Trancers II (1991) Reviews

• Enjoyable Flick!!!

  JimSthers2001-12-14

  I really enjoyed this movie, it had action, plot and some funny one-liners, what I liked the best was the amazing cast: HELEN HUNT, JEFFREY COMBS, BARBARA CRAMPTON, MEGAN WARD, MARTINE BESWICKE, and TIM THOMERSON. I think this is one of the best movies that Full Moon did in the 90's. Its a fun film, watch it.

• A Sad Sequel

  CheeseDogX2010-02-09

  The original Trancers is not by any means a great movie. It had massive plot holes and very little in the way of internal logic. However, it was entertaining, better done than most low-budget B-movies, and could be surprisingly witty. Unfortunately, Trancers II is none of these. Trancers II suffers from many of the same problems of most flop sequels. The plot is thin enough to see through and the writing is insipid. It seems that the people behind this movie felt that bringing the familiar faces of the first movie back would be enough, and didn't bother with anything else. Not even veteran B-grade actors like Tim Thomerson and Jeffery Combs were able to drag this film out of the muck. A brief plot overview: Jack Deth (Thomerson) is a cop from the future who was sent to 1985 to save the ancestors of members of his government. Trancers II takes place six years after the events of the first Trancers. Jack Deth is married to Lena (Helen Hunt), the woman he met in the first movie, and both live with Hap Ashby, the man Deth was sent into the past to protect. It is discovered that the brother of Whistler (the bad guy from the first movie) has traveled back in time to create an army of Trancers, people turned into mindless killing zombies, to kill Ashby. Complicating Jack's mission is the fact that his first wife, who had died long before Jack traveled to the past, was also sent back to stop Whistler's brother, and now Jack finds himself working with her. I have two real problems with this movie. One is that the method of creating Trancers in this movie is radically different from the methods used in the first movie. What makes it annoying is that, in a rather poor example of Soviet Revisionism, they act like it was always the technique. The other thing that annoys me is that the love triangle between Deth, Lena, and Alice Stilwell (Jack's first wife) is given very little screen time. This bothered me particularly because it was much more interesting than the actual plot of the movie. It felt like it was just something that was thrown in to fill space in the movie. Alice's character in particular seems very unconcerned with the fact that she is reunited with her husband only to find he's re-married, making her either very shallow or very poorly written. The only reason I can think of for watching this movie is if you're interested in watching the entire Trancers series (currently totaling six movies). Otherwise, even if you're a fan of the original Trancers, stay away from this tepid sequel.

• VERY GOOD.

  mr_pivac19852003-02-27

  I really enjoyed this film it was great, even better then the first one. It was great action,scifi,and even a bit of comedy. this film was done in such an excellent way, well done to all involved. I strongly suggest you see this film if you havent already. 10/10

• Stands on its own and successfully continues the saga of Jack Deth

  ersinkdotcom2015-02-25

  Charles Band takes the reins again on this energetic and enjoyable follow-up to his original 1984 cult film. Just don't expect the same hard-boiled noir feel as the first or you'll be disappointed. "Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth" sees our heroic trooper (Tim Thomerson) returning again to save a Los Angeles commodities broker from zombies. Things get complicated when his wife (Megan Ward) from the future is sent back to help him. His wife in the present, Lena (Helen Hunt), is none too happy to see her. Jack is now stuck balancing two women and trying to destroy a sinister plot involving Trancers. It's amazing that Band could bring together most of the cast from the first "Trancers" to reprise their roles. A lot can happen in seven years and Helen Hunt was about to blow up big-time on TV and the big screen. On top of that, he added impressive newcomers Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Richard Lynch, and Bond girl Martine Beswick to the mix. "Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth" is rated R for adult situations, violence and gore, profanity, smoking and drinking, and frightening and intense scenes. If released today, the movie would be PG-13 at the most. There's some blood-splattering when the Trancers are shot, but nothing more since they then disintegrate in a flash of light. Adult situations are made up of some kissing and talk. Sci-Fi actioner "Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth" makes the most of a low budget through its setting in the past and minimal need for special effects. The look of the title beasties is accomplished through practical make-up and the only need for VFX comes when the monsters evaporate in a haze of laser lighting. Writers Jackson Barr and Charles Band build an engaging story through the use of a bizarre love triangle, humor, drama, and adventure. Although this sequel doesn't hold quite the same charm as the original, it stands on its own and successfully continues the saga of Jack Deth.

• So-so sequel

  Woodyanders2010-12-06

  The original "Trancers" had a wit and spark to it which in turn made it one of the most inspired and enjoyable low-budget sci-fi sleepers from the 80s. This rather forced belated sequel tries a tad too hard to recapture the spirit of the first one with strictly middling results. Tim Thomerson still has the right cynical stuff as Jack Deth, who this time fights Whistler's brother E.D. Ward (smoothly played by Richard Lynch) who has started his own organization called Green World that's really a sinister front for a trancer farm. Alas, Charles Band's pedestrian direction and Jackson Barr's needlessly convoluted script both result in a very uneven on and off pace: The story really plods in the first two thirds and the initial action set pieces are blandly staged, but fortunately things pick up to a good degree in the pretty exciting last third. A worthy cast of familiar B-movie faces keeps it watchable enough: Martine Beswicke as the evil Nurse Trotter, a goateed Jeffrey Combs as Wardo's antsy assistant Dr. Pyle, Art LeFleur as Deth's hard-nosed boss McNulty, and Barbara Crampton as talk show host Sadie Brady. Helen Hunt is her usual sweet and charming self as the spunky Lena, the adorable Megan Ward adds some much-needed vitality as Jack's feisty first wife Alice Stillwell, Bill Manard is a hoot as reformed drunk Hap Ashby, Sonny Carl Davis contributes an amusing turn as wacky hospital orderly Rabbit, and late, great veteran character actor John Davis Chandler has a nifty bit part as a baseball-playing wino. However, the humor is hit or miss: A sizable amount of Jack's one-liners fall flat, although the squabbling between Lena and Alice does provide a few mildly funny moments. Both Adolfo Bartoli's slick cinematography and the moody synth score by Phil Davies and Mark Ryder are up to par. Acceptable, but it should have been so much better.