A year ago Full Moon Features released Trancers onto Blu-ray and I will admit it was a trip back down memory lane when I first discovered the film when I was nine years old already making the movie 4 years old to me. I remember watching this wild science fiction action film that deals with Jack Deth as he goes after a criminal mastermind by using a drug that allows them to time travel back in time to take over the body of an ancestor but along the way its revealed that trancers can be turned into twisted zombie killing machines. But it was 6 years after this films release that Full Moon decided to drop a sequel on us.
Yes, six LONG years to give a direct sequel to a successful film now with any sequel that had to wait this long you worried would the cast be changed out, would the storyline be altered to some extant or would the flair still be there that the original had? But none of these things didn't happen as almost the entire original cast came back for the sequel even with the addition of a few new faces adding new life to new characters, the story wasn't touched but the flair of the original was slightly missing in this film but the film is just as much fun as the first Trancers film.
Los Angeles, 1991. It’s been six years since Jack Deth wiped out the last of the Trancers – those zombie-like creatures whose mission is murder. Jack has rebuilt his life in the present with his new wife Lena. He’s also got a new job in commodities dealing with his old buddy, Hap Ashby, an ex-baseball hero. Now Jack’s got a strange feeling in his gut – the kind you get when Trancers are around. Jack’s sixth sense proves him right when he discovers a Trancer at Hap’s place, ready to go in for the kill. But Jack hasn’t lost his touch, and in a flash he eliminates the first of many Trancers to come. If that’s not enough, Jack learns that another special agent, Alice Stillwell, has been sent back “down the line” to the present to help fight the new wave of Trancers. Problem is, she’s Jack’s former wife, whom he thought dead, and she’s lost somewhere in Los Angeles. So Jack’s vacation is over. He’s back to his Trancer-hunting ways and must find and destroy the source of the new killer-zombies. They are actually led by Dr. Wardo, the brother of Whistler whom Jack killed five years ago. He must also find the missing Alice and decide whether to go back “up the line” with her, or stay in the present with Lena. Get ready for the ride of your life. TRANCERS II…it’s the sequel that makes history.
I like the Trancers series because I feel this was a decent take on time travel as they know that they can't really mess with time and then end up doing it and causing paradoxes. Like how can you do this? You know this can only lead to something bad. But more importantly it opened the door to making Jack Deth a staple name that I would remember in science fiction films. My only problem is I have never seen the 6th installment in this series, yeah I know I am a slacker of sorts but I just can't bring myself to want to watch something that I have no definite answer that the movie is as good as the rest of the movies in the series.
The film from my viewpoint on blu is beautifully transferred as it shows that the hard work of the crew is not lost as this film is slightly darker and has that grittier feel than the first film. Also the Blu-ray has new special content that's not available to the previously released DVD version.
-Audio commentary by Tim Thomerson, Megan Ward, and Charles Band
-Original VideoZone making-of featurette
-Rare blooper reel
-Rare photo gallery
Like I said earlier new faces to the series in this film were Megan Ward, who takes on the role of Jack's wife Alice, Alyson Croft, who portrays the ancestor of McNulty. Horror icons Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton drop into the film with nicely placed cameos and add to the cast as well as the film. But like the first film the acting of the duo of Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt in this film is perfect even if they filmed the two films 6 years apart and it seems like a glove that slipped back on nicely as the chemistry is there and they play off one another's emotions in the film.
So I will end my review of this science fiction shoot 'em up film by telling you if your a fan of Trancers then you need to do yourself a favor and get your hands on this Blu-ray before its either gone or back into the Full Moon vault. I for one am waiting for them to release part 3 onto Blu-ray because it brings Texas Chainsaw Massacre alum R. A. Mihailoff into the series. So stop reading and head over to http://www.fullmoondirect.com/ and get this film. Hell while your there even pick up some of their other films as well or even sign up for the Full Moon Stream and you can get upwards to either 3 or 6 free BLU's or DVD's depending on what length of streaming service you pick up. So do yourself a favor and do this, trust us. Its well worth the money!!!!!
reviewed by Bucky
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