Tim Thomerson is terrific as the returning Jack Deth, yet he is surrounded by Shakespearean rejects who wouldn't even last five minutes in a Dumas novel. The pains of carrying this film way heavy on the character of Deth as he must talk in this film with characters like Prospero and Caliban. Caliban is the lead villain in this film where his kind of Trancers are vampiric who suck the lifeforce from the humans on the planet(when the humans turn white they're in the "safe zone", but if the color reaches blue then red during an uncontrollable feeding it's "uh oh"). Jack Deth had become a time cop, traveling through the boundaries of time and space, working for Stephen Macht who finds "rifts" and anomalies in certain times. So Deth goes where he is needed because if there's a mess needing cleaning, Jack's the man for the job. On route for another job, this creature who manifests itself on board Jack's time ship causes an accidental crash onto this medieval planet which looks like a small patch of area with a castle. Caliban is shown here by Clabe Hartley to be a towering presence who strikes fear in everyone under his rule. Humans can not stop him and his great power outmatches anyone who dares face him. Yep, Jack Deth winds up in this place and now poses a threat to Caliban. That's about as easy as the convoluted, confusing film gets. There's this old wizard whose prophesies spelled out Deth's arrival to the planet not to mention his artistic rendering was put on paper by the old timer hooded as if just coming from "Star Wars:Episode 1". Deth seems to represented in this film as a savior for the people, but if anyone saw how he handled a sword against Caliban might try thinking twice. It's hard to watch really. To be honest, Deth is perfectly suited for the urban sci-fi waters of LA, but in a sword and sorcery adventure, he looks out of place. Thomerson still makes this nonsense fun to watch and his face down with whomever comes at him is always thrilling. The dialog is really horrendous{I believe one character in the castle says finding Jack Deth will be like "looking for a needle in a haystack"..I kid you not},especially when Deth and Stacie Randal's "first" Lyra have a spat about how they act to each other. I'm pretty sure Thomerson would probably enjoy starring in a couple of higher quality pictures, but is seemingly stuck in poopers like this film where his charisma has to take up the slack.
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Scarecrow-8812 August 2006
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charlieoso16 December 2019Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is running through time continuing to save the human race. Harris (Stephen Macht) who I guess is the lone chairman tells him that there is a time distortion in 2160, so back Deth goes to travel time to look into this. Of course there is a difficulty and Deth is thrown into some parallel universe that is like the middle ages. Thing is the land is ruled by vampire trancers. The main villain Caliban played by Clabe Hartley looks like a 90s wrestler to me.
There are elements to the film that are good like as usual Tim Thomerson is still great as Jack Deth and funny moments like his watch malfunctioning. But, there are things that seem off putting or do not make it seem like a TRANCER movie. The setting while new to the series makes me feel like Jack Deth has just been transplanted into a Robin Hood movie. Ending sets up the next sequel. An alright try, but series beginning to lose its strength. -
fmarkland3215 August 2018After losing his android partner in battle, along with other friends, Jack Deth (Thomerson) is accidentally transported to an alternate dimension where Trancers reign supreme and are vampire like killers, suffice to say Jack Deth straps on his blaster and joins forces with the rebels to tip the scales. There are a few good jokes that work here, mainly a take on Thomerson and his long second watch, also as usual Thomerson is fun to watch, but the movie lacks any real creative energy or ambition of the last two. Trancers 4 than feels too much like a sword and sorcery flick than a time travel flick which is what made the series fun. Fans of the series will enjoy this one and again it's watchable, it's just that, Trancers 4 has nothing new to add and is therefore disposable.
* * out of 4-(Mediocre) -
dr_foreman16 March 2004I've watched too many movies in my time. I mean, here I am, commenting on Trancers 4 - TRANCERS 4! - and I bet this review will be read by a grand total of about six people, the same six people who rented this silly little movie when it came out.
For the uninitiated, Trancers started life as a futuristic film noir series. Well, to be brutally honest, it started life as tacky B-movie trash with noir ambitions. The lead character, Jack Deth (like Death, geddit?) was played by lovable genre grump Tim Thomerson, who has achieved a semi-legendary status on the order of Bruce Campbell's. Are either of these men really titans of the entertainment industry? Nah. They're weirdos and underdogs. And that's why we love them.
Trancers 4 departs from the series' usual detective theme and plants Jack Deth in a medieval fantasy world populated by energy-draining vampires. Purists have cried foul over this, but what the hell - Full Moon had a sweet deal, filming on the cheap in Romania, and they wanted to re-use their forest and castle locations from "Subspecies." So, comic book writer Peter David was called upon to plunk Deth right into the middle of an old "Doctor Who" plot involving tyrants, rebels, swordplay, and lots of running around in the woods. The connection to "Who" is strengthened by the endearingly absurd special effects (or, better put, special defects).
The rebel characters are woodenly acted, the bad guys ham it up like loons, the fight scenes are listless, the plot makes no sense - oh, I could go on and on - and yet this movie is still boss, precisely because it's cheap and crass and ballsy and not in the least bit mainstream. This is the kind of movie you could make in a weekend with your friends, and it's all the better for its crudity. It's just so much fun - I mean, c'mon, Deth dunks some guy's head into a bowl of popcorn! He turns an android's head into a bedside lamp! He talks and acts tough, but he's clearly WAY TOO OLD to threaten anybody!
It rules. It just rules. -
SnoopyStyle18 July 2022Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is back in 2353. After wiping out the Trancers, he has been working for the council and fixing the time line. He is alone again. He gets new gadgets. His new mission sends him to a medieval world which is ruled by Trancers called Nobles. They are literally sucking the life out of normal people.
This sci-fi franchise is trying to go medieval. This B-movie is trying to jump into another B-movie genre. At times, I do wonder if this is trying to be a satire of the original. When Deth goes into slow-motion, I almost thought that it's making fun of itself. Medieval could be done well but this is not it. There is no excitement or thrills. There is no tension in the story. At least, Tim Thomerson is back. Otherwise, there is nothing here. -
mr_pivac198527 February 2003Ok this one is good but there starting to lose it a bit, it just dident have the magic that the past 3 movie did. I felt that this one was to comic book like and really dident go anywere. But don't get me wrong I still enjoyed it but just not like the other one's.
7/10 -
gwnightscream7 January 2022This 1994 sci-fi sequel features Tim Thomerson reprising his role as hard-boiled cop, Jack Deth who finds himself in a medieval world, Orpheus battling Trancers, evil sorcerers and riding a little horseback. This and the next installment are boring and disappointing in my opinion. Thomerson is the only reason to try and get through watching them.
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barnthebarn18 March 2009Weird diversion for super Trancer hunter Jack Deth in this fourth movie. Director David Nutter is better known for his catalogue of TV drama episodes (such as 'Roswell') and thus effectively produces an attractive, slow and very television suited instalment for this series of films. Of course there is the usual Deth comical and ironic lines but these are not as strong as they previously were. The film has swearing and a little soft action (perhaps to justify its' direct to video origin). Cast do their best and a couple of now regular TV stars (like Lochlyn Munro) appear. Deth has no wives to deal with this time which should have led to a more action focused addition but somehow he spends most of the film having rather dull conversations with his co-stars. Filmed back to back with Trancers 5.
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Zorin-22 February 1999"Trancers 4: Jack of Swords" is an awkward fourth entry in the cult series "Trancers" continuing the adventures of Jack Deth. The thing that makes this so weird is that it takes place during the mideaeval ages in another dimension where trancers have taken over. Some funny moments but disapopinting sequel in the low budget series. But make sure to watch this one before number 5 or you will be really lost.
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Digitise26 March 2005After a late night TV viewing, i was sold. This film has everything - the cheesy goodness required of such films, characters with names like 'Prospero' and 'Jack Deth' (often referred to as Jack Sh*t), and brilliant visual effects (ie: crap). Seriously though, with a name like Prosperu, how can such a film go wrong? Regardless of any narrative shortcomings, pitiful set design, and completely irrational plot development, who comes to save the day? That's right. Prospero. Just one look at his face makes you happy to be alive.
Don't get me wrong now. Trancers 4 IS a very bad film. I can't possibly recommend it to any human. However. It is the Citizen Kane of our time, if only for one man. A great man. A man whose face shall forever be etched into the minds of all mankind. He is power. He is lord. He is ... PROSPERO. -
logantoxic3 April 2013Terrible, terrible, terrible. This film really has nothing to do with Trancers. Trancers is a sci-fi film noir that is cheesy and has great one liners. This film has only one of those things and that it is cheesy, in a bad way. It is OK to be a cheesy movie but you have to have redeeming factors. This film has no redeeming factors whatsoever. Tim Thomerson looks and feels like he does not want to be there and who can blame him, they are filming in Romania while his co star from the first Trancers, Helen Hunt, is sipping champagne at the Oscars laughing to herself, man, that could of been me, hahahaha.
Jack Deth goes to the Dark Ages in a different dimension accidentally and all the nobles are Trancers. The Trancers in this movie are more like vampires draining the life energy from the humans/peasants. It sort of has an Army of Darkness vibe to it with Jack Deth coming from the future and going back to play dungeons and dragons and helps to rescue the peasants from the evil nobles. Jack Deth just comes of as rude and is throwing F Bombs everywhere and just doesn't seem like the same Jack Deth we have all grown to sort of like. These last two Trancers films are a disgrace to the Trancers franchise which was a likable franchise before these two gems. Highly avoid at all costs!
If you want more reviews visit my Youtube channel Logan Toxic and visit my blog logantoxic.blogspot -
I_Ailurophile23 August 2021Reading the premise ahead of time made me skeptical. The opening credits gave me a small measure of hope - a screenplay by Peter David is nothing to sneeze at, and a change of music, now from composer Gary Fry, was refreshing. But then the film began, and my hopes were dashed: 'Trancers 4' is a mess.
The change of scenery is welcome, but the thrust of the story that accompanies it is dubious. It feels like David wrote the best narrative that he could under the circumstances, but a teen comedy written by the world's best screenwriter is still just a teen comedy. Just as much to the point, I get the impression that some less than credible moments were included for no reason other than that someone - presumably director David Nutter - told the scribe to do rewrites according to their vision. The fact that 'Jack of swords' is essentially just an alternative take on vampire movies doesn't help, either.
I like the filming locations, and set design and decoration. I appreciate the costume design, props, and smaller considerations like hair and makeup. Again, I do appreciate Fry's score, though if a movie itself is less than stellar, the music can only do so much. These are the nearest I can come to praise, unfortunately: I made a point to look at the digital timer to clock the first time that 'Jack of swords' made me laugh. It was 48 minutes in. This was also the last time.
We're supposed to believe that this film is a sci-fi adventure flick with a strong element of comedy, and a measure of horror. All these aspects are not just reduced but rendered almost wholly inert by the astoundingly slow pacing. From this picture alone it's impossible to tell whether or not anyone in the cast has any acting skills, because they've all been forced into the most unnaturally stuttered, sluggish, and leaden of performances. When jokes and one-liners are dropped, they float to the ground like a speck of dust. The delivery of every line, the choreography of all action, and even the most perfunctory of movement is unbearably lethargic and plodding. I had to check that the video settings on my device weren't somehow altered to a lesser speed, but they weren't - 'Trancers 4' is just that consciously lackadaisical. As a result, there's scarcely any excitement to be gleaned from it.
What's frustrating is that despite the ridiculousness of the story concept, there are some good ideas here. 'Jack of swords' could have been a genuinely entertaining movie. But somewhere along the line, someone decided that the whole production should feel as drowsy and dawdling as possible. Well, mission accomplished - the feature was very effectively hamstrung.
I've seen worse movies, yes. But very rarely have I seen bad movies that worked so hard to undermine themselves. No matter how much someone enjoys the first three 'Trancer' films, or B-movies as a whole, 'Jack of swords' is simply not a picture I can recommend. -
kevin_robbins2 June 2021Trancers 4 (1994) is another installment in the series I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline for this picture focuses on our hero, Jack, being sent to a world with Trancers whose time is like medieval times on Earth. Jack quickly notices that his space travel has changed how his weapons perform. Can he bring down the Trancers with limited capabilities? This movie is directed by David Nutter (Game of Thrones) and stars Tim Tomerson (Dollman), Stacie Randall (Eddie Presley), Terri Ivens (Marked for Death) and Stephen Macht (Monster Squad). The storyline for this is unique from the previous films and kind of fun. Some of the scenes with his various weapons were hilarious as was the dialogue. The action scenes were okay but the villain is kind of blah. Overall this is still a fun series and I'd score this installment a 5/10.
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BandSAboutMovies27 August 2021Filmed at the same time as Trancers 5: Sudden Deth in the Full Moon castle - how did they avoid it for so long - this Trancers movie finds Jack Deth without his wife Lena and having lost his other wife Alice to Harris. So now, all alone and angry at everything, he agrees to go into the past again.
Due to an attack by a Solonoid, Jack finds himself in a whole new dimension that's a lot like medieval times where the Nobles - proto-Trancers? - sick the life force out of humans - like vampires. This would seem like the perfect time to crossover Subspecies with Trancers, but come on. We don't have the budget for that.
To battle the evil Lord Caliban, Jack must travel to the Castle of Unrelenting Terror and perhaps even work with the evil ruler's son Prospero. And because none of his technology works, he might not make it out alive.
Written by comic book writer Peter David (the Oblivion films), this movie's budgetary challenges were solved by director David Nutter taking entire pages out of the script. Nutter would go on to much bigger and better things, including directing multiple episodes of Game of Thrones and Disturbing Behavior.