I'm a fan of what I've seen so far from the "Trancers" film series. Granted, the second was somewhat disappointing, but the premise is still fun here, and it's executed in fine B movie fashion. Tim Thomerson is once again hugely enjoyable as sarcastic, sardonic Trancer hunter Jack Deth. Some of his former co-stars have no more than extended cameos, but there are great contributions by some new cast members.
Written and directed by C. Courtney Joyner, this sees Jack working as a low-rent private eye in 1992, complete with a hilariously cheesy, inept commercial, who's abducted and taken down the line to the year 2352, where he finds out that the Trancers have taken over and made life miserable for the humans that are left. He's assigned by Harris (Stephen Macht) to go back in time to the year 2005, to try to destroy those damn Trancers at their source.
This sequel is very short and sweet (even shorter than the first movie), with decent action, makeup effects by the KNB guys, and good production design for the low budget. As usual, there are some good laughs to be had. Only the conclusion fails to be truly satisfying, serving mainly to set up further sequels. What this movie does have is a great villain, played to the hilt by Andrew Robinson of "Dirty Harry" fame; the role was actually written with Robinson in mind. It's nice to see Helen Hunt, Megan Ward, and Telma Hopkins from the previous entries. R. A. Mihailoff is a hoot as towering, crystal-powered cyborg Shark, whom Jack takes to calling "Godzilla". And the script does come up with an interesting explanation for how the Trancers came to exist in the first place.
In the end, it's the wonderful Thomerson who makes the "Trancers" series what it is; it wouldn't be the same without him.
Seven out of 10.
Written and directed by C. Courtney Joyner, this sees Jack working as a low-rent private eye in 1992, complete with a hilariously cheesy, inept commercial, who's abducted and taken down the line to the year 2352, where he finds out that the Trancers have taken over and made life miserable for the humans that are left. He's assigned by Harris (Stephen Macht) to go back in time to the year 2005, to try to destroy those damn Trancers at their source.
This sequel is very short and sweet (even shorter than the first movie), with decent action, makeup effects by the KNB guys, and good production design for the low budget. As usual, there are some good laughs to be had. Only the conclusion fails to be truly satisfying, serving mainly to set up further sequels. What this movie does have is a great villain, played to the hilt by Andrew Robinson of "Dirty Harry" fame; the role was actually written with Robinson in mind. It's nice to see Helen Hunt, Megan Ward, and Telma Hopkins from the previous entries. R. A. Mihailoff is a hoot as towering, crystal-powered cyborg Shark, whom Jack takes to calling "Godzilla". And the script does come up with an interesting explanation for how the Trancers came to exist in the first place.
In the end, it's the wonderful Thomerson who makes the "Trancers" series what it is; it wouldn't be the same without him.
Seven out of 10.