Verdict
Summary
Thomerson is the real reason to watch it, as he grunts, wisecracks, and romances his way through the flick with his fun charm. If you’ve followed the Trancers movies until now, this entry is an adequate addition to the franchise. The film has never looked better, and it was worth the wait to see this one in widescreen and in high definition.
Plot:
A cop from the future ends up in an alternate medieval past.
Review:
Perpetually disgruntled future cop Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is burned out from his job hunting “Trancers” (vampire-like people who suck out the life force from people), and the prospect of eliminating all Trancers from the world is depressing as it would essentially make him obsolete. When he steps into a time-travel chamber, he’s instantly transported to an alternate timeline in the past to a place where Trancers rule the medieval era. Not quite understanding how or why he ended up in such a place, Deth instantly finds his purpose (despite being a fish out of water) when he realizes that all the royalty and lords of the land are Trancers. Lord Caliban (Mark Arnold) is a powerful Trancer (and possibly a space alien) whose kingdom is infested with other Trancers – including a son who has come of age and will be forced to “eat his first meal,” meaning he’ll need to begin sucking life forces out pretty soon. Deth, a prophesied savior, joins with a small ragtag peasant group of resistance fighters who want to use him as the tip of the proverbial spear as they wage war against Caliban and his Trancer army. With his modern sensibilities and futuristic weapons (which don’t work the way they should in this timeline), Deth is still a formidable foe against Caliban, who has never before seen the likes of a warrior like him …
A thrifty Full Moon production shot in Romania with a Romanian crew and a mostly Romanian support cast (who are dubbed), Trancers 4 is a lightweight riff on Army of Darkness, but without the imagination or the inventiveness. Still, Thomerson is the real reason to watch it, as he grunts, wisecracks, and romances his way through the flick with his fun charm. If you’ve followed the Trancers movies until now, this entry is an adequate addition to the franchise. Director David Nutter made the most of the locations and plot. The film ends with a hint that part 5 (which was shot back to back with this one) will be a direct sequel.
Full Moon has finally released Trancers 4 on Blu-ray (#103 on the spine), and it’s a welcome addition to their solid Blu-ray releases. The film has never looked better, and it was worth the wait to see this one in widescreen and in high definition. Extra features include the original “Videozone” feature, plus bonus trailers.
