hypnometal Reviews

Trancers II (1991)

Could have been good, but wasn't.

[5/10 · 12 February 2010]

This actually started out with a good idea - essentially bringing Jack's wife back from the dead through time travel tricks, and bringing Whistler's protégé (in this case, his brother) to seek revenge and rebuild the Trancer army. But from there, the movie just suffers from a whole legion of little problems that are just noticeable enough, and they add up to just be annoying. First, while the drugs and the rebuilding the army make for a good sequel, the whole mental asylum/environmental front seem more appropriate for an episode of a TV series than a feature film. Second, the fact that Leena seemed to ignore the fact that Alice actually was Jack's wife who had died and instead treated her as just some woman he was cheating on her with was really bad writing. Third, could they have please not made Alice into a complete nympho, wanting to get into Jack's pants every other moment? Fourth, while a 9-year old girl sounding like a middle aged man is great comic relief, a 15-year old girl trying to sound like a middle aged man just sounds like a typical 15-year old girl. Finally (last one, I promise), what was the director's obsession with having practically every line be delivered right into the camera? Totally blew the storytelling.

Still, it was a good effort, and it's not like the huge nosedive that the series took starting with Trancers IV.

Trancers 6 (2002 Video)

So much potential - could have been so much better!

[5/10 · 7 July 2009]

I have to say, I was glad to see this film return to the original theme after that side trip they took in 4 and 5, but even though the basic story was good, there was so much of it that was painful to watch. First, yes, it was low budget. But by 2002 standards, with computer editing and special effects, it was about as low budget as what some college film students could do - it actually reminded me more of a sci-fi TV show than a feature film. As for Zette Sullivan's performance, maybe this was because the low budget also meant less rehearsal time, but her macho-ness was overdone - she played Jack Deth as more macho than Tim Thomerson did in the first five films (and that doesn't even take into account the assumption that someone who's gone down the line as much as he has should have at least some training in "blending in"). Although it was kind of a good start what they did in showing her out of sorts in her female body (failing miserably to put on pantyhose, feeling awkward in a skirt) they could have done more with that than they did.

On the whole, they get an A for effort in trying to bring the Trancers saga back to what it originally was. And yes, the cheap effects and staging can clearly be blamed on the budget. But oh, how I wish the director had had Zette Sullivan turn her 'maleness' down a notch!

Disturbing Behavior (1998)

Get the DVD, and watch the deleted scenes for the parts they should have left in!

[7/10 · 1 March 2007]

In listening to the director commentary of the film itself and of the deleted scenes, he complains that there were many scenes that were important to the development of the story that the editors overrode his objections on and cut out of the film. And you know what? He's right.

If you want to watch this story the way it was supposed to be, watch it with the deleted scenes. That's what gets you interested in the story and actually care about the characters. That's what has you actually care about their relationships and their safety towards the end. And the original ending is much more tragic, and ironically much more satisfying, than the fluffy ending that they wound up going with.

I won't tell you what those moments are-you'll have to get the DVD and watch them yourself.

Disturbing Behavior (1998)

It's a lot better on the DVD. Here's why.

[7/10 · 17 August 2003]

I wanted to see this movie just because I think Katie Holmes is hot, and I like mind control. I had heard that this movie was pretty bad, so I wasn't expecting much. I enjoyed it, not as a good movie, but just as fun, throwaway entertainment.

That being said, when I watched the 'Deleted Scenes' portion of the DVD, every single clip should have been included. If you watch those scenes, you actually get to see the best acting and best storytelling of the entire movie. I kept saying to myself, "If these scenes had been included, this could have actually been a good movie! What was the editor thinking!?" In particular, watch the original ending-a thousand times better than the one they picked.

I hope the directors learned their lesson and they reign in their editor a little better next time.