Review - Dean Koontz's Phantoms

Ben Affleck was not da bomb in this film . . . I don't care what Kevin Smith says.

Having said that, Dean Koontz's Phantoms was not horrible. It was one of those movies that you start watching because you were flipping around and it was on one of the million Cinemax channels to which you subscribe. A few minutes go by and you find you are interested; a half hour goes by and you begin saying to yourself - why am I watching this rubbish? But by then you've invested too much time and have to follow it through to the end. After the end of the movie you think to yourself - now that wasn't too bad.

Two sisters Lisa (Rose McGowan) and Jennifer Pailey (Joanna Going) vacationing in Snowfield, California find something is not quite right in this sleepy little town. They meet up with the good sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck) and his deputies Stu Wargle (Liev Schreiber) and Steve Shanning (Nicky Katt) only to be stalked by some kind of being that is hell bent on killing the entire town, or so it would seem.

It turns out that this being is really after notoriety and calls upon Dr. Timothy Flyte (Peter O'Toole), who has been writing stories on it for quite some time, to tell the world of this "new God" he has found. The movie works to a point, then it becomes nothing more than your typical "kill the monster" fest. With a bunch of stolen scenes from John Carpenter's The Thing (scenes with the dogs and Deputy Stu) and The Blob (FBI men in big white suits) it just doesn't cut it as a great or original movie. And the ending just stunk to high heaven.

Most of the characters were just okay. Nothing really stood out in the acting department. Although I have to say that I was quite amused by the character of Stu Wargle. He was just one of those characters that you wished bad things to happen to him because he was such an ass. When he gets what is coming to him you just want to scream out "YES" . . . actually I think I might have. I thought that Peter O'Toole really over acted especially toward the end of the film. And Ben Affleck was just blah. I usually love Rose McGowan too, but in this film I am tempted to quote the ever pompous Simon Cowell when I say - "So What?!"

The so-so acting and bad ending aside, it was an okay film. I haven't read it, but I am sure the book is much better - at least I would hope so . . .

Directed by
Joe Chappelle

Writing credits (WGA)
Dean R. Koontz (novel Phantoms) (as Dean Koontz)


Dean R. Koontz (screenplay) (as Dean Koontz)


Cast (in credits order) verified as complete
Ben Affleck .... Sheriff Bryce Hammond
Peter O'Toole .... Dr. Timothy Flyte
Rose McGowan .... Lisa Pailey
Joanna Going .... Jennifer Pailey, M.D.
Liev Schreiber .... Deputy Stuart 'Stu' Wargle
Nicky Katt .... Deputy Steve Shanning
Clifton Powell .... Gen. Leland Copperfield
Rick Otto .... Scientist Lockland
Valerie Chow .... Scientist Yamaguchi (as Rachel Shane)
Adam Nelson .... Scientist Burke
John Hammil .... Scientist Talbot
John Scott Clough .... Scientist Shane
Michael DeLorenzo .... Soldier Velazquez
William Hahn .... Scientist Borman
Robert Himber .... Scientist Walker
Bo Hopkins .... Agent Hawthorne
Robert Knepper .... Agent Wilson
Paul Schmidt .... Church Soldier
Dean Hallo .... Sgt. Harker
Clive Rosengren .... Commanding Officer
Edmund Wyson .... Cpl. Guthrie
Luke Eberl .... Tunnel Boy
Rich Beall .... Security Guard
Judith Drake .... Hilda
Yvette Nipar .... Cowgirl