This Time Travel Movie With Martin Sheen Should’ve Launched a Sci-Fi Franchise, and It’s Now Free To Watch

It can be impossible to predict what will or will not kick off a sci-fi franchise. For example, who would’ve thought Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi satire Starship Trooperswould go from a darkly comic (and perversely entertaining) critique of fascism to a five-movie franchise that definitely doesn’t betray the actual message of the original movie? Not every ‘90s sci-fi movie starring Casper Van Dien was as lucky, though, with 1999’s The Time Shifters(a.k.a. Thrill Seekers) failing to launch a franchise despite having a very franchise-friendly time loop premise. Still, whether you’re a Time Shifter or a Thrill Seeker, this arguably underrated movie is available to stream for free right now on The Roku Channel and Prime Video’s free tier.