The only reason I saw this film was due a mistake. I mistook the UK title, Deranged, for the 1974 Ed Gein flick. I was hoping this would be one of those great 'happy accidents', but unfortunately; it wasn't. Peter Fonda's Sci-Fi adventure has a good premise, but the plot fails to capitalise on it due to the fact that it's completely pointless. Screenplay writer Thomas Matthiesen doesn't seem to know where to go with his post-apocalyptic theme, and so what we get left with is a lumbering 'survivors' theme, tied in with something to do with time travel. The idea behind the central plot is that bunch of researchers travel into the future in order to discover what it is that has wiped out humanity. However, they soon become stranded and after uncovering some evidence, discover that maybe mankind hasn't been wiped out completely. Idaho Transfer actually gets off to quite an intriguing start; but it quickly dries up, and the middle of the film is much like watching paint dry. The plot picks up towards the end; when it pretty much self-destructs.
The film is directed by Easy Rider star, Peter Fonda, and to be fair; he does quite a good job. Fonda creates a good impression of a post-apocalyptic world. The environments are always desolate, and create a sense of hopelessness in the viewer. It's just unfortunate that the plot is desolate also. Peter Fonda doesn't appear in front of the camera and the lead role goes to Kelly Bohanon. None of the cast really stands out, and Bohanon is no different. Keith Carradine is the only name I recognise on the cast list and his performance is nothing special. To be honest, I've never been a big fan of seventies Sci-Fi; it doesn't age well, and these days the 'futuristic' computers look like they wouldn't be out of place in the Stone Age. I can't really say that it's a shame this film isn't very good; it hasn't got a great deal going for it anyway, but it definitely could have been a bit better, and its poor plotting that has made it lose out at the end of the day. I can't really say that there's anything to recommend this film for, and as it's not easy to come by; I don't recommend going out of your way to find a copy.
