TRANCERS 2 (1991)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *cosmological, psychological*

Since I already did a writeup of the "Trancers" concept here, I'll move right into the essentials of the sequel's setup.

One good thing about TRANCERS 2: not nearly as many "duck out of water" bits, since by this time future-cop Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) has been spent the last six years living in present-day Earth with his present-day wife Leena (Helen Hunt, making her second appearance in the series).

The menace this time is virtually a repeat of the Whistler character from the first film, so much so that Wardo, the new guy unleashing Trancer zombies for some reason, is said to be Whistler's brother despite having a different last name. Wardo is nicely played by long-time villain-actor Richard Lynch, but both the villain and his project are forgettable. He does at least get better screen time than many of the familiar faces scattered throughout the flick, such as Jeffrey Combs, Martine Beswicke, and Barbara Crampton.

However, one other support-character gets the best scenes in the sequel: Megan Ward, playing a modern-day ancestor to Jack Deth's deceased wife Alice. Alice's mind gets downloaded into the modern woman's body, with the result that "Alice" starts throwing herself at her long-lost husband (whose 20th-century body just happens to look just like future-Deth). Leena is to say the least torqued by the entrance of a "first wife," calling Deth a bigamist. It's also an issue that Alice's new body is that of a teenager, whereas that of Leena is, well, not a teen. 

The action-scenes are also largely forgettable, except for Deth killing off Wardo with a pitchfork.