Rent Trancers (1984)

Terminator 1.5 - Days Of Cheaper Past - Trancers review by Count Otto Black

Firstly, I have to point out that, as with so many obscure movies from this era, the DVD version is a crude transfer from video, and this one's worse than most. In addition to being cropped to fit a TV screen, it's so grainy that the whole film's a little bit out of focus. It's watchable, but only just. If that's going to seriously bother you, read no further, and don't rent the movie!

Otherwise, it's a dreadful film, but in an enjoyably stupid way. As you may have guessed from the synopsis, it's a shameless rip-off of "The Terminator", only with a tenth of the budget (at most), none of those expensive robots, and instead of James Cameron, the guy who went on to direct "Evil Bong 3: The Wrath Of Bong!", amongst many other timeless classics. It also tries desperately to be "Blade Runner", and occasionally turns into a zombie film for a couple of minutes, because bad actors in zombie makeup are much cheaper than killer cyborgs. And talking of bad actors, some of the cast are practically at the Plan 9 level, and only veteran TV actress Anne Seymour in a minor supporting rôle really seems to be trying.

Naturally, the script abounds in huge lapses of logic, plot holes you could fly the Death Star through, and random stuff they just made up as they went along, such as the bad guy's superpower of turning people into zombies by telepathy. But you know what? "Loopers" didn't too badly at the box office, and it's not noticeably less logical than this film. In fact, it's oddly similar in so many ways that I can't help feeling the writers of "Loopers" saw "Trancers" and took notes. And there are a few scenes that weirdly prefigure "The Matrix" too; maybe this absurd little film is more influential than anybody realizes?

All the same, you have to love how relentlessly eighties it is, especially that not very authentic looking punk nightclub in which a band called the Buttheads sing "Jingle Bells". It's kinda fun, but in an ironic sort of way, where the unintentional humor works better than the scripted gags, and I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been constantly squinting at the screen. Oh, and about that 18 certificate? These days, if they cut several uses of the f-word, I'm not sure it would even be a 12.

Silly SciFi - Trancers review by GI

It's been many years since I last watched this B movie sci-fi heavily influenced by Blade Runner (1982) and possibly The Terminator (1984) and certainly styled like the films of John Carpenter. It's become a bit of a cult favourite despite its obvious cheapness and shoddy acting, effects and plot. Tim Thomerson plays Jack Deth, a cop from a dystopian future who is sent back in time to the Los Angeles of 1984 to hunt down the bad guy who turns people into obedient zombie like followers called Trancers. Helen Hunt is the girl who helps him and in whom he falls in love. It's all complete nonsense and follows the mode set by Blade Runner of the classic hard boiled detective genre crossed over into science fiction. No one is taking any of it seriously and it did spawn a couple of sequels. But it hasn't aged well.