Any real fan of low-budget sci-fi and horror has to have a soft spot in his heart for Charles Band, the crown prince of B-movies who is perhaps best known for the Puppet Master collection, and 1985's Trancers is one of the films that helped put him on the proverbial map.

This film, packed with quotable cheesy lines, some gloriously bad acting, and oftentimes laughable special effects, went on to inspire multiple sequels -- but the biggest thought this movie inspired in my head was "Man, Helen Hunt was pretty hot back in 1985." In fact, Hunt's character's inexplicable attraction to clumsy, middle-aged oafs from the future had me wishing someone could transport me back in time to that year, as well. What's Trooper Jack Deth got that I don't have? Oh, yeah -- a watch that can stop time for 10 incredibly long seconds and a mission to kill Whistler's mother's son.

Whistler, of course, is the evil genius who killed Deth's wife and has now gone back in time three centuries to 1985 to kill the ancestors of the three Council members who run Angel City. You know the old saying -- if you can't beat 'em, go back in time and kill their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers (and, of course, be sure to tell them exactly what your plan is in advance, especially if they think you're already dead and no longer a threat to them).

I guess I should explain that "trancers" are the murderous, weak-minded slaves (or "squids," in 23rd-century parlance) whom Whistler has put in a trance -- they do his bidding until they're killed (or "singed"), at which point they spontaneously combust radioactively for no apparent reason. I should also point out that there's one big catch to traveling back in time (or "down the line," as Deth would say) -- you can only do so by taking over the body of one of your direct ancestors. This works out great for Deth (Tim Thomerson), as his crusty ancestor had just scored with Leena (a very young Helen Hunt), and Whistler, whose ancestor is a high-ranking detective -- but not so much for Deth's blowhard boss who shows up later to yell at him.

Anyway, Leena actually buys Deth's crazy story about being a cop from the future, and the two of them set out to find the two surviving Council members' less than illustrious ancestors before Whistler (Michael Stefani) gets to them.

Of course, the story begs several questions. For instance, why not go a little bit further back in time to try and save the first Council member's ancestor? Come to think of it, how do they even know about the first Council member since the death of his direct ancestor means he suddenly never existed? You just can't let yourself get bogged down with this kind of thinking, though. Just sit back and enjoy Deth's battle royales against an elderly waitress and a mall Santa, revel in Deth's punk rock -dancing prowess, watch him drive the heck out of a convertible even on perfectly straight roads, and laugh at all of the intentional -- and unintentional -- comic moments on display over the course of the film's relatively short 76 minutes. This is Grade A B-movie cheese as only the legendary Charles Band can deliver.