Trancers II

• Also released as Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth
• Directed by Charles Band
• August 22, 1991

Living in the past, Jack Deth’s life is upended when a mad scientist creates more trancers for nefarious purposes. And that’s more future zombies.

The creatively named Trancers II is the sequel to the Cult Classic Trancers as well as the first in several more sequels. Most of the surviving cast returns to one extent or another. Tim Thomerson is once more Jack Deth, Helen Hunt returns as his current wife Lena Deth, Art LaFleur is McNulty, and even Telma Hopkins returns Commander Raines. And they even go so far as to have Biff Manard play baseball legend Hap Ashby in this go round.

This movie, much like the last one, is not too concerned about things like the logic of their time travel or even doing a plot element that should undo a few dozen things. Like Jack and Lena not having any kids yet despite them having a child being important to the very existence of Jack. But you will not think too hard about it either until after the movie is over. It is something that bothers me as I look back. Playing loose with rules is okay. Having none can be troublesome.

That brings me to the return of Jack’s dead wife Alice (Megan Ward) now residing in the body of a mental patient who happens to be smack in the middle of the villain’s plot. How could she be in this movie? She was sent back the day before her death. Duh! The new body is a minor. Barely 18 at the most in the story and there are soft and tender moments between her and Jack. Yikers!

In the first film our baddy’s whole plot was to make space zombies. I have no other idea what his goal was beyond that. His elimination of the council was so he could continue making zombies unimpeded by them. There was no hint of conquest or a deeper plot. You don’t think about it because you’re caught up a bit in the goofiness of the whole idea.

Here our villain of Dr. E. D. Wardo (Richard Lynch)-Martin Whistler’s brother-is in the past making trancers by weakening the will of his subjects via a future drug. Richard Lynch is one of my favorite villain actors of all time. He had the voice and the delivery to make anything and everything sound sinister and he did just that whenever he was in something. Regardless of how poorly thought out or goofy his villain was he could make the guy quite intimidating just by talking. Perhaps because of his voice and smooth delivery even better cast than usual as a man posing as an environmentalist and self-help guru.

Does this movie have some kind of message in it? Or is that a complete accident? Wardo is a phony environmentalist who is really just using his organization to make trancers and gain control? Not sure there. And the supposed medicine is really just a very addictive narcotic. Or maybe this is all just a way to give a new spin on the space zombie idea.

Tim Thomerson is once again perfect as Jack Deth. Cynical and hard boiled he currently sticks around with Hap Ashby in order for him to have a kid so in 300 years or so one of his descendants can sit on the council of Angel City. Never mind that neither he nor Jack or Lena have progressed to any great lengths in starting a family which was part of the reason the first movie happened.

Hap would have been an ideal character to connect Jack and Wardo. While he does have a really outsized presence in Trancers II, he really does not matter here. The movie would have moved along just fine with or without him.

Child actresses are always a bit risky. Especially when they take up a significant amount of run time. The girl playing Alice Stillwell (Megan Ward)-the ancestor of Jack’s wife-is flat and wooden. She’s giving it her all but her all is not good enough. Given the resources they had to play with this is one of those things that they needed to be very careful with. Either limit her time or get somebody better.

They really gloss over how Jack has been living in another body and using it at will. Nobody brings up or is even bothered by it. For several years now he has been living his life while his ancestor has not been allowed to exist. This is Steve Trevor before WW’84.

And then there’s the whole morality of sending his wife in the body of her ancestor into the future and how that affects her future, and how that may or may not affect her timeline, and whether or not she has the right to occupy the body of a mentally ill woman who is underage-maybe. Hello! Then again minor details were never considered before.

There’s a lot you’ll be thinking about after you watch this movie but it’s such a fun ride that you won’t care while watching. And though done on the cheap it doesn’t look extremely bargain basement. Then again, it’s filmed in then present-day Los Angeles so that helps.

While you may be left with some questions Trancers II is an entertaining romp. It may be short on logic but it’s long on fun.