Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is a cop in 2247 with old Los Angeles now under water. He is hunting down the last of Martin Whistler (Michael Stefani)'s people after he singe Whistler. Whistler's psychic power turns people into psycho killers under Trance. Trancers can seem normal until they're scanned or activated. Then the council calls in Jack Deth telling him that Whistler had actually escaped down-the-line into the body of his ancestor Police Detective Weisling in 1985. Whistler intends to kill every member of the council by killing their ancestors. They send Jack Deth into the past into the body of Phil Deth with two vials to send both him and Whistler into the present. He's also given a watch that stretch a long second into ten. Leena (Helen Hunt) is Phil's one-night stand from the previous night. This is packed full of great sci-fi ideas. It may be one too many but it's all easily understandable. I love the hard-boiled Jack Deth character. It's a relatively low-budget affair. With a few more bucks and some imagination, this would be a great sci-fi classic. Instead it's a campy cult classic.

I saw "Trancers" on Joe Bob Briggs's show "Monstervision" one night some years ago. Briggs explained how it was a "Terminator" rip off in which a man goes back in time to stop someone. Obviously, that violates the paradox of time travel (meaning that if you change one thing in history, the future gets completely altered). But the overall point is that this movie is kinda silly - although I was surprised to learn that Helen Hunt was starring in movies all the way back then.

I understand that it was the '80s, and thus many movies seemed like clones of each other. Well, the rules still apply. This movie is only good as pure entertainment value.

Cool, clever B grade sci-fi gave rise to one of the more popular cult movie series in existence. It gave comedian Tim Thomerson the role of a lifetime, as a detective of the future named Jack Deth. Deth is sent back in time 300 years to inhabit the body of his ancestor, so he can find and apprehend a villain named Whistler (Michael Stefani). Whistlers' modus operandi is to hypnotize weak minded people into becoming his slaves, the "Trancers" of the title. Deths' faithful sidekick / love interest will be a young woman named Leena (Helen Hunt).

Producer & director Charles Band makes the most out of the situation with this very amusing and entertaining story, concocted by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo. The futuristic designs are nicely done, so much credit should go to production designer Jeff Staggs, art director Christopher Amy, and cinematographer Mac Ahlberg. There's also a very atmospheric electronic score by Phil Davies and Mark Ryder. One memorable gadget is a "long second" watch that stretches out time for the owner, giving Deth some precious extra moments to escape certain death.

Humour is a definite strong suit in the Bilson and De Meo screenplay, with some very funny lines and moments. Deth is given some choice quips, especially when he puts on some hair gel, and says, "Dry hair is for squids."

A very fine supporting cast is another attraction. Hunt has rarely looked this ravishing. Stefani could have easily had more great bad guy roles, if only in B fare. Thomerson is as cool as can be, and associates of his such as Art La Fleur and Biff Manard contribute a welcome presence. Richard Herd, Anne Seymour, Miguel Fernandez, Telma Hopkins, and Richard Erdman all have nice bits.

Great fun, for any fan of limited budget science-fiction, and it clocks in at a very reasonable 77 minute run time, to boot.

Nine out of 10.