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!

Better than the original, in my opinion. The first of the series to feature a female lead, some really good special FX, and the ice cream man played by Reggie Bannister gets to kick some ass! The ONLY THING -- is replacing A. Michael Baldwin with a Brad Pitt-type actor (FUN FACT: Brad Pitt actually auditioned for this role)

I was surprised when I recently watched "Phantasm" that I actually enjoyed the film and thought its biggest strengths were its excellent writing, originality and creepiness. Well, it's now back with "Phantasm 2" and it still has creepiness...though not much more. Despite what you saw in the last film, Mike is now as indestructible as The Tall Man and he's back...even though you saw him being drug off to God-knows- where by The Tall Man at the end of the first film. To try to get around this serious problem (since Mike is a major character in the sequel), they had to re-write a new ending for the first film and he actually managed to escape!As the film begins, Mike (not the same actor...some faux Mike) is about to be released from a mental institution. After all, when he tells folks about what he's seen, everyone thinks he's lost his mind! This time, however, instead of Mike's brother, inexplicably Reggie is back to go on a never-ending road-trip to try to find The Tall Man and stop him from turning the dead into dwarf zombie slaves. In addition, Mike has a new girlfriend with which they share an odd psychic bond (huh?!?!) and there's another new girl there to show off her boobs and earn the film an R rating.So is this any good? Yes and no. If you love action...mindless action...you're in for a treat. You get all sorts of violence and mayhem--with better late 80s special effects. If you want a story that makes sense and adds to the story, well you'll be pretty disappointed. I think I'll try one more Phantasm film...and if it's like more of the same, then I'll think I'll stop instead of going on to "Phantasm IV" (which was made, according to the director, strictly for money) or the recent and final one, "Phantasm V: The Quest to Squeeze Even MORE Money Out of the Franchise". And, incidentally, actor Angus Scrimm is REALLY dead and beyond reanimation.

After thinking the threat is over, a survivor and his friend join up with a woman he holds a strange psychic connection with that allows them to continue to track the Tall Man's nefarious journey through the countryside as he carries out his mysterious plans for world domination.This here is one of the rare examples of the sequel that has more to offer than the original. The first and perhaps most important element helping this one along is the fact that there's just a relentless assault of action in this, which not only makes the film incredibly enjoyable but also continues to the next scene and builds on it logically, as a vast majority of that is how this one manages to mix together action and suspense beautifully. That starts with the opening scene, which plays off the ending of the first one in great detail that is pretty terrifying, a bit unsettling, and answers its questions which is another rather nice quality, and features some great action leading into the battle around the house and the race to get out before the massive explosion. Other great action here including the great encounter at the mausoleum where they see the Tall Man bringing the demonic beings into the graveyard to remove the bodies for his plans, a fun moment where the disturbed priest tries to complete the protection ritual right in front of the funeral guests for a fine scene and their first assault in the town where the demonic minions arrive and attack them in the store basement before seeing the false scare afterward which is quite fun. As well, other really great action scenes in here come from the freeway chase that's normally not present in horror films which is a real highlight while setting the stage for the final confrontations in the mausoleums which make for some creepy action as well. The two shootouts are nicely handled, and the many explosions are also very impressive to see and hear throughout here while setting up more of the Tall Man's mystery and quest to continue his ways building the army of beings in the supernatural dimensions. That is impressive to see which also applies to the fact that this is easily the goriest of the whole series. From the new gold spheres that bore basketball- sized holes into the body and emerge in full display oozing streams of blood from the wound, to having faces melt off and being riddled with bullets and shotgun blasts tearing massive chunks from the body, this one has more than enough to really satisfy gorehounds as not too many of them will be disappointed. None of it is done off- screen as this makes the gore that much more realistic by having different kinds of gore. Together with the impressive special effects, this proves to be one of the greatest in the series. About the only issue is the lack of reasoning for the girl to be included in the storyline which is wholly unneeded and drags the first half down, but that doesn't detract from the other positives.Rated R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, and a full-on sex scene.