Most critics treat Timecop as cheerful, undemanding action and are prepared to enjoy it on those terms. The reviews lean mixed rather than hostile: the praise clusters around Van Damme’s physicality and the quantity of kickboxing on offer, with several finding him funnier than expected, particularly in his scenes opposite his younger self. Nearly everyone agrees the time-travel plot makes little sense, and most decide that does not matter much.
The split is over whether the confusion matters. The two negative reviews, from Variety and the Los Angeles Times, think it does: the former finds the action repetitive and the premise wasted despite handsome production design and effects, the latter finds the violence excessive and the whole thing unwelcoming to anyone not already a fan. Later reviews are warmer, with Eye for Film singling out Ron Silver’s villain as the film’s best asset. The spread is wide, from the mid-seventies down to the low thirties, with most settling somewhere in the middle.