5.8
Angel City trooper Jack Deth is sent back in time from 2247 to 1985 L.A. to inhabit the body of his ancestor. Deth's assignment is to find his archenemy, Whistler, who turns people into zombies, before the fiend is able to kill all the ancestors of the future's governing council.
Tim Thomerson
Trooper Jack Deth
Helen Hunt
Leena
Biff Manard
Hap Ashby
Michael Stefani
Martin Whistler / Detective Weisling
Art LaFleur
McNulty
Telma Hopkins
Ruth Raines
Richard Herd
Chairman Spencer
Anne Seymour
Chairman Ashe
Miguel Fernandes
Officer Lopez
Pete Schrum
Santa Claus
Barbara Perry
Mrs. Santa Claus
Brad Logan
Bull
Minnie Summers Lindsey
Mom
Richard Erdman
Drunken Wise Man
Wiley Harker
Dapper Old Man
Alyson Croft
Baby McNulty
Michael McGrady
Chris Lavery
Ed McClarty
Jerry the Punk
Don Ross
Security Guard
Kymberly Sheppard
Newswoman
Nicky Beat
Butthead
Lantza Krantz
Butthead
Clu Gulager
Mall Security Guard
Helen Kelly
Punk Girl (uncredited)
Director
Charles Band
Writer
Danny Bilson
Writer
Paul De Meo
September 1, 2024
6
**_Fun time-travel sci-fi thriller with a young Helen Hunt_**
A no-nonsense detective in 2247 (Tim Thomerson) has to go back in time to stop a cult leader who has the power to mesmerize people into a zombie-like state. He enlists a likable blonde to assist him, an assistant for Santa at the local mall (Helen Hunt).
"Trancers" (1984) has similarities to “The Terminator” mixed with a little “Blade Runner” and Humphrey Bogart, but that more popular James Cameron film is vastly superior because it had 14 times the budget; it also beat it to theaters. This one has a wink of amusement, like they weren’t taking it too seriously. Still, if you can roll with that, it’s entertaining enough and has some interesting ideas, like the unique method of time travel with people going back by injecting a drug that enables them to take over the body of an ancestor.
It obviously influenced “Warlock,” which came out five years later, and was popular enough to produce six sequels between 1988-2002. I’m including the 20-minute 1988 short “Trancers: City of Lost Angels,” which wasn’t actually released until 2013 because it was originally set to appear on a shelved anthology called “Pulse Pounders.” The proper full-length sequel, “Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth,” debuted in 1991 with Thomerson, Hunt and Biff Manard returning from this one.
Helen was 21 during shooting and never looked better. Exhibit A is her opening scene in a green leotard.
The flick’s short ‘n’ sweet at 1 hour, 16 minutes. It was shot in Los Angeles, except for the beach scene in nearby Malibu. The mall sequence was filmed at Panorama Mall.
GRADE: B-
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$400,000.00
Revenue:
$0.00