MovieChat Forums > Phantasm: Ravager (2016) Discussion > Heartbreaking Disappointment

Heartbreaking Disappointment

posted 8 years ago by master_d
5 replies | jump to latest

I've been waiting for this since 1998, worried each year would bring Scrimm's passing before we'd receive the final film. Now that it's here, I wish we'd never gotten it at all.

Incoherent plot, scattershot pacing, terrible effects and editing. But worst of all? No closure. Don really should have taken the reins on this one, Hartman's background in animation shows in his constant "zoom, woosh" effects.

It was great seeing all of them together again, but instead of providing a satisfying conclusion they actually tease a sequel. And no villain will EVER eclipse the Tall Man.

I give it a 5.5./10. They tried, but this wasn't what I've been waiting for.

[–] chet19 8 years ago

Initially I defended Ravager because it was so cool to see the 3 guys together again vs. the Tall Man. I was willing to overlook the lack of closure and confusing plot because I was being sentimental.

But your post is the same as so many others, and I fully agree now. I'm still not as disappointed as you and many other phans, but I am unsatisfied.

The lack of closure really bothers me. The open ending bothers me. Different versions of what might have happened REALLY bothers me. Reggie being in 3 or 4 different dimensions might have sounded cool on paper, but it played out more like the jumbled-garbage last season of Lost.

I found myself going over all 5 of the films to see how the plot blended together, and I'm twice as baffled now instead of relieved.

[–] brucelee-38476 8 years ago

different versions of what might have happened is the entire point of the franchise an this is the same this is the only way to do a proper phantasm finale without explaining it all this is done in the style of the other movies either reggie had dementia an died an it was all a dream of what he wanted to happen or he died an went to the afterlife an got his wish of fighting with his friends forever or its all real an it was just another tall man trick an he reunites with his friends to fight evil the whole point of the franchise is it never stops theres no tall mans dead for good ending this battle will last forever the real question is is this *beep* even real or in reggies head every ending is valid this film is made on purpose to were you can pick what ever ending you want

[–] MovieKnut 8 years ago

I don't mind an ambiguous ending, The Thing (1982) is one of my favourite movies. However, the conclusion to Phantasm is disappointing. Depending on your disposition, the battle continues across several alternate time-lines. Or it was all a delusion in the mind of a dementia suffering Reggie.

Followed the franchise from the initial release of Phantasm back in 1979. I wouldn't say it was a bad movie, but I had hoped for more than this after 37 years.

You can't palm off a second-rater on me. You gotta remember I was in the pink!

[–] cybermonster_8 8 years ago

I haven't been this disappointed in a movie since Prometheus.

[–] alesisqs61 8 years ago

Prometheus was a masterpiece compared to this.

Look.... it's plain and simple.... PHANTASM = A Delusion, spelled out in trailers. It's not even a dream... which the Tall man was correct... by saying "NO, it's not" at the end of 2. Everything was in Reggie's mind, it's all a jumbled mess because it's all fake. There is no story to tell now. We've been watching a story go on in someone's head... that's all. We though it was Mike's head, but indeed it was Reggie's all along. The real trick was making us believe Mike and Jody were invested in the Tall Man when everything was just in Reggie's mind. One long mind *beep* The 5th film just looked like amateur hour when it came to filmmaking. The series truly ended after 3. I felt 4 should have been combined with 5 and had a real solid story to end it but they opted for the typical word meaning of the title of the film.

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