|
-
News
- Features
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Trancers (1985)
01/05/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Region 2 DVD: pub: Prism Leisure Corps/Empire Entertainment PPA1475. 75 minutes with no extras. Price: £ 2.99 (UK) which I got by looking around). stars: Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt and Michael Stefani. Buy Trancers in the USA - or Buy Trancers in the UK  check out website: www.prismleisure.com/
A little something to do some time. Look at the various films that you've made a copy on to video in years past that you enjoyed and see if its come out on DVD. Score bonus points if it's at a good price and you get a bona fide edition. That way you can get a copy sans adverts and no TV editing.
Cue the prolific independent low budget Charles Band and his 1985 Science Fiction film 'Trancers'. I haven't seen any of the five sequels but I do have a soft spot for this movie.
Detective Jack Deth (actor Tim Thomerson) in 2247 has returned to Earth after seemingly put an end to Martin Whistler, a man who turns his disciples into Trancers, giving them extra-ordinary manic strength and glowing eyes who attack him at will. Trancers tend to be weak-willed and subject to Whistler's orders. There are still the odd Trancer around in hiding and only by putting a wristband on them can Deth recognise them. Mind you, he doesn't always get it right and they can attack first. When dead, they glow and burn out on the floor in a manner similar to the aliens in the Quinn Martin series 'The Invaders'.
Deth chucks his badge to the arriving cops and retires. This is short-lived and he's called back into service and sent to see his world's three leaders only to find there are only two left. Whistler is still alive but in the 20th century killing their ancestors. Deth has to enter the past and stop him. To do this, he has to take over the personality of his on ancestor. Ironically, Whistler's ancestor is a police detective and Deth is a civilian. They can send back the tools he needs. A gun with serums hidden in the butt and a watch equipped with a device that can slow time down for all of eight seconds that he must use sparingly.
With the story set-up explained, we follow Deth into the past where he becomes his younger ancestor who has a girl-friend, Nina (actress Helen Hunt), whom he has to convince to help him get acquainted with the present and locate his future leaders' ancestors and chase down Whistler himself. Things aren't helped when Deth ends up killing a Trancer Santa Claus and misses one of the other ancestors. OK, from here, you're on your own and need to buy the film yourself.
Considering this is a film that is nearly a quarter of a century old, 'Trancers' holds together rather well, mostly down to performance and premise placing the effects where its needed and relies on good acting and storytelling. It would have been so easy to turn the stop action watch into a deux ex machina but both occasions its used were thoughtful, especially when Deth loses the watch for a time (did I just write that?!). 'Trancers' achieved some cult status with my generation and if you have somehow managed to miss it over the years, you certainly will become a fan after seeing this DVD.
GF Willmetts
|
|
