Phantasm II, Revisited

This film needed a better review-and this will be my first of two reviews today; the second is the third Phantasm-a movie w/ almost 30 years of backstory which will be elaborated upon when that is reviewed.

Concerning Phantasm II, it does seem like a slicker, straightforward version of the OG property, missing the ambiguity although retaining part of the surreal, dreamlike vibes as they added an action element w/ a quad-barrel shotgun and flamethrower. The studio (Universal) mandated a more forthright experience and the recasting of Mike w/ James Le Gros, who was a working actor at the time unlike A. Michael Baldwin. BRAD PITT auditioned for the role but was denied.

That isn’t ideal but I still like this experience where they expand the universe w/ a more lethal sphere, additional lore concerning The Tall Man-including human minions-and a psychic connection between Mike & a lady named Elizabeth. The vibes are different from the first-that doesn’t mean II is bad. Scares are still present, the K&B effects are gruesome, the spheres are still rad-even if you can see the wires more than once in HD-the action is fun (massive explosions, chainsaw fights, limbs being sliced off, etc. It’s entertaining.

I’ll forever be amused that a balding middle-aged dude like Reggie Bannister-appearance of a random man you’d see walking on the street-got to star in a cult favorite franchise… and in this installment, got in fights, used badass weapons against his foes, and even had a budding romance w/ an attractive younger lady improbably named ALCHEMY. That was the funniest aspect of Phantasm II. Those characters had… chemistry.

As Angus Scrimm was still unforgettable as The Tall Man, I still like Phantasm II despite its differences from the first Phantasm.