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Post by siciliano66 on Oct 5, 2016 8:28:47 GMT -5
I thought the film followed along the same paths as the previous ones. Unpredictable, sometimes incoherent, but full of twists and surprises. The cast looked great. Angus looked menacing as every, but the only thing was, he had no "classic memorable" lines as he did in the other films. All in all, the movie was very good, the plot just fine and i thought the effects were done very well considering the budget for the film. Did anyone notice all the cool "outtakes" or deleted scenes shown during the end credits. jets fighting spheres, rocket launchers, destructions galore, that was awesome! I just hope we don't have to wait another 18 years for something else...I'LL BE DEAD! Dan - Las Vegas siciliano66.wix.com/ravager
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Post by aysem on Oct 5, 2016 8:43:44 GMT -5
SPOILERS AHEAD!
bartholomew, I agree with you, espacially this scene with Jebediah turning into the Tall Man just with his face - great acting. But this is out of the question in case of Mr. Angus Scrimm. :-)
The one thing technically done great in this movie is the make-up. Although it's a high resoulted picture, you can't see any indication, that there is make-up on a face. Espcially Reggie as old man and again in his regular age. I also consider, that there are not years between the shootings of Angus Scrimm - just perfectly done Make-Up Effects.
What I forgot to mention in my short review is, that I really enjoyed the Plague-Zone-Stuff. I've read the P1999 Script (Thanks again, krakenslayer!) and they just used the good parts.
A little more scenes with Jody would have been nice. Since P4 we knew, that he is with the Tall Man, but it isn't explained, how and why he's back as a human with Mike and Reggie. That's the real clever thing about this Dimensions-Idea, you can explain everything with it.
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Post by Natalie on Oct 5, 2016 11:28:41 GMT -5
I'm having very mixed feelings about this, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. Everyone's performances were great and the movie was entertaining. I am disappointed in that it doesn't have the same atmosphere as the previous ones, which I suspected from the beginning based on the trailer (which I agree, gave a lot away). The first four are very dark and slow paced, while this one was action heavy and fast. I have criticisms, many of which have already been stated by others on this thread, but overall I enjoyed it because of the confusion it causes. It gets those grey cells moving. And it's great to see the gang back together again one last time. Though with this conclusion (and I have already started working my head around with some theories since Ravager completely changes everything now), part IV still remains my favorite sequel. And might I add, watching Ravager is easy. Understanding it? Well, that will take a little more time.
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Post by bartholomew on Oct 5, 2016 12:28:20 GMT -5
The first scene with Angus in bed at the hospital made me so sad at first because he looked so frail and it reminded me he's no longer with us. Then when he made the evil Tall Man face, I thought, he still has it!!! Such a great actor. Did what he loved the most until the very end.
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Post by krowston on Oct 6, 2016 3:11:25 GMT -5
I don't understand what they were thinking with the constant music underneath everything. Scenes with reggie in hospital would have been a lot better with silence.
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Post by krakenslayer on Oct 6, 2016 16:36:11 GMT -5
I don't understand what they were thinking with the constant music underneath everything. Scenes with reggie in hospital would have been a lot better with silence. YES! The scoring was totally bombastic and excessive and often out-of-place. It's one of the biggest problems with the film. That said, I watched some of it again today and enjoyed it more in spite of its issues, perhaps because my expectations were lowered. I also noticed for the first time... SPOILERS...The snippets of stuff that happens during the end credits, the stuff after they pick up Rocky and head north: fighting dwarves and megaspheres in the snow, etc. It's actually an even nicer ending with that included. They're still fighting the Tall Man's minions, perhaps a battle that can never really end, but they are stronger now, and have closure in a way, because Reggie has achieved his stated goal and for the first time since Phantasm III, the friends are all back together, and they've all got each other's back.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2016 23:56:51 GMT -5
I couldn't resist the temptation to read a few reviews myself out of curiosity. Someone else's opinion on a film shouldn't dictate whether or not you watch a movie, man. It's pretty ironic...the negative reviews I've read about this thing did a hell of a job lowering my expectations and when I'd actually seen it for myself, they probably made me love it that much more, if possible. oh, there's no way i won't watch it, it's just i'm fairly certain this isn't a movie i wanted. a lot of it's to do with aesthetics, and reliance on new tech. OBLIVION dodged all the "pitfalls" brilliantly, at a time when modern genre films had become all but unwatchable for me anymore, and i loved it for that! reading that RAVAGER looks like it was made for about 2 cents and is filled with a lot of lousy CGI upsets me. a big hurdle. but, we'll see soon enough.
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Post by neosmith on Oct 7, 2016 3:15:07 GMT -5
So, here's my take on it - I really like Ravager, but I also find it extremely disappointing in several respects. Very much like the first Phantasm, it feels like a lot of different ideas tossed together without much of a narrative throughline, though I found that it has a lot of emotional realism. This is very much a film about the ravages of age, of how memory and reality seem to slip away as you get closer to your end. Focusing this on Reggie and Jebediah, the oldest members of the cast, was a great idea. And I like how Angus and Reggie have actual conversations, which I've realized has never happened before. Let's face it - The Tall Man of the first two movies wasn't so much a character, as a personification of death. It's only with the third film that he was allowed to have more dialogue and more opportunities to actually interact with the other cast members. This is one reason why I think Oblivion stands as the best Phantasm movie - The Tall Man becomes a full fledged character - and that continues into Ravager, where he makes Reggie Mephistophelian-like offers and occasionally Again, there are many aspects that are downright frustrating. The film teases, yet never entirely delves into the whole "Mike as a New Tall Man/Mike's Golden Sphere" stuff and the post-apocalyptic world plotline seems brilliant, but most of it happens off-screen. The film visually seems like a step down from Oblivion - putting aside the cheapness of the digital video aesthetic, the cinematography at times comes off as amateurish, though there are some beautiful shots. And finally, there's clearly a lot of stuff left on the cutting room floor. During the credits you can see them actually using that sword and someone even compiled all the stuff into a list: www.ghoulbasement.com/2016/10/phantasm-ravager-deleted-scenes-end.htmlI've seen some phans stating the film was originally two hours long - where does that info come from? Is there an interview? Anyway, I'm not sure how I would score Ravager, but in terms of ranking: IV>I>V>III>II PS. I really liked the amped-up score. Sue me.
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Post by bladerunner7 on Oct 7, 2016 13:49:01 GMT -5
2 hours was the rough cut, preview in LA....way before the final cut...according to a significant cast member who saw it
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Post by pharrout on Oct 8, 2016 6:34:37 GMT -5
Finally, (waited to the end of the week)to watch Ravager.
I had to watch it a 2nd time to convince myself it wasn't as bad as i thought.
The main things i didn't like (spoilers)
The Bad:
1. The film/shooting style - doesn't match the previous 4 Phantasms. It really looks like it was shot live (TV look, especially during the daytime, outdoor scenes). I don't get that cinematic feel (of the other 4 films). Oblivion was low budget, but still had the cinematic feel and look.
2. Low Budget CGI - the spheres look the worst of any of the Phantasm films. This is disappointing. I wish they would've shot all the spheres with practical methods, instead of CGI. Someone stated that "Low Budget Practical always looks better than Low Budget CGI"
3. Not Enough Practical Effects - Like I stated, "Low Budget Practical always looks better than Low Budget CGI"
4. Mike no longer the focal point of Series - I feel like Ravager changed the meaning of P1 and no longer made Mike the center focus. P5 is a drama to me, not a horror film. It is a drama that just happens to have some horror sequences (to pass time). P1 had the brother relationship, but it was an underlying theme, while the horror drove the plotline. Ravager let the dementia of Reggie drive the plotline.
5. Chunk - not necessary to the film. I feel he was just added so he could pretend to be a dwarf and blow up the Tall Man. No creativity here-- disappointing that all these years Mike and Reggie have battled the Tall Man, only for some unknown sidekick to do the honors.
6. Not enough Rocky - her appearance was wasted. She was a very capable fighter in P3, they should've used her talents better and earlier in the film.
7. Supporting cast - I feel like Dawn, Demeter and thief were unnecessary, and more screen time should've been given to apocalyptic Mike and even Jody. Dawn's acting (to me) was sub-par, no real chemistry between her and Reggie. I miss the Alchemy type chemistry with Reggie of P2 and even Jennifer from Oblivion. Dawn did however make a better performance (when she reappeared as Jane, the female fighter) later in the film.
8. Reggie spending so much time enjoying the scenery. So much time showed Reggie walking down halls or walking through woods without anything significant happening. I feel like this was done to fill time, and would've been better had they added more minions (dwarfs and gravers), etc instead of a random sphere (here and there).
The Good -
1. Good acting performances from Mike and Reggie during the nursing home/hospital sequences. You could tell they were trying.
2. Dialogue between Reggie and Tallman. I believe the Tall Man is a very charismatic villain. The scene with the white background was impressive.
3. Mike finally reuniting with Reggie in the 3rd act of the film (apocalyptic Mike) and remembering the events of P4 (Desert hearse explosion). I think most fans wanted P4 to be acknowledged throughout the entire film, and the dementia stuff was unexpected.
Overall- Knowing what the final product is, I think it would've been better to end at P4. They should've released P5 as webisodes only. Maybe it will take time to grow on me, but right now these are my rankings for Ravager.
2.5 out of 5.
Ranking- P1, P3 and P2 tied, P4, P5
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Post by twogunbob on Oct 10, 2016 11:02:33 GMT -5
This film was uneven to be certain. Very uneven and I think it completely missed playing to its potential strengths. The strengths honestly were in the Reggie/Tall Man and Reggie/Mike scenes that were pretty much dialog. Maybe there is a general opine that Oblivion was too talky and lacking in action. The CGI was just bad, jarringly bad in a way that took me out of the film honestly. I'll need to watch it again but I just feel that there were a lot of missteps that put this at the bottom of my list. I'd probably not be so bummed if I didn't know this was the last of the series.
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Post by maverick96 on Oct 11, 2016 19:17:55 GMT -5
A couple of observations on my part.
SPOILERS!
The CGI wasn't amazing but honestly that didn't bother me as much as the post-processing. There are several ways to take digital film and make it more cinematic with filtering but it didn't feel like they took the time to color correct it or anything. I know it was shot over several years but with a little more work they could have tweaked it enough to give more of a film quality. The camera angles and such didn't help either.
I love Reg's character but was sad they didn't have much filmed between Mike and Tall Man. Such a shame that that part of the storyline fell flat, especially Mike's abilities and purpose.
The end credit scene with Rocky and Chunk was ridiculous. The Phantasm series had comedy but Chunk surviving with only a hand missing and hitting on Rocky felt so low brow. I actually felt bad for Gloria Lynne Henry to return just to do this scene.
Speaking of which, watching I realized all the scenes included Reggie interacting with others except the end scene with Rocky. I'm sure I am reading too much into this, but I thought maybe not having them in the same scene gives reason to the multi-dimensional plotline and not the dementia concept...but again I think I'm giving the writing too much credit.
Honestly, I think the dementia idea is a great idea---- in an another movie. I HATE that a whole series could be erased away as a dream, especially when most of it focuses on Mike's storyline with the Tall Man and not Reggie's.
With that said, I think a missed opportunity was for them to continue with what was hinted at in Oblivion. It seemed like the Tall Man was grooming Mike to take over for him. If they would have continued with that then Mike could have taken over for Angus (R.I.P.) and maybe continued the series for at least another sequel.
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Post by bladerunner7 on Oct 11, 2016 19:22:45 GMT -5
I agree the rocky scene was the LOWPOINT if the entire film...possible mike was not on board during the tall man appearances , so hence him and Reggile...they left it open for a Phan 6...not disappointed but 4 was a great film with no money, it is my understanding they had LESS MONEY on this one.
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Post by maverick96 on Oct 11, 2016 19:38:12 GMT -5
I agree the rocky scene was the LOWPOINT if the entire film...possible mike was not on board during the tall man appearances , so hence him and Reggile...they left it open for a Phan 6...not disappointed but 4 was a great film with no money, it is my understanding they had LESS MONEY on this one. I wasn't amazed by it but didn't hate it. Just disappointed a little. Maybe we will see Phan 6 one day soon.
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Post by pharrout on Oct 11, 2016 21:48:33 GMT -5
A couple of observations on my part. SPOILERS! The end credit scene with Rocky and Chunk was ridiculous. The Phantasm series had comedy but Chunk surviving with only a hand missing and hitting on Rocky felt so low brow. I actually felt bad for Gloria Lynne Henry to return just to do this scene. Gotta agree. Remember in P3, Reggie had one grenade and said "8 seconds to hell." the Tall Man said, "I don't want him in pieces." Yet, Chunk has about 4 grenades and only loses a hand. If anything, the sense of lazy writing is more evident and disappointing in P5 than any of the other 4 films.
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Post by maverick96 on Oct 11, 2016 22:38:52 GMT -5
Yeah, really surprised that with the time they have had they could of spent some more time on the script. Sad because I felt the acting was great but there were times where the dialogue was clunky or even small gaps between lines.
Again, I don't want to talk trash on it as I love the series. Just surprised by some of the choices made.
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Post by phantasmal on Oct 12, 2016 4:19:02 GMT -5
I love the Phantasm franchise more than any other film franchise ever. The original Phantasm is probably my all time favorite film of any genre. So of course I was thrilled to death to attend the re-release of Phantasm (Remastered) and Phantasm V: Ravager this weekend. Now for the gritty stuff...
Rankings? I would say:
1. Phantasm (original)
There's no contest here. Best movie ever! And not just from the franchise, but of all time.
2. Phantasm II/Phantasm IV (tie)
It's hard to call this one. I loved both. Phantasm IV was slower and somewhat less exciting, but it had more of the "feel" of Phantasm I and of course Mike was played by Michael Baldwin. On the other hand, Phantasm II had some awesome production values and lots of cool new characters. Despite the "fake Mike" (the only part I didn't like - mentally I just pictured Baldwin in each scene), I loved it. I'd almost have to flip a coin.
3. Phantasm III
It comes in last place (though still an awesome movie) only because I really hated the silliness (spinning heads, "Three Stooges Shuffle", etc). But I still love it because it introduced some fine new characters, had some great scenes, great acting, and Michael and Bill were back!
4. - 99. _______________
Yeah, there's this huuuge space between Phantasm III (last on my list) and Phantasm V. Which brings us to:
100. Phantasm V
I listed it as #100 as a bit of hyperbole to show just how sad I was that this was the final Phantasm film. In short, it sucked. I would prefer to have left the franchise to finish at the end of Phantasm IV. I'll get to why the film sucked in a moment. But first, I want to point out that despite my feelings for the film, I thought all the original actors (Angus, Michael, Bill, Reggie) absolutely kicked ass! This may well have been some of the best acting from each of them (which is high praise indeed, since I loved them in all the other films). It felt to me like they knew this was it, and threw their full spirit into it. When Reggie dies and Michael starts to break down, and the look on Bill's face - it brought me to tears (and that's nearly impossible). It was actually painful. Now that is amazing acting! Each of the original actors blew it out of the park with pretty much every line they had. I enjoyed that.
What went wrong?
Everything, it seems. I don't even know where to start, it's that disappointing. I literally have to just blurt out whatever comes to mind. Too much to arrange logically.
First, the video. Yeah, it was high def video, but that was a mistake. It "felt" so different simply because it was not filmed on, well...FILM! The directing was terrible. The scenes changed and moved unlike any other Phantasm film. You know what I felt like I was watching? The Quick and the Dead with Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone. Far too much camera movement, angles, and jump cuts. Add that to the digital recording and it made the whole thing feel like a different genre.
Second, the special effects sucked. Look, I'm willing to overlook just about anything. I still love the old Sinbad movies with Harryhausen clay animatronics. But in far too many scenes, the digital spheres looked flat, almost one dimensional. In many scenes it looked as if the spheres were paper cut-outs pasted on the background. They didn't even look metallic, for God's sake! More like a dull digital gray. They looked horrible! Plenty of scenes looked like they were taken out of a cheap video game from the 80's. Especially the scene where Michael and the team rescue Reggie and tell him that the world is not what it used to be as they leave the "hospital" (or whatever it was) and we see the landscape all blown up and rebels fighting dwarves and what not - that scene literally looked like an arcade video! It was like watching a cartoon being played within a movie.
Third, the excessive gore. Now this may sound like a strange complaint, but bear with me. I'm fine with gore, although I prefer gore to be part of the movie - as an addition to true suspense and creepiness, not in place of it. Stuff like Saw or Hostel is ok - gore alone doesn't bother me - it just sorta bores me. However, the gore in Ravager seemed out of place. Look, we all enjoy a good brain-sucking/brain-spraying from a sphere. Without that you simply don't have a Phantasm film. However, it seems to me that there is a world of difference between the sphere scenes in previous Phantasm films and here in Ravager. The killings feltexcessively drawn out, almost vulgar in comparison. Like the farm hand who got it in the throat. That one sphere attack was longer and bloodier than probably the combined sphere attacks in any single entire other Phantasm movie! It felt vindictive. It felt too "dark" for a Phantasm film. What I mean is that it felt more like a scene from Saw or Hostel than from Phantasm if that makes any sense. And the horse-killing scene alone almost ruined the movie. It was like animal cruelty just for the sake of cruelty, and again it was excessively done. It felt depraved and ugly, and served no purpose other than to inject unmotivated gore. Again, I found myself saying "What the hell is the reason for this scene?". It felt like something out of Hostel or Cannibal Holocaust or something. One thing the Phantasm films never were(until Ravager)was depraved and ugly.
Fourth, there was far too much cutting between Reggie in the mental hospital and the "other" world or whatever - it made no sense. Look, I see the original as setting the stage. In the original (at the end) Reggie is telling Michael that it was all a dream and that the Tall Man doesn't exist. Then Michael goes upstairs and gets kidnapped by the Tall Man (meaning he was real). In Phantasm II, we find Michael in a mental hospital. Obviously he ended up there because no one believed his "story". But later in Phantasm II the Tall Man destroys Reggie's home, killing his family. Reggie realizes the Tall Man is real. And from that point on - for the rest of Phantasm II, III, and IV - the Tall Man is real and Michael, Jody and Reggie are fighting him. There's no more twisting of reality - the Tall Man exists and he is real. Yes, we have to be careful what we believe, because things are not what they seem. But it becomes obvious early on in Phantasm II that the Tall Man is real, and that the events are happening in reality.
Then Ravager comes out and suddenly we're told that Reggie has dementia and that everything we've seen since Phantasm I is part of his dementia! Even though he shows no other signs of dementia (memory loss, stiff gait, balance problems, tremors, memory loss, personality changes, etc.)and even though hallucinations of the sort seen in the movie are rare and generally don't happen with dementia (except one form - dementia with Lewy bodies, though even then I don't think they're anything like the movie shows). The very premise basically "invalidates" the other four movies in their entirety! Worse yet, it's the single most depressing, disappointing ending I could possibly imagine! And it doesn't even make sense. It would have to mean that even the events of Phantasm I were just lies. Jody never died, Michael never went to the mental hospital in Phantasm II, etc, etc. So really...literally everything we've seen on screen, from the very opening scene of Phantasm I to the end of Phantasm V were just delusional hallucinations of a guy with dementia? That means we've never really seen the characters of Michael, Jody and Reggie. We literally don't know who they really are or how well they got along. The whole "loyalty" thing and the deep caring and love of two brothers and their best friend might also have been just a delusion. Maybe Reggie was just another band member and Michael and Jody were just sorta good friends who came to see him in the end. That's utter crap. The great Phantasm franchise ends up being the crazy imaginings of a guy with dementia. Possibly the single most depressingly disappointing ending to any single movie or any franchise I can think of.
Which brings us to yet another complaint. It should not have even been called "Phantasm V". It should have been called "Reggie's Movie". It seems that Reggie's character has grown on Coscarelli so much that he's caused the character to overshadow everyone and everything else. Bill Thornbury (who I think is absolutely underrated as an actor - he's one of the best!) had far, far too little screen time. Even Michael(who is the main character since Phantasm I) had far, far less screen time than Reggie. Rocky had what amounted to a mere cameo at the end. Look Don, if you're going to "go out with a bang", then do it right! Introduce Rocky earlier, get someone to play Tim (it can easily be argued, especially in a Phantasm franchise, that Tim did not die at the end of Phantasm III) and have the team go balls-to-the-wall (pun intended) fighting the Tall Man on the Red Planet. All we got in Ravager were glimpses of the Red Planet. We still don't know where it is or what it is - nothing was revealed.
And of course, there were all the strange questions the film brought up - how the hell did the Tall Man create those monster-sized spheres that were destroying cities? They looked like something out of Independence Day! How did Chunk manage to survive with just one hand blown off when he clearly blew himself to bits during his attack on the Tall Man? Why are there 10,000 Tall Men? If the Tall Man took over and defeated everyone on Earth, why are there so few dwarves in the movie?
The film also posed so many new ideas that I held my breath waiting for - only to be utterly unfulfilled. The discussion with the Tall Man and Reggie where he asks Reggie if he wants his family back - it made no sense and it literally went nowhere. And it was never addressed after the initial discussion! Why would the Tall Man even make such an offer? What is he talking about? We received no answers as to who the Tall Man really is, why he does what he does, where he comes from, what the Red Planet it, how Mike is linked to the Tall Man, how is the Tall Man linked to the Lady in Lavender, etc, etc.
Need I even mention the serious lack of Phantasm music, which was replaced with a constant Danny Elfman-like epic score in every scene? Or the cardboard/lifeless and uninteresting characters like Dawn/Jane? Of all the Phantasm women, she alone came off as a non-character. Did anyone even care when she died? And what about the creepy, child-molester-like character who steals the Cuda? He looked and felt like the child rapist in the beginning of The Devil's Advocate.
The original Phantasm played with the idea that the events were "all in his head", "him" being Michael, the main character. This theme was resolved somewhat in Phantasm II where we realize it's not all in his head, but real. We spend the rest of the franchise not understanding how it's all real or what it all means or how it all works, but knowing that it's real. The films are consistent. Suddenly Ravager changes all that and it's literally all in Reggie's head as he becomes the main character. And it ends on the most depressing note ever. Humbug!
For what was clearly and obviously going to be the final true Phantasm film, Ravager was a total and utter disappointment. It failed to address and/or answer any of the numerous questions we've had for the last 37 years, it failed to resolve anything, it failed to explain the new questions it brought up (the Tall Man's offer to Reggie for example),it changed the feel, the atmosphere, the mood and the soul of the franchise. It invalidated the previous four films. It failed on every level. I would literally rather have had Coscarelli use a cheap 1970's hand camera and film it on low quality Super-8 film stock with no CGI at all, but keep it consistent with the other four movies.
Literally the only thing that made it watchable is the fact that Bill Thornbury, Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister are top-notch actors and were at the top of their game. It's as if they were the Beatles working on Abbey Road knowing this was their last outing. I'll buy the DVD and watch it repeatedly only because it would be a sin not to watch such awesome acting over and over. If Bill, Michael, or Reggie are reading this (and I'm sure Angus knows what I'm thinking), thanks for the awesome work! Even in Ravager, you guys kicked so much ass it isn't funny. It's just a shame Coscarelli let someone else do the final film and made such a disaster out of it. Now I'm wishing that Ravager was "all in my head" and not an actual movie.
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Post by pharrout on Oct 12, 2016 8:23:00 GMT -5
Look, I see the original as setting the stage. In the original (at the end) Reggie is telling Michael that it was all a dream and that the Tall Man doesn't exist. Then Michael goes upstairs and gets kidnapped by the Tall Man (meaning he was real). In Phantasm II, we find Michael in a mental hospital. Obviously he ended up there because no one believed his "story". But later in Phantasm II the Tall Man destroys Reggie's home, killing his family. Reggie realizes the Tall Man is real. And from that point on - for the rest of Phantasm II, III, and IV - the Tall Man is real and Michael, Jody and Reggie are fighting him. There's no more twisting of reality - the Tall Man exists and he is real. Yes, we have to be careful what we believe, because things are not what they seem. But it becomes obvious early on in Phantasm II that the Tall Man is real, and that the events are happening in reality. I agree with everything you said Phantasmal. One of the best reviews (captures everything I'm feeling). I always believed in P2 after Reggie brought Mike home from the mental institution, and saw his home get blown up ("Welcome Home...Boy!!!). That's when everything became real. This was Mike's movie (we got to see him grow up as a boy and into adulthood). I feel like Mike (the boy) was a special (gifted) kid that had psychic abilities to tap into the Tall Man's realm (i.e. seeing Alchemy disappear on the mortician's table (P2), being summoned by the Tall Man at Reggie's house (hallway) at the beginning of (P3), then all of a sudden, the whole narrative/mythology that Phantasm fans have enjoyed for 37 years is nullified (through the events of Ravager)... and it's no longer Mike's story--but instead explained as just a delusion (in Reggie's mind). I love Reggie, but his best role has always been the sidekick. Mike is the prodigy (ever since he was a boy). We will never know why the Tall Man wanted Mike (never answered)... I agree, i think Don (Coscarelli) fell in love with the popularity of Reggie and thought it would add a twist to the series by making it all about Reggie (and he had already shot the Reggie's Tales footage). I think that was the biggest mistake, because it invalidates the 4 films before it. The Phantasm fans are a unique bunch, and you can't just change the script on us (after 37 years of us building up feelings and emotions and the mythology). In order to ease my mind, I can only think of Phantasm as P1-P4. It literally hurts my head, when I try to rationalize Ravager (P5) into the series, because my mind still says, "No, this is Mike's story."
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Post by phantasmal on Oct 12, 2016 21:05:07 GMT -5
Thanks Pharrout! Glad you liked the review. It was painful to have to write.
Likewise, I'm stuck with considering Phantasm I - IV as the real thing. I'm considering Ravager (note that I'm calling it Ravager and not Phantasm V) as just a fan film or maybe a trailer for a tv series based on the movies, or something to that effect. It just cannot be made to fit in with the other four.
It's all the more distressing when we've been told we were getting answers in the final film. If that was an "answer", I'd have preferred it to have remained unanswered.
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Post by garmonbozia on Oct 12, 2016 22:45:53 GMT -5
I love Reggie, but his best role has always been the sidekick. Mike is the prodigy (ever since he was a boy). We will never know why the Tall Man wanted Mike (never answered)... I agree, i think Don (Coscarelli) fell in love with the popularity of Reggie and thought it would add a twist to the series by making it all about Reggie (and he had already shot the Reggie's Tales footage). I think that was the biggest mistake, because it invalidates the 4 films before it. The Phantasm fans are a unique bunch, and you can't just change the script on us (after 37 years of us building up feelings and emotions and the mythology). In order to ease my mind, I can only think of Phantasm as P1-P4. It literally hurts my head, when I try to rationalize Ravager (P5) into the series, because my mind still says, "No, this is Mike's story." To me, Mike's story was pretty much wrapped up in part 4. You say we don't know why the tall man wanted Mike but we do -So he could turn him into the next tall man. Mike resisted the tall man's control and desire to turn him into his next vessel, so the tall man took his gold ball and went home. Mike accepted the inevitability of his death. Part 4 was his ending. Part 5 is Reggie's ending. It can coexist with AND contradict Mike's ending because this is Phantasm and there are multiple universes that are all constantly shifting. Ravager itself is obviously Reggie-centric but in my view, that doesn't make the entire series about Reggie. And let's not forget that Ravager isn't the first film where Reggie is the lead focus. That would be Phantasm 3. Mike is virtually comatose in the small portions of the film he is actually in.
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