[Phantasm IV:Oblivion]
Plot:Taking off immediately where the last one ended, in this episode Mike travels across dimensions and time fleeing from the Tall Man, at the same time he tries to find the origins of his enemy, and what really happened the night that his brother died. Meanwhile, Reggie (accompanied by a beauty he picked up on the road) battles the spheres and the undead in a quest to find Mike before the Tall Man can complete his transformation.

Cast:A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Bill Thornbury, Heidi Marnhout, Bob Ivy, Angus Scrimm, Christopher L. Stone, Chloe Kay, Sylvia Flammer, David Gasster, Sasha Kassel, Aidan Kassel, Eric Avary, Andy John, George A. Craig.

My Thoughts:Not the strongest entry of the series, but still a good entry.

Review:The "Phantasm" series first begun in 1988 with the original "Phantasm", and extended itself for 10 years, adding three more entries into the books with the final one being "Phantasm 4:Oblivion" in 1998. This entry returns Reggie Banister as Reggie, A. Michael Baldwin (last seen in "Phantasm") as Mike, Angus Scrimm as the sinister Tallman, and Bill Thornbury as Jody. Picking up right where the third film left off, the movie follows Mike being taken away by the Tallman to an alternate reality, where he's left to find his way out...while at the same time, trying to piece together the mystery behind the Tallman's existence and the fate of his brother Jody.

Meanwhile....Reggie takes a cross-country trip in his attempt to find Mike, but the Tallman continuously puts roadblocks in his way in the form of his signature lurkers, undead, spheres of death, and a few demons as well. This entry into the series is very different from the other two sequels mostly because it splits the characters up, and puts them into a situation where they are left to battle the tallman's forces alone. In parts two and three, Reggie is with Mike, and then picks up a few tag-alongs in Tim and Rocky in the third movie.

But in "Oblivion", Reggie and Mike are solo for the duration, and surviving their separate paths to the truth behind The Tallman's origins, and Jody's whereabouts is essential...and becomes more and more essential as the film goes on. "Oblivion" is a bit thin on action, as it really is more of a review of the past three films events, letting the viewer..."Phantasm" series regular or not, get accquainted with the journey of the characters up to this point, before it begins to usher in an entirely new story which acts as a prelude to the final battle between good and evil.

Fans of the series will be happy to see Baldwin return as Mike, after a hiatus from the series for one whole movie. Baldwin's character Mike was played by James LeGros in "Phantasm 2", and while LeGros did a bang up job in my view, it's certainly nice to see Baldwin back for parts three, and part four "Oblivion". It actually was more important to have Baldwin back for part four due to it's story intersections and flashback moments which really tighten up the story and any subplots the previous two films might've skimmed over accidentally.

One thing that might disappoint genre fans with "Oblivion" is it's low level of blood and gore. The film actually returns to it's roots, trying to use more pyschological scares over filling the screen with gore. Parts 2 and 3 were heavy on gore, blood, and embalming fluid, but four only contains a few scenes of heavy, graphic violence. It's more of a character-driven story, and Scrimm, Baldwin, and Banister play their roles very well...which tremendously helps the character-driven elements of the story.

The mystery elements of the movie are all over the place, touching on everything from which side of the battle Jody is aligned with now, to a slow and methodical revelation of the Tallman's origins, to what Mike exactly is...a question which was left hanging at the cliffhanger ending of "Phantasm 3:Lord Of The Dead". The films ending though is classic and vintage ''Phantasm", containing all of the mystery, ominous overtones, and "wtf?" moments you'd expect to come barreling at you at the conclusion of a "Phantasm" movie.

The ending alone make this DVD worth a watch for those who haven't seen the fourth installment yet, and for those who don't yet own it but have seen it, it's always a nice addition to the collection just for the bragging rights to say you have all four films on DVD. But true "Phantasm" fans will mostly likely wanna score this dvd just to revisit their love of the series, the characters (good and bad), the story, and the series universe in general.

Positives:Very dark, moody, ominous story and atmosphere and set pieces. Good performances by Scrimm, Banister, and Baldwin. Classic ending.

Negatives:Could've used a few more action sequences.

DVD Extras Ratings:Widescreen Transfer: A+, Sound: A+, Audio Commentary: A+, Behind-The-Scenes feature: B+, Promo Trailer: B.

DVD Rating:Three out of 4 stars.





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