Claudio Carvalho In the Twentieth-Third Century, in Angel City, the trooper Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) hunts down the criminal Martin Whistler (Michael Stefani) that killed his wife and turns weak-minded people into Trancers to follow his command. Jack is assigned by the government to travel to 1985 to chase Whistler that has fled to the past to kill their ancestors and assume the government. The way to travel in time is injecting a drug that makes the consciousness of the user traveling through ancestors. Jack learns that Whistler left his body in the Twentieth-Third Century and took over his ancestor, L.A. Police Detective Weisling. Before traveling to the past, Jack destroys Whistler's body to trap him in the past. Jack awakes in the body of the journalist Phil Dethton that had one night stand with the sexy photographer Leena (Helen Hunt). Jack teams up with Leena to look for the the ancestors of the member of the government, but Whistler has the power of the police. Will they succeed?"Trancers" is a cult sci-fi film directed by Charles Band in a film- noir style. The idea of traveling in time through ancestors is unique and the story has action and humor in right doses. Helen Hunt is very cute and shows great chemistry with Tim Thomerson). My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Trancers – O Exterminador do Século XXIII" ("Trancers – The Terminator from the Twentieth-Third Century")

ersinkdotcom In the early 1990s, my Friday and Saturday nights were spent at home watching movie after movie of whatever I could find in my local video store. I would first scour the shelves for the newest horror, sci-fi, or action flicks and then move on to older or lesser known titles. Thus, my love affair with Full Moon Features and straight-to-video fare began. I would literally scoop up anything with a Full Moon logo on it and spend hours in the dark of my living room devouring "Subspecies," "Puppet Master," "Demonic Toys," "Robot Jox," and anything else I could get my hands on. The "Trancers" movies were among those B-movie gems I would pick up.Let's face it. Without Charles Band and Full Moon Features, there wouldn't be the Asylum, SyFy Channel, Anchor Bay, or any other independent genre companies giving us "Sharknado," "Mega Piranha," and "Metal Shifters."Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is an Angel City trooper sent back in time to the Los Angeles of 1985. He is assigned to inhabit the body of his ancestor in order to find his arch-enemy, Whistler (Michael Stefani), who turns people into zombies. Deth must stop him before is able to kill all the ancestors of the members of the future governing council. "Trancers" is a perfect example of everything Full Moon and Charles Band was creating in the early and mid-1980s. It's obvious they saw blockbuster films and wanted to make their own low-budget versions of them for genre fans to enjoy. After all, once you saw "Blade Runner," "The Terminator," and "Total Recall," where could you get more of those types of entertainment to enjoy? Band and his army of filmmakers filled that niche perfectly.You don't get any more 1980s than "Trancers." As the director and producer of the movie, Charles Band injected it with as much noir flavor as he could wring out of "Blade Runner" without being sued for plagiarism. You've got the long trench coats with the added flare of shoulder pads. Couple that with weird bolos, shirt collars, and ties and you have a futuristic beat cop ready to take down any zombie or android he comes up against in the past. Let's not forget Helen Hunt's crazy puffed-up hair and her fixation with punk rock. Just like Kyle Reese in James Cameron's "The Terminator," Jack Deth somehow makes his way into a nightclub to enjoy some tunes from a bygone era as he pursues his murderous target. Like they say, "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." "Trancers" is unrated, but would be worthy of a PG-13 if put before the MPAA. There are some adult situations with no nudity. The language and violence is what you would expect from any genre movie these days.All in all, enthusiasts of 1980s B-movies will love "Trancers" The film is filled with fun practical effects, film noir overtones, and plenty of action for everyone to enjoy. It's an essential item for any sci-fi devotee's home entertainment library.

Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki Wonderfully cheeseball 80s scifi flick, about Jack Deth, an ex-cop, (or bounty hunter, something like that) begins in the 23rd century, with Deth being sent back in time to 1985 LA, to sort of retroactively eliminate trancers: mindless zombies controlled by a guy called Whistler, who uses them to do his evil bidding. Whistler has gone into the past to kill the ancestors of those who try to stop him in the future, and Jack Deth is sent to inhabit the body of one of his own ancestors, to try to stop Whistler. Opening scenes have effects straight out of an old 1950s kiddie movie, but that's part of the fun. We've had killer Santas, now we have a Trancer Santa (I can't even type that without chuckling at how ridiculous it sounds) In the future, L.A. is underwater, Jack Deth is even searching for the underwater remains of Grauman's Chinese Theatre! Helen Hunt, back when she was still really cute, takes Deth to hear a punk band playing Jingle Bells. Tim Thomerson is a blast as Jack Deth, clad in a trenchcoat, cigarette dangling from one side of his mouth, often times illuminated by neon lighting, he looks like a character straight out of a 1940s B-movie. The goofball even strikes a match on his teeth! The (many) sequels, of varying quality, never could match the charm and wonder of this; nor could its maker, Charles Band.

CheeseDogX Five out of ten might seem a bit generous for a movie I just called bad, but Trancers is a rare gem. It's a low-grade B movie that knows it's a low-grade B movie and isn't ashamed. There are some gaping plot holes (the bad guy's entire scheme, for instance), but even with that it's a fun ride if you're into cheesy Sci-Fi films.Jack Deth, a nearly-but-not-quite cookie cutter rogue cop, has to travel 300 years into the past to the year 1985. He is after a notorious cult leader/terrorist from his time named Whistler, who is killing the ancestors of the council of Angel City (the remains of Los Angeles). Whistler has the ability to turn people into the titular Trancers, mindless killing machines.One of the charms of this movie is the fact that it at times pokes fun at itself, such as when people point out the main character's rather strange name. Also, some of Deth's wise-acre comments are genuinely amusing in a dry, hard-boiled sort of way.The movie is handicapped mostly by its thin and at times ridiculous plot, as well as its at times wholly uninspired script. In the first few minutes of the film, the screenplay seems to be trying to cram the Jack Deth's renegade persona down your throat, but Tim Thomserson manages to take the role and turn Deth into a surprisingly likable character. The acting is pretty good across the board for a film of this caliber, and I'm a little surprised Helen Hunt is the only actor who went on to bigger and better things.If you're the kind of person who likes to sit back and chuckle at a well-made turkey, this film is right up your alley. If you've got friends who just don't understand why you like B films so much, this one might change their minds. As long as you can set aside things like plot holes and low budgets, you should be in for a good time.