Trancers

 


Moviedrome Introduction


Film Details

Release Date: 1984

Director: Charles Band

Stars:
Tim Thomerson – Jack Deth
Helen Hunt – Lena

Plot Summary

In the 23rd century, Jack Deth (played by Tim Thomerson) is a hard-boiled detective hunting down Whistler, a criminal mastermind who can control weak-willed individuals, turning them into zombie-like "Trancers." When Whistler escapes to 1985 by inhabiting the body of one of his ancestors, Jack follows him, using a form of time travel that sends his consciousness back into the body of his ancestor.

Jack teams up with Lena (Helen Hunt), a punkish 1980s woman, to track Whistler and prevent him from assassinating the ancestors of future city council members, which would alter the future.

Personal History

Even as a vociferous consumer of home videos in the 80s, it remains unknown. Probably where it should have been left.

Current Review

All I will say is there appears to be a loose theme to Season 2 of Moviedrome. This could be the bastard hybrid of Night of the Comet and Alphaville. 

Night of the Comet - so dated 1980s cheese-fest. Surely no decade/genre has dates as badly as 1980s Scifi. Synths. Check. Ray guns. Check. Terrible special effects. Check.

Alphaville - a very noirish cop sent from the future to protect the ancestors of those causing the current world leaders problems. I need to check the release date of Terminator. Which at least did it with flair.

I was out from the very beginning. A fist fight between a macintosh wearing detective and an aging black zombie.

Positives - a very youthful Helen Hunt reigniting a movie career that had seemingly stalled. Of course, she was in an improbable romance with someone nearly old enough to be her father.

Moviedrome enjoyed the Santa fight scene. At least I watched it at the right time of the year.

 

Quirky Facts

Nothing much - but incredibly, it spawned a number of sequels.

Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Deth: Last January, I finally singed Martin Whistler out on one of the rim planets. Since then, I've been hunting down the last of his murdering cult. We call them "Trancers:" slaves to Whistler's psychic power. Not really alive, not dead enough. It's July now, and I'm tired. Real tired.


Jack Deth: What kind of name is Peter Gunn?
Leena: What kind of name is Jack Deth?

Sustenance

Oh come on!

Future Inspiration

See sustenance.


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