''Trancers III'' (also released as ''Trancers 3: Deth Lives!'') is a 1992 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by C. Courtney Joyner. It is the second sequel to ''

Trancers ''Trancers'' (also released as ''Future Cop'') is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by Charles Band and starring Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, and Art LaFleur. It is the first film in the ''Trancers'' series. Thomerson plays Jac ...

'', and also marks Helen Hunt's final appearance in the series.

Plot

Around 1992, Jack Deth (

Tim Thomerson Joseph Timothy "Tim" Thomerson (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Jack Deth in the ''Trancers'' film series and for his work in numerous low-budget features and for his comedic television r ...

) is now a successful private detective, catching cheating lovers in the act. However, Jack's life with Lena (

Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...

) has gotten rocky and he faces divorce if he cannot clean up his act. Lena agrees to meet for supper to try fix the relationship. Before he can mend his troubled relationship, he is jacked back up the line to 2352 by Alice (

Megan Ward Megan Marie Ward (born September 24, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her numerous credits in science fiction and horror movies and television series. In 2007, she joined the cast of the American daytime drama ''General Hospi ...

), to save Angel City from its future destruction in a massive Trancer war. His mission is go to 2005 and find the origin of this new wave of Trancers and end it with extreme prejudice. The only problem is that Lena, now remarried, is the only tie to Angel City's impending doom. Jack learns that the U.S. government has sponsored a new Trancer training program, run by the maniacal Colonel Daddy Muthuh ( Andrew Robinson). With the help of R.J. ( Melanie Smith), a camp escapee and Shark (

R. A. Mihailoff Randal Allen Mihailoff (born July 31, 1956) is an American actor and former professional wrestler.Telma Hopkins Telma Louise Hopkins (born October 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Hopkins rose to prominence as a member of the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn, which had several number-one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety ...

), Deth decides to find a way inside the Trancer program and shut it down for good. While Lena accepts his explanation of why he missed the dinner, she is happy with her life and asks Deth not to use time travel to go back change history so he is present at the date. Jack returns to 2352

Cast

Jack Deth Jack Deth is the main protagonist in the ''Trancers'' films, which were originally produced by Charles Band of Empire Pictures, and later Full Moon Entertainment, from 1984 to 2013. Jack Deth is a wisecracking police detective in Angel City ( ...

as Lena Deth * Melanie Smith as R.J. * Andrew Robinson as Colonel Daddy Muthuh *

Telma Hopkins Telma Louise Hopkins (born October 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Hopkins rose to prominence as a member of the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn, which had several number-one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety ...

as Ruthie Raines, The Engineer *

as Alice Stillwell Deth * Stephen Macht as Harris *

R.A. Mihailoff Randal Allen Mihailoff (born July 31, 1956) is an American actor and former professional wrestler.

Reception

While praising Thomerson performance and finding the special effects impressive for the film's low budget,

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

found the film overall to be needlessly confusing, giving the film a "C" grade.

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

found the movie to be an improvement over the previous sequel, also noting Thomerson's performance. It also praises the writing, direction and effects, but notes a certain misogynic feel as most minor female characters in the film die violent deaths. In total TV Guide recommend the film as an above average example of the genre. Likewise, ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

'' found this entry to be superior to the previous sequel. However, Creature Feature gave the film 2 out of five stars, finding it the least interesting sequel.

Production

Thomerson campaigned for Joyner to direct the film, and Joyner found Thomerson great to work with. Joyner asked

Albert Band Albert Band (May 7, 1924 – June 14, 2002) was a French-American film director and film producer. He was the son of artist Max Band, father of filmmaker Charles Band and of film composer Richard Band and the grandfather of Alex Band, Taryn Ba ...

for advice at times during the filming. The film was shot in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Producer Band was pleased that

agreed to return for the film, as by the time of filming she had become a well known star on ''

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

''. Writer/Director Courtney also praised Hunt's work and dedication to the film.

References

External links

* {{Trancers 1992 independent films 1992 films 1990s science fiction action films American independent films American science fiction action films 1990s English-language films Direct-to-video sequel films Films about time travel Films set in the 23rd century Trancers (film series) 1990s American films