A straightforward science fiction adventure involving time travel centers on a detective from 2247 (played by Tim Thomerson) tasked with traveling to the past to prevent a cult leader from controlling people like zombies. He gets help from an agreeable woman, who works as Santa’s helper at a shopping center and is portrayed by Helen Hunt. "Trancers," released in 1984, shares elements with “The Terminator” and "Blade Runner," and also evokes Humphrey Bogart films, but the more well-known James Cameron film is considerably better due to its much larger budget; it was also released before this one. There’s a sense of playful irony throughout, as if those involved weren't taking things too seriously. However, if you don’t mind that, it’s enjoyable enough and presents some intriguing concepts, such as the unusual method of time travel—people going back in time by using a drug to inhabit the body of an ancestor. The film clearly had an impact on “Warlock,” which was released five years later, and proved popular enough to warrant six sequels made between 1988 and 2002. I’ve included the 20-minute short from 1988, "Trancers: City of Lost Angels," which wasn't actually available until 2013 because it was intended for a shelved collection called “Pulse Pounders.” The official full-length sequel, "Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth,” arrived in 1991 and brought back Thomerson, Hunt, and Biff Manard. Helen was 21 during filming and looks fantastic, particularly in her initial scene wearing a green leotard. The movie runs just over an hour, clocking in at 1 hour, 16 minutes. It was filmed in Los Angeles, with the exception of a beach scene shot in nearby Malibu. The mall scenes were captured at Panorama Mall. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB