Trancers (1987)
Tagline: ‘Jack Deth is back…and he’s never even been here before’
UK Running Time: 76 Minutes
Film Quality: 3/5
Gore Content: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 4/5
Originality: 2/5
Introduction
Coming from Charles Band’s prolific low budget production company Full Moon, ‘Trancers’ on the face of it is a pretty unambitious ‘Terminator’ knock off but it rises well above their very un-lofty pretences. What you get is a deceptively smart, very economic little b-movie that seems to have endured with five sequels, a short film as part of an anthology and two comic book adaptations.In a nutshell
The year is 2257 and the villainous Whistler has gone back in time to kill the ancestors of the grand council and seize power for himself and his brainwashed, murderous cult followers known as ‘Trancers’. Trooper Jack Deth thought he’d trapped and killed Whistler before taking it upon himself to “mop up the strays” of his Trancer army. He must go back in time to present day Los Angeles to stop Whistler fulfilling his plan before it’s too late…the future of mankind depends on it! |
| The permanently pissed off Tim Thomerson |
What’s good about it?
Yes, it sounds like a ‘Terminator’ rip-off but it’s an incredibly honest and fun film. The first thing you notice when you watch it is how fast it moves…it doesn’t labour the point, rifling through each of its scenes and depending on character interaction and some nifty gadgets to fill in the plot holes of which there are plenty! Add to that a running time that’s shorter than some episodes of ‘Masterchef’ (but with more portions of cheese!) you’re left with a very compact little movie.Let’s take a moment to look at the gadgets, the best of which is (and this isn’t much of a spoiler as it’s handed to Deth by a female ‘Q’ in the first ten minutes) a ten second watch. If the wearer depresses a button on the side it gives him or her a ‘long second’ which drags out that one second to ten. The time travel element is different because it is the individual’s consciousness that travels through time, ending up in the body of an ancestor. This, of course, leaves the individual’s body as a virtual shell in the future which is an important element of the story. It’s an inventive and budget-saving idea that requires no explanation other than a few throwaway remarks that they’re “going down the line”.
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| The lovely Helen Hunt |
I’ve already mentioned the character interaction and central to this is the pairing of the Oscar-winning Helen Hunt and the wonderful Tim Thomerson in full-on ‘Dirty Harry’ mode. He’s old enough to be her Dad but somehow the relationship works and in such a short space of time. The chemistry is there, the lines are there and though it’s not a Sarah Connor/Kyle Reese love story it’s a believable coming together of “two lost souls”.
Thankfully everyone is fully aware that it’s a b-movie and the tongue isn’t just planted firmly in cheek, it’s planted, sown, fed and watered to provide a field of tongues ready for the cheeky harvest. Central to that is Thomerson whose sardonic delivery of lines such as ‘Nice tan, very Christmassy’ and film noir style voiceover of the calibre of “It’s July now and I’m tired….real tired” is just done with the kind of deadpan wit to appear straight without sounding serious. He just seems so genuinely pissed off with everything.
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| 'Lost Angeles' - slightly naff effects but a striking image |
What about the bad?
As with any time travel movie, continuity is the main gripe. The writers try and go about it by coming at it from the future’s point of view and sending a person’s consciousness back in time rather than their physical selves but there are questions. Deth’s boss McNulty’s character only seems to be able to find a child as an ancestor, what about her parents (although it does make for a few good gags!)?Also, it really isn’t the most original movie ever made and it does have the feel of a cheap knock off, despite some nifty ideas. It’s perhaps a little harsh to be too critical, it is after all a low budget movie, but production values aren’t particularly high and huge savings were clearly made by having some very low-tech future scenes.
Any themes?
Yikes..."She's a Trancer!"
A few comments on the nature of the weak willed doing the bidding of
charismatic evil men. Nothing is really explained about how a Trancer becomes a
Trancer, why they die the way they do and why they sometimes have the
appearance of zombies. Hypnotism is implied so how the tame body horror aspect
comes in is anyone’s guess. What we do know is that it only works on the weak
minded so it’s interesting that he seemingly manages to ‘Trance’ most of the
LAPD!
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| The excellent 88 Films release - Brilliant artwork |
Release history
No censorship problems this was released on video in the UK on Entertainment in Video and there was a bare bones dvd release early on. It was recently released on blu ray by 88 Films with a number of bonus features, documentaries, a commentary featuring Thomerson and numerous trailers.Cultural impact?
A disproportionate five sequels, all of which feature Thomerson as Jack Deth with Helen Hunt departing after Trancers 2. Jack Deth also has a brief appearance in Charles Band’s slightly bizarre 2006 feature ‘Evil Bong’ and there was a half hour section of the anthology film ‘Pulse Pounders’ called ‘Trancers: City of Lost Angels’ in 1988 which has the amusing premise of Lena getting cheesed off with Deth because he’s enjoying the 80s too much! The film was never released and considered lost but this segment turned up in 88’s blu ray release. |
| Lovely artwork... |
There were also two comic book adaptations, a two issue run in 1991 to cash in on the relativesuccess of the first two films and a three issue run in 2015 which takes a similar premise to the first film but runs with it in a different direction as Deth is framed for a murder he didn’t commit inn 1985.
Final thoughts
Quality cheese from the ham-meister Charles Band that benefits hugely from a talented acting cast and a beautifully compact running time. Great humour and a zippy script make for a fun and effective way to spend an hour and a quarter.Memorable Quotes:
Jack Deth: “What kind of name is Peter Gunn?Mrs Santa Claus: “Security, we’ve got trouble at the North Pole”
Kid: “Mom, that guy just shot Santa Claus”
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