Trancers II

"Trancers II" is pretty good for a sequel but lacks creativity that the low budget "Trancers" did. It has all the original characters from part one but is basically a retread. Check out the sequel "Trancers III: Deth Lives", it's much better.

Trancers II (1991) is another entry in the series that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline picks up six years after the first film, with Jack now settled down with Lena and running a struggling private eye business. His quiet life is disrupted when his deceased wife reappears, along with a scientist creating Trancers on Earth.

Directed by Charles Band (Puppet Master), the film stars Tim Thomerson (Dollman), Helen Hunt (Twister), Megan Ward (Encino Man), and Art LaFleur (The Sandlot).

With Tim Thomerson and Megan Ward, the film has a bit of a "poor man's Rutger Hauer and Phoebe Cates" 80s vibe. The storyline is somewhat uneven, as are the writing and character interactions, leading to a mixed sense of chemistry and tone. Still, there are some enjoyable moments, like the opening scene at the landscaping site and the pitchfork sequence. Overall, it's a fun watch and an above-average addition to the sci-fi genre. I'd rate it a 6/10.

Needlessly convoluted plot that has a HUGE hole in it ie) if you send Jack back to the future then he never has the babies that are his own ancestors... so he wouldn't exist in the first place! Also the tight close ups of actors looking at the camera are super off putting and the constant fade outs get annoying fast. Big let down after the first one.

I'm extremely wary of sequels as they invariably disappoint. (okay there are a handful of exceptions: e.g. Mad Max, The Godfather, Cleopatra Jones). 'Trancers 2' (known as 'Future Cop 2' here in Australia) follows this trend - it's a pretty lame follow up to the silly but fun original. The one thing that saves it from complete dismissal is the outstanding supporting cast which includes Martine Beswick ('One Million Years BC'), b-grade horror legend Jeffrey Combs ('Re-Animator'), Combs' occasional co-star Barbara Crampton ('Space Truckers'), and the hugely underrated Richard Lynch ('Open Season', 'God Told Me To', 'Scanner Cop'). The extremely likable Tim Thomerson returns as Jack Deth and he is always good no matter how weak the material he has to work with. Thomerson is joined by several faces from the original movie, such as Helen Hunt, and his comedian buddies Biff Manard and Art LeFleur. The plot this time concerns the brother of Whistler (the baddie from the first movie), played by Lynch, who using the cover of an environmental group tries to take over with his "trancer" army. Jack Deth must stop his evil plans while trying to rescue his resurrected first wife (cutie Megan Ward - 'Joe's Apartment'), stop his jealous current wife (Hunt) from leaving, and make sure former ball star and future of the world Hap Ashby (Manard) doesn't a)get drunk, and b)get murdered. Yes, it's a hard job being a time traveling cop, but it's nothing some hair gel and a few wise-cracks can't help you deal with. There's no way I can disguise the overall naffness of this movie, but it's some dumb fun for a boring afternoon at least. Check out the original 'Trancers' though, it's much better than this.

Writers Jack Canson and Charles Band did a fair job in continuing the storyline from the 1984 first movie "Trancers". I have to say that I was definitely as entertained in this 1991 sequel titled "Trancers II" as I was in the first movie. So thumbs up to the writers for that accomplishment.

It was nice to see returning actors and actresses from the first movie return to reprise their characters for this 1991 sequel, such as Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Telma Hopkins and Art LaFleur. And the sequel brought in some familiar faces with the likes of Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Richard Lynch. For me, it was a blast to see Combs and Crampton in the movie, I have to admit that.

Visually then "Trancers II" was okay. It wasn't a movie that used as many special effects as in the previous movie, oddly enough. But it still worked out fair enough.

An okay movie, for sure, though I doubt that I will ever return to watch it a second time however.

My rating of director Charles Band's 1991 sequel "Trancers II" lands on a five out of ten stars.