In 1964, a group of scientists create a portal that takes them to a barren, mutant inhabited, Earth in the year 2071.The general assumption is that if a film is picked to be on "Mystery Science Theater", it must be a bad movie. And more often than not, this is correct. They really have found the worst of the worst. But "Time Travelers" is not one of them.Yes, some of the acting is a bit silly, and there to plenty to make fun of. Some of the science does not really make very much sense. But you have to be impressed by the work that went into the androids. Wow. For what was likely a very low budget, the androids come off as some quality work. And mixing in a few clever tricks of the camera turns simple scenes into complex ones.

Three scientists and the inevitable everyday Joe are catapulted over a hundred years into the future by a lab accident, into a post-apocalyptic nightmare in which atomic war has devastated the planet. Pursued by a band of savage mutants, they're rescued by the last few humans, a small group of scientists and technicians engaged in a race against time to construct a starship and get away before the more numerous mutants can break through their defenses.None of these elements is particularly new to the genre, but writer/director Ib Melchior manages to combine them into a fairly entertaining and occasionally original piece of "upper low-budget" sf cinema. This isn't to say that the pace doesn't occasionally lag a bit toward the middle, with some sequences feeling like they were inserted just to pad out the running time. (Like a totally unnecessary scene devoted to what's supposed to be a demonstration of their futuristic "matter transmitter", which is clearly just a stage magician's prop.)Mostly, though, there's scarcely a moment wasted in exposition or character development, as the story barrels along to its truly unique conclusion.Set design, miniatures, costuming and makeup -- particularly the androids -- are surprisingly good, for its budget. The optical effects are sparse but imaginative. Though it's early in his distinguished career, having Vilmos Zsigmond behind the camera also contributes considerably to making this a much more polished and expensive-looking production than you'd normally expect to see from American International.

I first saw this movie back in 1965 or 1966, when I was 5 or 6 years old. The mutants really scared me, and I had some bad nightmares. So I would not recommend this film for small children. I recently re watched this and found it not too scary (for adults) but still a good, thought-provoking film. It is a low budget film so some of the special effects and script are obviously dated, but this film heavily influenced Star Trek, and The Time Tunnel was also a spin-off. The scene where Dr White first encounters a half-mutant/half human is still kind of creepy. And the doomsday scenario and the race against time and the mutants lends some good suspense. This film deserves a wider audience, and would be a good candidate for a serious-minded remake.

American International Pictures had a reputation for turning out cheap sensational movies. But every once in a while they would spend money on a project to make a respectable movie and this is one of them. Ah, the days when independent stations would show movies like this Saturday afternoon or late Saturday nights. Many a rainy day was spent with a local host watching screen gems like this. An excellent and provocative movie from the 60's! One of the overlooked gems of sci-fi. It explored some real paradoxes and took some real risks--including an actual physically-challenged actor to play an atomic-scarred mutant. Watch for the scene where "Famous Monsters" editor Forrest Ackermann has a cameo. The screenplay was by Ib Melchior, who also did the excellent "Robinson Crusoe on Mars". This film concept, storyline and even direct dialog were later used to create the 1967 low budget film "Journey Through The Center of Time." While I have just rediscovered "Journey..." I had absolutely no idea that "TTT" existed, with "Journey..." even getting more theater exposure and later television airplay. I am a big fan of "Journey..." but I am also a HUGE fan of AIP, Sam Arkoff is my hero. It is rumored that this film was the basic idea for the Irwin Allen's TV show, "The Time Tunnel". I saw this film as a matinée item sometime in the mid-sixties, and of course never forgot it. Later at the Hollywood Egyptian theater around 2003, Steve Franken and director Ib Melchior hosted a screening and Q&A afterward. I should have been there to honor both of them. The film gave me a lot of entertainment. I recall the mutant attack on the androids, and one of them being beaten to a pulp. I'll look forward to getting the original length movie on DVD one day...