Trancers 3: Deth Lives (1992)

Admirable film.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

If you have t seen the original Trancers film, and it's sequel, you'd be forgiven to think that this was just some random TV pilot that never made it to fruition.Jack Deth is timejacked to 2247 to save Angel City from a new wave of trancers. His mission is to find the origin of the trancers and end it with extreme prejudice. Jack learns that the new trancer program is government sponsored, and that his usual shoot everything attitude might not work this time. With R.J. and Shark, a crystal powered cyborg, Deth will have to find a way inside the trancer program and shut it down........It's bonkers for sure, But the way that everyone keeps a straight face throughout the whole thing is beyond me.....there is so much breaking of the fourth wall, and winking to the camera, you'd think that this was almost a fan made film.Thomerson has a classic screen presence, like he should have starred in some big movies from the thirties, but instead he became the B-movie Clarke Gable, and gained a massive following from doing so.Helen Hunt turns up looking a little bemused by the whole thing, as she was obviously hitting the big time around this point, and must have been contracted to do the whole blooming thing.It's really cheap, we have a random monster that travels around in a cheap looking Tardis, and Andrew Robinson plays the villain, because Ronny Cox must have been doing some other bad guy duty.It's an acquired taste, but although it's not very good, it's not on for very long, and it's bright and breezy.

I'm a fan of what I've seen so far from the "Trancers" film series. Granted, the second was somewhat disappointing, but the premise is still fun here, and it's executed in fine B movie fashion. Tim Thomerson is once again hugely enjoyable as sarcastic, sardonic Trancer hunter Jack Deth. Some of his former co-stars have no more than extended cameos, but there are great contributions by some new cast members.Written and directed by C. Courtney Joyner, this sees Jack working as a low rent private eye in 1992, complete with a hilariously cheesy, inept commercial, who's abducted and taken down the line to the year 2352, where he finds out that the Trancers have taken over and made life miserable for the humans that are left. He's assigned by Harris (Stephen Macht) to go back in time to the year 2005, to try to destroy those damn Trancers at their source.This sequel is very short and sweet (even shorter than the first movie), with decent action, makeup effects by the KNB guys, and good production design for the low budget. As usual, there are some good laughs to be had. Only the conclusion fails to be truly satisfying, serving mainly to set up further sequels. What this movie does have is a great villain, played to the hilt by Andrew Robinson of "Dirty Harry" fame; the role was actually written with Robinson in mind. It's nice to see Helen Hunt, Megan Ward, and Telma Hopkins from the previous entries. R.A. Mihailoff is a hoot as towering alien Shark, whom Jack takes to calling "Godzilla". And the script does come up with an interesting explanation for how the Trancers came to exist in the first place.In the end, it's the wonderful Thomerson who makes the "Trancers" series what it is; it wouldn't be the same without him.Seven out of 10.

A marked improvement over the strictly so-so first sequel, with a much darker tone, more (often grisly) violence, yet still retaining a nice line in frequently amusing sarcastic wit, and topped off by a spot on savage critique of military megalomania run dangerously amok, this third entry in the series finds rough'n'tumble ace trancer hunter Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson in splendidly sardonic form) traveling to 2005 to stop the fanatical Col. Daddy Muthuh (deliciously essayed with lip-smacking fiendish relish by Andrew Robinson) from succeeding with his trancer experiments on trainee soldiers. Writer/director C. Courtney Joyner largely downplays the light tongue-in-cheek sensibility of the prior pictures in favor of more gritty and hard-around-the-edges pulpy noir attitude (for example, Jack at the start of the film is eking out a living as a private detective). Moreover, Joyner keeps the pace snappy and nonstop throughout, stages the plentiful action set pieces with real flair, delivers a few startling outbursts of brutal violence, and concludes everything with a funny open ending that leaves room for more sequels. The sturdy acting from a capable cast helps matters a whole lot, with especially praiseworthy work by Melanie Smith as tough, perky deserter R.J., Tony Pierce as oily trouble shooter Jason, Megan Ward as the feisty Alice Stillwell, Dawn Ann Billings as Muthuh's fierce prize subject Jana, Stephen Macht as Jack's hard-bitten superior Harris, R.A. Mihailoff as hulking and intimidating robot Shark, and, in a regrettably minor role, Helen Hunt as Jack's fed-up wife Lena. Adolfo Bartoli's sharp cinematography makes neat occasional use of strenuous slow motion. The moody pulsating score by Phil Davies, Mark Ryder, and Richard Band likewise hits the spot. A worthy follow-up to the terrific original.

The first "Trancers" was light-hearted fun. "Trancers III" plays up the dark film-noir aspects of the concept and adds a healthy dose of violence, not to mention a scathing attack on military "morality." Much ham acting and some tacky moments (including a dual trancing/sex scene) detract from what is, overall, a commendable attempt to make a serious science fiction film. On first viewing, I hated this one, but a few years later the social commentary sunk in. This does not rate high on my "fun" meter, but it is well made. Look for Helen Hunt in a teeny-tiny cameo, on the verge of stardom but still with one foot in the B-movie camp.