Phantoms

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good, Could've Been Much Better
Review: I went to watch this movie cuz my friend's and I jus came back from a varsity Basketball tournament and we wanted to watch somtin scary. So we decided to go watch Phantoms, since I've never read da book when I watched the movie, or any other book for that matter(not much of a book reader)anywayz so I didn't know what to expect, so I jus watched the movie with an open mind. Well I had to admit, I got scared in some of the "boo" scenes in this movie, but I really liked the scene with the moth eatin out that cop's face. I also really liked the second half of the movie, when the military comes into town, I found it cool, how the soldiers and scientists try to do a sweep of the city only to be killed by the blob like thing. Since I really like military-esque movies, I liked the way they mixed soldiers in with the horror theme. I just wish there were more movies where the military is mixed in with the horror theme. I don't know why the big name critics really disliked this movie, I dunno wut was so bad about this movie, it was good but not as good as it could've been. But mabye its just me since I'm just a teenager I only looked for the more violent scary factor in this movie rather than looking at the big picture. Ah well since I found the storyline pretty cool, and they didn't really explain much in the movie I gave the book a try, and I thought it was sweet and I got hooked onto it and finished it in 2 days. That was what I thouht crazy cuz I never read books (only sports magazines) let alone finish a 400pg book in 2 days. I loved the book and after finishing it I thought that the movie really was bad compared to the book. The movie almost had nothing to do with the book, everything was changed, if only they stuck with the book's great story this movie could've been a classic. I found this too much like any other average horror movie (a lot like the blob) But I still thought it was pretty good, if you want to watch a fun horror movie, with a few cheapo thrills than go for Phantoms, but if you really want a great horror movie than go watch aliens

Rating:
Summary: Not Good
Review: I read the novel in preparation for seeing the movie, and the novel stank, so I knew the movie probably would, too. But I'm such a Peter O'Toole fan, I went anyway. Well, he was good, but he wasn't in the movie that much. It was the first time I'd seen Rose McGowan, and I was impressed with her screen presence. But Everyone else, and everything else in this movie stank. It you're in the mood for B-movie junk, this is your ticket. But if you want something good, forget it.

Rating:
Summary: A blah movie
Review: After watching "Still Breathing" and becoming an instant fan of the luminously beautiful Joanna Going, I went out and bought a used copy of "Phatoms." I paid eight dollars for this movie---and I wish I had found it cheaper elsewhere.

This movie is mediocre. My friend and I talked throughout the whole film, making fun of everything. But for some reason, I guess because this movie is so cheeseball, it scared us more than all of the "Scream" movies put together. Low expectations can work wonders.

Ben Affleck couldn't save this movie. We wanted Rose McGowan's character to die. And as for Ms. Going, she was wasted here. Somehow, they managed to make her look very sickly and plain.

So... watch this at your own risk.

Rating:
Summary: And Michael DeLorenzo left NY Undercover for this....?
Review: I went to see the first show of the day after working night shift for 8 hours. 10 am the movie starts, I am sort of in the scared mode. The movie goes on and if I did blink, I would have missed DeLorenzo's part. Anyhow the rest of the movie was strange. Wish I would have read the book. I was to eager to see this because of DeLorenzo, I could have waited for it to come to Showtime or HBO.

Rating:
Summary: O'Toole and McGowan are the only good things in it.
Review: I read the book before I saw the movie...and the book stank, and I wondered why they chose to make a movie of it. I saw the movie anyway, being a Peter O'Toole fan, and it wasn't much better than the book. It was the first time I've seen McGowan, and she has presence on the screen, and O'Toole's probably the most charismatic actor in history, so he is always worth watching...but when the camera was off them, you had to deal with what is basically a schlock B-horror-movie. If you're in the mood for cheap thrills, and nothing wrong with that, this should satisfy, otherwise see "Alien" again instead.

Rating:
Summary: Ancient Enema
Review: This movie has some stinky qualities that don't recommend it: silly, predictable, more implausible than usual, and completely lacking in sexual potency. The delivery of lines is embarassing, although Ben Affleck and Peter O'Toole seem to do what they can. The casting of Affleck as sheriff is a definite miscue--he would have been much more appropriate as a deputy. A few gross moments. A very desperate form of entertainment, and no, McGowan does not get naked. I don't know what Leonard Maltin is thinking.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but could have been a little better...
Review: I liked this movie alot, the plot was interesting, the characters seemed to know their role's, not to mention that this movie has a great cast. The only withdraw about this movie, is the fact that it has to do with an oversized tapeworm made of petroletum. I dunno, I just can't see a tapeworm take over an entire town in only a couple days. Oh well, it's a movie made for entertainment. It does a hell of a job at it too! Again, this is a must - see movie!

Rating:
Summary: Phantoms delivers genuine scares
Review: Dean Koontz adaptations are noted to be worse than Stephen King's. After Hideaway I was inclined to agree with that. It was a mess of a film and made me wonder exactly how the next Koontz big screen adaptation would turn out. Surprisingly, Phantoms turned out be a good thriller, not the classic it could have been, but infinitely superior to Hideaway and easily the best Dean Koontz adaptation (Not to mention countless Stephen King horror adaptations).

The film begins with a foreboding atmosphere. Sisters Jenny and Lisa Pailey (Joanna Going and Rose Mcgowan) are returning home to Snowfield, Colorado. Upon their arrival they discover most of the townspeople are missing. The only things left behind are some gooey looking corpses. The sisters try to leave but discover that has something has crushed the engine of all the cars in the town. Walking is not an option since it's forty miles to any sign of civilization. Arming themselves with shotguns they head to the town's bakery where they find Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck) and his deputies Wargle (Liev Schrieber) and Shanning (Nicky Katt). It seems the three officers just arrived from another town after they had been cut off on the radio with Snowfield's own sheriff. It's not long before they discover that the events that caused the mass disappearance of the town is still ongoing. They must now find a way to survive the night and combat the ancient force behind the massacre.

Directed well by Joe Chappelle (Surprisingly since he helmed the critically savaged Halloween 6), the film contains genuinely frightening moments, especially in the first half of the film. Certainly the best (and scariest) scene is when the giant moth swoops into the police station and literally consumes the face and brain of a deputy. The special effects help and they're well done and eerily convincing.

The majority of the performances in this movie are good. The two leading stars, Ben Affleck and the lovely Joanna Going, deliver fine performances as the hero and heroine. Affleck has a certain charisma and flair in his performance that makes his character likeable and easy to root for. The real scene stealing performance, though, is Liev Schrieber as the weirdo deputy Wargle. He gets the film's best lines and doesn't put them to waste. Faring not as well as those three are Peter O'Toole and Rose Mcgowan. Mcgowan seems like she's there just to look pretty and occasionally do some stupid things (such as walking toward a bathroom stall alone). Screen legend and six time Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole is not bad but he is fed some pretty bad dialogue.

The real problem in this film lies in its running time. At a short 96 minutes this film is rushed, especially in the second half. If an extra fifteen to twenty minutes were added in that part of the film to explain some confusing parts more explicitly and carefully the film wouldn't have felt so hurried. But the film still does move at a fast pace and that makes up for some of the running time flaws.

To sum this up, Phantoms is a horror film that's intelligent and scary, and while it won't be added as a classic to the genre, it's a more than satisfying and entertaining time to spend watching with a friend or by yourself late at night.

Rating:
Summary: Phantoms delivers the goods
Review: Yes, Phantoms was directed by Joe Chappelle, the man who helmed the infamous Halloween 6, but Phantoms is a much better film. Easily the best Dean Koontz adaptation (And much better than many Stephen King horror adaptations) this is a film with a very intriguing plotline that delivers some true scares.

The story begins with two sisters, Jenny(Joanna Going) and Lisa Pailey(Rose Mcgowan), who are heading back home to the small town of Snowfield, Colorado. Almost immediately upon their arrival they find that most of the townspeople are missing. The bodies of those not missing are gooey looking. The sisters try to leave the town but find that all the cars, including their own, have had their engines destroyed by some unseen force. Walking isn't an option since the nearest town is forty miles away so they arm themselves and search for any survivors. That night they meet Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck) and his two deputies who have arrived to the town due to radio difficulties between their own station and Snowfield's police headquarters. It's not long before they discover that whatever caused the town's disappearance is still ongoing. Now, they must find a way to survive through the night and fight a seemingly unstoppable force of destruction.

I read the book before watching the movie and I have to say that the changes put in the film hurt it a bit. However, the film has some great sequences such as when the giant moth swoops into the headquarters and consumes a deputy's brain in a matter of seconds. The special effects are also eerily convincing (Particularly the moth) and effective.

Phantoms is well acted, especially for a horror film. The film's two leading stars, Ben Affleck and the lovely Joanna Going (who will become a star one day) deliver fine performances as the hero and heroine. It's Liev Schrieber, however, who steals the show as Sheriff Hammond's crazy deputy. He's fed some of the film's best lines and he doesn't waste them. Faring not so well as those three talented performers are Rose Mcgowan and Peter O'Toole. Mcgowan seems like she's only there to look pretty and act stupid (Such as when she approaches a toilet stall alone). While she doesn't do a terrible job with her role her character is underwritten and not as likeable as Going's character. Film legend Peter O'Toole is even worse with a near deranged performance as a tabloid writer. This will go down as one of his weaker roles, but nowhere near as bad as his performance in Supergirl.

Phantoms is most impressive in its first half. The audience has fun watching it because they have no idea what's behind the town's mysterious disappearance. The film's second half isn't as strong but it's still okay. It suffers not from being unscary, but from being rushed. As a matter of fact, if the film's running time was fifteen to twenty minutes longer the film would make more sense to those who have never read the book.

Phantoms is entertaining and scary enough to watch with a couple of friends on a Friday night. It's not a masterpiece (But it could have been), but it does have some scary moments and the suspense is there throughout the whole film.

Rating:
Summary: The Good the Bad the Ugly
Review: I thought the movie was good but the novel was better. It did leave a lot thing thats were important to the understanding of the plot. For some reason, Koontz's novels aren't living up to the excellant writing he portrays. Maybe in the future he could do a better job.