film International, were initially listed as the director and co-producers. However, after Eyres busied himself with From Beyond the Grave (1996) — which, admittedly, Nu Image had a hand in — and EGM’s own quartet of sci-fi flicks — Timelock (1996), The Apocalypse (1997), Dark Planet (1997) and Absolution: The Journey (1997) — ‘Shadow Chaser 4’ fell to Marc Roper.

Tardily released on British tape in autumn 1999 by Nu Image’s short-lived U.K. video wing as SHADOWCHASER: THE GATES OF TIME (1996), Eyres sports an honorary “presented in association with” credit on the finished film. And while it’s tempting to wonder how The Gates of Time would have been with Eyres at the helm, Roper is a worthy replacement. Still to this day a regular of Nu Image successor Millennium Media (nee Millennium Films), Roper is a company man through and through. Born in South Africa — Nu Image’s base of operations — the multi-hyphenate entered Avi Lerner’s fold as an AD. He toiled on Project Shadowchaser: Night Siege and Nu Image’s other rollicking robo-schlocker, Cyborg Cop II (1994), before the shingle’s co-bigwig, Danny Lerner, gave him the reins of Live Wire 2: Human Timebomb (1995) and Warhead (1996). Subsequent Nu Image directorial assignments include: fellow sequels Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target (1997) and Operation Delta Force 4: Deep Fault (1999); and the Gary Daniels/Harry Alan Towers capers City of Fear (2000) and Queen’s Messenger (2001). 

As a whole, Roper’s Nu Image fare is much of a muchness. Evidently happy playing the cards he’s dealt, his output is technically sound and unanimously moves between a solid two and a mid-three on the five-star quality scale. They’re all efficient and engaging programmers, and The Gates of Time is as robust an example as any. Though a few moments betray the film’s low budget, there are blasts of tremendous style and aesthetic pizzazz. Several shots spark the imagination, particularly Roper’s bold segues into dream/nightmare terrain. That said, it’s with the action where The Gates of Time works best. Despite some hokey passages of melodrama, facilitated by the narrative’s inclusion of a sickly moppet — and despite the bangs n’ booms never reaching the dizzying heights of Shadowchasers 1 and 2 — Roper cobbles together a thoroughly watchable chase flick (wholly appropriate given the moniker). 

The Shadowchaser instalment closest to its inspiration, The Terminator (1984), in terms of narrative structure, The Gates of Time merges the saga’s crazy android hook with a fresh wrinkle. If Project Shadowchaser and Night Siege were ‘The Terminator meets Die Hard (1988)’, and Shadowchaser III ‘The Terminator meets Alien (1979)’, then The Gates of Time is The Terminator’s cat n’ mousing merged with a double dose of Steven Spielberg. The film’s plot — wherein husband and wife archaeologists uncover an ancient alien artefact — is basically what would happen if someone dropped Arnie into Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) or Raiders of the Lost Ark (1984).

As with Night Siege and Shadowchaser III, The Gates of Time is another standalone tale. Nu Image and Roper fav Todd Jensen (Cyborg Cop (1993), Warhead), who plays the hubby, had appeared in Night Siege, albeit in a different role — but, Jensen aside, The Gates of Time’s sole (on screen) connection to its forebearers is series lynchpin, Frank Zagarino. Rocking his patented bleached blonde flat-top for one last go-round, whether his character is a robot, an extraterrestrial or an extraterrestrial robot depends on your interpretation. Whatever the case, The Zag’s performance as the alien artefact’s protector is great fun and a decent sign-off to an elite franchise of ‘90s videodom. 

Also known as ‘Project Shadowchaser IV’, ‘Shadowchaser IV’ and ‘Orion’s Key’, Shadowchaser: The Gates of Time was acquired for U.S. release by Unapix in December 1996. Unapix purchased Eyres’ From Beyond the Grave in the same deal, and issued The Gates of Time as ‘Alien Chaser’ on 22nd April 1997 via their home entertainment subdivision, A-Pix [1].

The film did commendable business – but not enough to warrant Nu Image bankrolling a fifth chapter. 

[1] A-Pix unleashed From Beyond the Grave — as ‘Judge & Jury’ — a month and a half prior, on 11th March, and went on to pump out EGM’s Dark Planet (on 21st June ‘97) and, later, The Apocalypse.