Trancers 5: Sudden Deth (Video 1994)

Jack's back for one more round with the Trancers. Jack Deth must attempt to find his way home from the other-dimensional world of Orpheus, where magic works and the Trancers were the ruling... See full summary »

Director:

David Nutter

Writers:

Charles Band (original story), Danny Bilson (characters),

Stars:

Tim Thomerson, Stacie Randall, Ty Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Thomerson	...	Jack Deth
Stacie Randall	...	Lyra
Ty Miller	...	Prospero
Terri Ivens	...	Shaleen
Mark Arnold	...	Lucius
Clabe Hartley	...	Lord Caliban
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Farr
Jeff Moldovan	...	Harson
Stephen Macht	...	Harris
Luana Stoica	...	Celia
Rona Hartner	...	Tessa
Ion Haiduc	...	Angelo
Mihai Dinvale	...	Defiant Noble
Mihai Coman	...	Tunnel Rat
Berti Barbieru	...	Tunnel Rat

Storyline

Jack's back for one more round with the Trancers. Jack Deth must attempt to find his way home from the other-dimensional world of Orpheus, where magic works and the Trancers were the ruling class (before Trancers 4, that is). Unfortunately, Jack's quest to find the mystical Tiamond in the Castle of Unrelenting Terror may be thwarted by the return of Caliban, king of the Trancers and once thought dead.

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Plot Keywords:

castle | cult film | sequel | female nudity | sequel to cult favorite | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Action

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA Romania

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Future Cop 5: Sudden Deth

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castel Film Romania, Full Moon Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed back-to-back with Trancers 4: Jack of Swords.

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Quotes

Jack Deth: I'm beginning to think that a woman isn't a real woman unless she makes you want to smack her in the chops. Not doing it makes you a real man.

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Connections

Followed by Trancers 6 (2002)

User Reviews

more of the same...all right!

During this period, Full Moon took to making films back-to-back: Subspecies II & III, Trancers IV & V, etc. Some reviewers think that these paired-off entries are ultimately too similar to one another to count as separate movies. And they complain. Bitterly. But hey, major studios have started using the same technique - "Kill Bill" has been bisected, and "Lord of the Rings," which was filmed all in one go, was subsequently turned into three very similar movies (Here come the Orcs

• run! Wait...here come our guys! ATTACK!).

So, I don't mind that this film is, in some ways, a retread of its predecessor. In fact, the effects and acting are significantly better than they were in Trancers IV - maybe it took a while for all concerned to find their stride - and so it has a different feel to it. There's also a more focused, quest-style plot, as Jack Deth toddles off to the Castle of Unrelenting Terror to obtain a jewel called the Tiamond ("sounds like Diamond" - oh Peter David, your dialogue is just too much!).

Bizarrely, several plot elements are plundered from "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix," including a siren-like seduction scene (in both cases, the spell is broken because the hero becomes hungry) and a scene in which ghosts are dispelled simply by being yelled at. Ah Peter David, I know where you get your ideas! I don't mind, though - a good sequence is worth repeating.

All this praise aside, Trancers V does not stand up terribly well on its own, and the ending feels rushed and cliffhanger-like. Jack Deth impregnated someone? He's dying? He's going back to his own time? Wha??? Since the series never continued...not with this actor, or in this vein anyway...the final feeling is one of acute disappointment.

So ends Jack Deth's final, oddball adventure in sword-and-sorcery land. Shame that he didn't get to appear in one more detective-style movie, but I still like the fish-out-of-water quality of his final battle against the nefarious Trancers.