First I would like to say that I'm rating this on a Phantasm series scale, meaning I would rate the original a 10 since I consider that one the best. When I first saw this movie back in 1988, I was angry and I felt betrayed in the fact that they replaced Michael Baldwin with James LeGros. As I finish watching the film for what is probably the 30th time, I still feel the same. I did not feel then that James was Mike and I still don't. This is not knocking James LeGros or his acting ability, it's just that Michael Baldwin deserved this role.
Studio interference in this movie is apparent from the opening scene to the end credits. Anyone who is a fan of this series knows exactly what I'm talking about. Gone are all of the sequences and atmosphere that makes you know you are watching a Phantasm film. You may not know exactly what the heck is going on, but even still you are comfortable with the incoherency that makes up a Phantasm film. This film is forced straight down the nightmare on elm street path and it doesn't deviate from it. They force Don Coscarelli to have Mike have this silly sort of clairvoyant love link with some random girl and for no apparent reason. I read that many extra scenes were shot, but again, studio interference forced them to be removed. They give Don Coscarelli the largest budget of the entire series then proceed to tie his hands behind his back and tell him what he can and can't do. Imagine the film we may have gotten if they had stayed the hell out of it from the start. Jodi is only mentioned at the beginning of the film with the clip of the original and I suppose that's because they didn't want to pay Bill Thornbury any royalties. I love the Phantasm movies. All of them, for different reasons, but in my opinion, this too cookie cutter and is the farthest from Phantasm than any of them. That being said, Reggie Bannister is still the man. We love you Reg!
Studio interference in this movie is apparent from the opening scene to the end credits. Anyone who is a fan of this series knows exactly what I'm talking about. Gone are all of the sequences and atmosphere that makes you know you are watching a Phantasm film. You may not know exactly what the heck is going on, but even still you are comfortable with the incoherency that makes up a Phantasm film. This film is forced straight down the nightmare on elm street path and it doesn't deviate from it. They force Don Coscarelli to have Mike have this silly sort of clairvoyant love link with some random girl and for no apparent reason. I read that many extra scenes were shot, but again, studio interference forced them to be removed. They give Don Coscarelli the largest budget of the entire series then proceed to tie his hands behind his back and tell him what he can and can't do. Imagine the film we may have gotten if they had stayed the hell out of it from the start. Jodi is only mentioned at the beginning of the film with the clip of the original and I suppose that's because they didn't want to pay Bill Thornbury any royalties. I love the Phantasm movies. All of them, for different reasons, but in my opinion, this too cookie cutter and is the farthest from Phantasm than any of them. That being said, Reggie Bannister is still the man. We love you Reg!