Better than it had to be. I'm not gonna lie - I liked it more than Bride. It's more cohesive. It's zany without the over the top acting like Bride had. I like that after all these years - it stays true to the original. It still has that 80's spirit. This is a treat for fans who needed one more fix of that Re-Animator goodness!
108 Reviews
More great gory fun!
The_Void27 August 2004
As a big fan of the Re-Animator series, I was quite excited when I found out that a second sequel was being made. Unfortunately, however, due to poor distribution in the UK; it has taken me over a year to find a copy. But now that I've finally seen it, I am pleased to report that Beyond Re-Animator doesn't disappoint! It is now 13 years after the infamous massacre of the second film and Herbert West has found himself in jail. However, you can't keep a good re-animator down, and being in jail doesn't stop his experiments, especially when a new doctor; Dr Howard Phillips arrives on the scene.
Jeffrey Combs returns as the insane scientist, Dr Herbert West. Unfortunately, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) from the other two films doesn't return, but Re-Animator was always Combs' series anyway, so although it's a loss; the show must, and most certainly does go on. Jeffrey Combs was made for the part of Herbert West; his portrayal of the character is absolutely wonderful. He catches just the right atmosphere of a man obsessed by his work in all three films. He also manages to tie a lot of humour in, which is obviously a good thing for a tongue in cheek movie such as this. The rest of the cast acts as a support to Combs, and succeeds fairly well in that respect but none really impress much on their own. Jason Barry (who had a small role in the rubbish movie; Titanic) acts as Dan Cain's replacement and Herbert West's new understudy; Howard Phillips. He never really impresses in the movie and it would seem that his main objective in the movie is to make West look more insane, and through his subdued performance; he does that well. Elsa Patasky looks good as the lady of the film, but her performance is terrible; even embarrassingly bad at times. Simón Andreu is the only member of the cast other than Combs that really impresses, and he plays the prison warden; the villain of the piece.
Gorehounds won't be disappointed with this film, I can guarantee you that! Re-Animator became infamous for it's heavy amounts of overly gory sequences, and this movie features lots of them too; from an exploding chest to a severed torso that walks on it's hands; this movie has it all. Many sequels, particularly horror sequels just recap the original with more gore, but the Re-Animator sequels haven't so far, all have something new. In Bride of Re-Animator (Re-Animator 2), a new idea about animated different parts of a dead corpse emerged, and in this film the new idea is adding the 'soul' to the re-animated body. It is admirable for the series to take that route as for a film of this ilk, more gore could simply be added and it's fans would almost certainly happy, but here you get a story to chew on aswell.
The last two films ended with a riot, which has become a part of the Re-Animator tradition, and this film doesn't break that great tradition. The last 30 minutes or so are absolutely insane, with many things going on all at once and that is sure to please fans of the original movies. Overall, Beyond Re-Animator is an incredible gory ride and is recommended to anyone with the stomach for this sort of movie.
Jeffrey Combs returns as the insane scientist, Dr Herbert West. Unfortunately, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) from the other two films doesn't return, but Re-Animator was always Combs' series anyway, so although it's a loss; the show must, and most certainly does go on. Jeffrey Combs was made for the part of Herbert West; his portrayal of the character is absolutely wonderful. He catches just the right atmosphere of a man obsessed by his work in all three films. He also manages to tie a lot of humour in, which is obviously a good thing for a tongue in cheek movie such as this. The rest of the cast acts as a support to Combs, and succeeds fairly well in that respect but none really impress much on their own. Jason Barry (who had a small role in the rubbish movie; Titanic) acts as Dan Cain's replacement and Herbert West's new understudy; Howard Phillips. He never really impresses in the movie and it would seem that his main objective in the movie is to make West look more insane, and through his subdued performance; he does that well. Elsa Patasky looks good as the lady of the film, but her performance is terrible; even embarrassingly bad at times. Simón Andreu is the only member of the cast other than Combs that really impresses, and he plays the prison warden; the villain of the piece.
Gorehounds won't be disappointed with this film, I can guarantee you that! Re-Animator became infamous for it's heavy amounts of overly gory sequences, and this movie features lots of them too; from an exploding chest to a severed torso that walks on it's hands; this movie has it all. Many sequels, particularly horror sequels just recap the original with more gore, but the Re-Animator sequels haven't so far, all have something new. In Bride of Re-Animator (Re-Animator 2), a new idea about animated different parts of a dead corpse emerged, and in this film the new idea is adding the 'soul' to the re-animated body. It is admirable for the series to take that route as for a film of this ilk, more gore could simply be added and it's fans would almost certainly happy, but here you get a story to chew on aswell.
The last two films ended with a riot, which has become a part of the Re-Animator tradition, and this film doesn't break that great tradition. The last 30 minutes or so are absolutely insane, with many things going on all at once and that is sure to please fans of the original movies. Overall, Beyond Re-Animator is an incredible gory ride and is recommended to anyone with the stomach for this sort of movie.
A Most Welcome Return
kscaduncan1 January 2004
It's been well over a decade since we last saw Herbert West and now he's finally back. It seems his past has finally caught up with him as he is now currently serving a jail sentence for the gory mayhem his re-animated corpses have caused. The arrival of a new young doctor, who wants to help West, results in West being back in business. The best thing about this film is Jeffrey Combs. He slips back into the role of Herbert West effortlessly. The gore effects courtesy of Screaming Mad George are also a highlight. While not as good as the original, it's about even with Bride Of Re-Animator. I hope there'll be further instalments.
Oh and continue watching during the end credits.
Oh and continue watching during the end credits.
Beyond Re-Animator
Scarecrow-8824 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) just can't stop trying to bring the dead back to life using his neon green experimental serum, with a corpse (without its mouth) attacking the sister of a boy in their kitchen. West is arrested and sent away to a nasty warden's (Simón Andreu) prison, somewhat prevented from continuing his experiments. He has developed a type of "nanoplasm" which might can correct the deranged reactions of the green serum on humans after they die
too bad this nanoplasm, like the green liquid, has certain "side effects". Nanoplasm must be "extracted" through electrocution from one life form and then transplanted to another
what this does is transfer the actual presence of the one into the other. The boy who witnessed his daughter's death has grown into a doctor (Jason Barry, top five of his class) and received a post at the very prison West is interred. He wants to work with West, still holding onto a vial of his magic juice which begins a series of loony events that will lead to crazed corpses biting tits, a half-torso rat-loving jailbird swinging around on a rope, a bald-headed, Catholic-guilt, steel-toothed heart attack victim trying to swallow a giant rat, rat energy transplanted into the warden which causes him to react like a rodent (!), an addict who injects the green fluid and literally bursts at the seams, West literally electrocuting a zombie in the chair (!), a strangled victim of the warden (Elsa Pataky, portraying a reporter looking for a story inside the "death house") brought back to life and then unfortunately given nanoplasm culled from the very man who killed her, among other crazy shenanigans in this special effects extravaganza. You literally see the warden's "lifeforce" coursing through Pataky as she tries to fight him away, unsuccessfully. Severed heads, penis and eyeballs are active participants, hanging prisoners kicking their feet as the sadistic warden wants to continue to punish them even after death (!), plenty of warden wielding his silver-tipped cane, lots of Pataky which is never a bad thing, and a riot turning convicts on guards. The religious nut (Nico Baixas) is a hoot, seemingly innocent yet encumbered with an insatiable appetite thanks to his resurrection; his reaching to the sky as the light emerges with SWAT blasting away sends him off with a bang. Combs is in fine form, still arrogant and brilliant as West, too absorbed in seeing that his work escapes failure, with plenty of sacrificial lambs proving otherwise. At least this film allows him to continue his work, as previous films seemed to indicate his demise. Lots of busy noise and in pure Brian Yuzna style, a real flair for gonzo gory carnage. Yuzna is an acquired taste, but he was always diving head first into the craziest of material, working in Spain at this point in his career. Andreu, as the main antagonist, is a real heel both alive and dead...in this series, although West is never technically a hero, he often is by default celebrated just because there is someone opposite him *even worse*.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blood Red
Tzsm986 June 2004
This third Re-Animator movie delivered what any fan of the series would expect. The formerly dead jitterbug about after receiving a dose of reagent from Herbert West. West again has a love stricken assistant. West's assistant is again in a love triangle with West's would-be nemesis. So, why not pop Re-animator or Bride of Re-animator in if there is nothing new? Good question. Here are some reasons
1- The effects in this film are top notch.
2- Jeffrey Combs again shows his acting chops playing Herbert West.
3- There is a new twist to the re-animation process that shows some promise in `clinical trials'.
There are some really convincing effects throughout the film. Makeup and effects are more than window dressing in a film of this nature. Inadequate attention to either would have dropped the value of this film immediately. You believe that these guys have been dead and now no longer are. They are much more believable than JarJar Binks.
Herbert West is over a decade older in this film. Combs takes this maturity and adds it to the character he molded in the previous efforts. It's obvious that he is the same Dr. West yet it is also obvious that time has added to the character. Even more interesting, at the beginning of the film is a flashback where Combs plays the younger West. It's an opportunity to compare the two portrayals almost side by side. The essence of West remains, the speech pattern, the physicality remain. What Combs added to West's character is a veil to the intensity. What was once a roaring fire is now under control. He is no less determined, just a bit more subdued in expressing it.
The addition to the re-animation process, which I will not discuss in particular, adds another moral dimension to the question of the correctness of bringing back the dead. Although this moral dimension is directly addressed in the film, Medical Ethics 101 it is not. The ethical question is covered briefly and in the context of the fate of West's nemesis. As with all Re-animator activity conducted by West time is valuable and little of it is wasted. Events are happening rapidly and under less than ideal circumstances.
The DVD version has an music video on it, which was a surprise. It also has a `making of' short that should have had about another five or six days of work done to it before including it. It does have interviews with the principle actors and with the director. Have your subtitles turned on, the actors, with two exceptions speak Spanish even during the clips from the movie included in the short.
As any good sequel will, this one leaves open the possibility of yet another Re-animator movie. Hopefully the production quality will continue its improvement. Maybe Bruce Abbott and Barbara Crampton can be re-animated for the fourth film.
1- The effects in this film are top notch.
2- Jeffrey Combs again shows his acting chops playing Herbert West.
3- There is a new twist to the re-animation process that shows some promise in `clinical trials'.
There are some really convincing effects throughout the film. Makeup and effects are more than window dressing in a film of this nature. Inadequate attention to either would have dropped the value of this film immediately. You believe that these guys have been dead and now no longer are. They are much more believable than JarJar Binks.
Herbert West is over a decade older in this film. Combs takes this maturity and adds it to the character he molded in the previous efforts. It's obvious that he is the same Dr. West yet it is also obvious that time has added to the character. Even more interesting, at the beginning of the film is a flashback where Combs plays the younger West. It's an opportunity to compare the two portrayals almost side by side. The essence of West remains, the speech pattern, the physicality remain. What Combs added to West's character is a veil to the intensity. What was once a roaring fire is now under control. He is no less determined, just a bit more subdued in expressing it.
The addition to the re-animation process, which I will not discuss in particular, adds another moral dimension to the question of the correctness of bringing back the dead. Although this moral dimension is directly addressed in the film, Medical Ethics 101 it is not. The ethical question is covered briefly and in the context of the fate of West's nemesis. As with all Re-animator activity conducted by West time is valuable and little of it is wasted. Events are happening rapidly and under less than ideal circumstances.
The DVD version has an music video on it, which was a surprise. It also has a `making of' short that should have had about another five or six days of work done to it before including it. It does have interviews with the principle actors and with the director. Have your subtitles turned on, the actors, with two exceptions speak Spanish even during the clips from the movie included in the short.
As any good sequel will, this one leaves open the possibility of yet another Re-animator movie. Hopefully the production quality will continue its improvement. Maybe Bruce Abbott and Barbara Crampton can be re-animated for the fourth film.
Very enjoyable horror film.
HumanoidOfFlesh27 August 2004
After causing the Miskatonic University Massacre,Dr.Herbert West has been serving a prison sentence for the past 14 years.Far from overcoming his scientific obsession with bringing dead organisms back to life,he has had no choice but to continue his experiments on the only specimens he can find in his cell:rats.When Howard,a new young doctor,comes to work as the prison MD and requests his assistance,Dr.West discovers that the young protege has something he left behind 14 years ago..."Beyond Re-Animator" is an enjoyable horror flick that offers plenty of gore.It's nice to see Jeffrey Combs again as Herbert West.The acting is okay and and there is a lot of zombies running around plus a nice dose of black humour(a bitten-off re-animated penis which has a rather hilarious fight with a re-animated rat).This film is surely not as good as "Re-Animator",but if you want to be entertained give it a look.7 out of 10.
Terrible sequel
sjaficsix13 March 2006
If you enjoyed Re-Animator, do yourself a favor and never watch this movie. It contains no elements of the first two. I personally enjoyed Bride of Re-Animator, because it stayed very closely in formula to the first film. This new film breaks any logic the first two contained and makes Herbert West a secondary character. This film is just plain trash, the story is terrible, the gore looks terrible (the gore of the first two was great) and the supporting cast were terrible...in all...terrible. I actually feel that this film taints the originals and have agreed with a friend to deny its existence...you should do the same. The only redeeming quality of the DVD is the terribly enjoyable music video for the song "Move Your Dead Bones." The video is funny and contains clips from the movie so you can get an idea of how bad the film is. I think you can download it or watch it online.
Herbert West Re-Animates Again
Witchfinder-General-66613 August 2008
Stuart Gordon's satirical Horror masterpiece "Re-Animator" of 1985 is a personal favorite of mine, and Brian Yuzna's 1990 sequel "Bride Of Re-Animator" was a sequel as gory, hilarious and great as one could possibly hope. While Yuzna's second sequel, "Beyond Re-Animator" does, in my opinion, not quite reach the quality of its predecessor, it is nonetheless a gory, funny and outrageously entertaining film that no Horror fan should miss. Our favorite obsessed scientist Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) has been serving the last thirteen years in prison, which is ruled by a mean and sadistic warden (Simón Andreu). West has since been working in the prison's medical station, and secretly experiments on rats. The young Dr. Howard Phillips (Jason Barry)then begins to work as the prison doctor, and he shows great interest in West's work... Once again the film is full of extreme gore and macabre humor. Jeffrey Combs is once again great as Dr. West. The guy is a great actor, and he has played many other memorable roles, but Herbert West was the role he was born to play. Someone other than Combs to play the role is simply not imaginable. Jason Barry is also good as the young doctor (basically a replacement for Dan Caine played by Bruce Abbott). David Gale (who died in 1991) is severely missed as the evil Dr. Carl Hill, but Simón Andreu is a very good replacement as the scumbag character. The stunningly beautiful Elsa Pataky is very welcome as the new female character, the sexy and ambitious journalist Laura. The prison setting is, in my opinion, not quite as cool as the settings in the predecessors (simply because it is more limited), but they made the best out of it. While sequels to masterpieces often tend to disappoint, the opposite is the case with the "Re-Animator" sequels, probably because they kept the style and humor of the original. The great score, the gore, the humor, and, above all, the wonderfully obsessed Dr. West. I am already looking forward to "House Of Re-Animator" which is due in 2010, and for which Stuart Gordon will return in the director's chair. "Beyond Re-Animator" is a must-see for all my fellow Herbert West fans, and a treat for every Horror fan. Do not miss!
Interesting Enough
gothic_a66617 February 2006
Any movie that includes a character named after the Great Lovecraft himself is bound to attract the attention of quite a few enthusiasts, even though in this case said character is dull and mostly thinly constructed, yet this is a sequel to the epic of Doctor West and his uncanny obsession, as such it was bound to create a certain momentum.
Which it does, up to a certain time. The opening scene is quite unexpected if not remarkably brilliant and although the movie seems to lag off during its middle sections, encompassing a completely unnecessary and mostly painful romance, it gains strength as it marches towards a complete onslaught of mangled bodies re-animated, a sinister warden now possessed with the spirit of a nasty rodent, an exploding junkie and a forest of not quite-dead bodies merrily twitching away.
Obviously, there is no plot worth mentioning, and only West's zeal to proceed through the insanity and protect his work manages to cause some impact in terms of psychologically rendering a character above a simple stereotype.
As it has already been mentioned, in this movie insanity reigns supreme, until it seems clear the director was more interesting to enjoying the pandemonium than anything else.
***Spoiler***
A perfect example of this is the rat-fighting-penis scene, perhaps one of the most hilarious and strangely concocted images to have surfaced the big screen ***Spoiler****
Also, a few scenes are reminiscent of some horror cult icons, which further stress that Beyond Re-Animator, like the whole series, is a product to and for the genre that fostered it, without trying to reward any viewer not in sync with the dictates of horror from the gory kind.
***Spoiler***
I found it most satisfying that West makes it through it all simply to walk away at the end of the movie, clearly all other characters were somewhat perfunctory and it would seem too much anti-climax to dispatch the good doctor or not grant him his liberty ***Spoiler***
Overall, a very amusing piece of horror that is not the work of a genius but is far from being completely without worth.
Which it does, up to a certain time. The opening scene is quite unexpected if not remarkably brilliant and although the movie seems to lag off during its middle sections, encompassing a completely unnecessary and mostly painful romance, it gains strength as it marches towards a complete onslaught of mangled bodies re-animated, a sinister warden now possessed with the spirit of a nasty rodent, an exploding junkie and a forest of not quite-dead bodies merrily twitching away.
Obviously, there is no plot worth mentioning, and only West's zeal to proceed through the insanity and protect his work manages to cause some impact in terms of psychologically rendering a character above a simple stereotype.
As it has already been mentioned, in this movie insanity reigns supreme, until it seems clear the director was more interesting to enjoying the pandemonium than anything else.
***Spoiler***
A perfect example of this is the rat-fighting-penis scene, perhaps one of the most hilarious and strangely concocted images to have surfaced the big screen ***Spoiler****
Also, a few scenes are reminiscent of some horror cult icons, which further stress that Beyond Re-Animator, like the whole series, is a product to and for the genre that fostered it, without trying to reward any viewer not in sync with the dictates of horror from the gory kind.
***Spoiler***
I found it most satisfying that West makes it through it all simply to walk away at the end of the movie, clearly all other characters were somewhat perfunctory and it would seem too much anti-climax to dispatch the good doctor or not grant him his liberty ***Spoiler***
Overall, a very amusing piece of horror that is not the work of a genius but is far from being completely without worth.
A failed attempt to give life to a dead series
bmoviep28 February 2017
Beyond re-animator is the final installment of Stuart Gordon's "Re-animator" series that began in 1985 and like most late installments, comes off as unnecessary and a failed attempt to cash in on a popular title. In the fashion of "Jason goes to Hell", "Freddy's dead: The Final Nightmare" and "Halloween: H20", Beyond Re-animator attempts to restart the series by trying to retcon certain plot elements while pretending to be a legitimate sequel. The result, as usual was a colossal mess of inconsistencies, leaving only the most superficial elements from the original two films without the heart of what made those films so beloved in the first place. We find our protagonist Herbert West imprisoned in a federal jail after his former assistant Dan Kain apparently turned him in to the authorities for his illegal experimentation. We never find out why Dan, a prominent character in the original films would do such a thing and Beyond Re-animator brushes off any details as unimportant. We're also provided with no explanation as to how West escaped the cliffhanger conflict at the end of the last film "Bride of Re-animator". Jeffrey Combs reprises his role as the mad scientist, who continues his devilish experiments on whatever subjects he can gain access to within the confines of his small prison cell. However, everything changes for West when Dr. Howard Philips (Jason Barry) takes over as the prison physician. Philips had witnessed the power of West's reagent serum as a child and has since become obsessed with the science of re-animating the dead. Handing West his iconic syringe containing the glowing green reagent, it's only a matter of time before West restarts his old experiments, and the entire prison is thrown into chaos. The film plays out in the typical fashion that we've come to expect from this series. Characters die only to be used as test subjects for West and Philips who bring them back to life as vicious, murderous monsters. The style blends graphic body horror with ridiculous slap stick comedy. While entertaining at times, Beyond Re-animator does little more than copy it's predecessors and fails to further the story of Herbert West in any meaningful way. The absence of Stuart Gordon is obvious as the film feels more like a what if scenario, rather than a genuine attempt to further an existing mythos. The story is convoluted as the majority of scenes serve little more than excuses to get from A to point B. For example, there's an ongoing joke about one of the inmates having a pet rat. We see West experiment on the rat which serves as an all to predictable foreshadowing of the rat being re-animated as one of West's experiments and eventually attacking his former owner. The characters in this film, save for Herbert West, were all one dimensional and failed to establish meaningful identities for themselves. Herbert West is deranged and lacking in social graces as always, making him the sole source of entertainment. By comparison, the scenes without West were uninteresting and took up far to much of the film's run time. It was fun seeing Jeffrey Combs reprise his most famous role one last time. However, the unoriginal plot and hollow performances by the rest of the cast simply couldn't keep up with him and ultimately dragged him down along with them and the rest of this film. Beyond Re-animator attempted to bring new life to the Re-animator series. Unfortunately, this experiment was a failure.
Stop pumping re-agent into this franchise!
Son_of_Mansfield8 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Jeffrey Combs is the highlight in this horrible sequel. He maintains a sense of decency even though he is given next to nothing to work with. None of the other actors from the first two films return, leaving Combs on his own and there isn't anything added into the movie to make up for that. This is one of those movies that is made in another country with a mostly foreign cast that has their dialogue dubbed. It's painful to sit through. The payoff? Watching a movie that rehashes the first film and ends with a rat fighting a severed penis. Not something I ever wanted to see or type. It's time to move on Brian, grieve and move on. Re-Animator is dead.
Tongue in Cheek. Whose Cheek? Whose Tongue?
w00f7 June 2004
I loved the first Re-Animator movie. "Bride of Re-Animator" was OK. This one is over-the-top, completely twisted, and just plain clean, gory, bloody, guts spattering about, eyeballs crawling around, penis-attacks-rat fun.
This isn't a movie that takes itself seriously, and you shouldn't, either.
Jeffrey Combes is wonderful, as always, as Dr. Herbert West. Dr. West has figured out (or so he thinks) what was missing in his previous "experiments." Needless to say, it doesn't work as planned (hey, it's "just a theory"), and much mayhem ensues. Much. Much more than in the first two movies. Think "Attica" meets "Night of the Living Dead" meets "Freaky Friday." Yes, it's that far off the deep end.
I would recommend this film highly to anyone who enjoys a humorous splatter flick. If you're not a deranged gorehound, you probably won't like this one. Speaking as a longtime deranged gorehound, however, I can safely say that this is one of the finest films ever made in its genre, and certainly worthy of several Academy Awards.
I did mention that I was deranged, right?
Yeah, I did. And if you are, too, see this movie. And don't forget to watch the absolutely classic "Move Your Dead Bones" video that also comes on the DVD. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll like it better than "Cats."
Kudos to Brian Yuzna!
This isn't a movie that takes itself seriously, and you shouldn't, either.
Jeffrey Combes is wonderful, as always, as Dr. Herbert West. Dr. West has figured out (or so he thinks) what was missing in his previous "experiments." Needless to say, it doesn't work as planned (hey, it's "just a theory"), and much mayhem ensues. Much. Much more than in the first two movies. Think "Attica" meets "Night of the Living Dead" meets "Freaky Friday." Yes, it's that far off the deep end.
I would recommend this film highly to anyone who enjoys a humorous splatter flick. If you're not a deranged gorehound, you probably won't like this one. Speaking as a longtime deranged gorehound, however, I can safely say that this is one of the finest films ever made in its genre, and certainly worthy of several Academy Awards.
I did mention that I was deranged, right?
Yeah, I did. And if you are, too, see this movie. And don't forget to watch the absolutely classic "Move Your Dead Bones" video that also comes on the DVD. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll like it better than "Cats."
Kudos to Brian Yuzna!
Contract fullfilled
norbert-plan-618-7158137 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This kind of film is only interesting if the gore is funny and subversive. There is a bit of both, because Brian Yuzna does not hesitate to mix gore and sex. Or to exploit the addiction of some prisoners who inject themselves with Dr. West's serum while they are alive and well (with effects of course that allow us to highlight the talent of Screaming Mad George). The film's characters are delightfully misogynistic. But the whole thing is written: the script is structured and the film knows where it is going.
The argument is simple: Herbert West, the mad scientist of Re-Animator is in prison, but continues his experiments, on a rat, then on prisoners, then on guards and the director of the prison, and also a journalist (Elsa Pataky, for the erotic touch). And it degenerates when there is a revolt in the prison. In short, it's a prison movie painted with the gore of a Re-Animator.
The argument is simple: Herbert West, the mad scientist of Re-Animator is in prison, but continues his experiments, on a rat, then on prisoners, then on guards and the director of the prison, and also a journalist (Elsa Pataky, for the erotic touch). And it degenerates when there is a revolt in the prison. In short, it's a prison movie painted with the gore of a Re-Animator.
One of the most disappointing sequels all year
scehell1 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Rating:*1/2 out of ****
Herbert West ends up going to jail for his re-animation crimes,13 years pass,West gets himself a new work partner,Dr.Howard Phillips,who wants to work with West(although his sister was killed by one of his re-animated experiments,which was one of the reasons West went to jail),they begin making new re-agents serums and,of course,the a-hole warden,thinks their up to something they shouldn't be.Slap in a female reporter who Howard falls for and vice versa and she has secrets of her own.Also throw in prison inmates who have a grudge against West and all this leads to a bloody climax.
WARNING! SPOILERS!!SPOILERS!! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE,DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW!!
Something told me this was going to be bad,when they decided to keep West in jail for the whole entire movie,when they also hired a first timer to pen the script for the movie and worst of all when they kicked Bruce Abbott out of the series in order to draw a more youthful audience into the series by hiring Jason Barry.*coughselloutcough* Plus, director Brian Yuzna's most recent efforts haven't exactly been spectacular,either,Faust,Love of the Damned,anyone?
Their's nothing inspired in the script,either.Here we get a bunch of retreads,the Phillips/female reporter/warden love triangle is a fourth-rate version of the Dan/Megan/Hill love triangle from the original, the female reporter gets killed and then gets re-animated*yawn*,the villain(the warden),gets killed, then steals West's re-animaton serum and creates his own army of the undead,just like in the original.That's just some of the stuff that's been rehashed in this movie.They basically took the plot of the original, slapped in a prison environment and put a different ending on it.
Their's tons of other problems with the script,too.West is under used to a certain degree, the movie focuses on a little too much on other prison inmates,the nurse, the awful and contrived romance between Howard and the reporter,when they should have been focusing more on him. Another disappointment.The NPE,Nano-Plasmic Energy,which supposed to control the re-animated subjects makes absolutely no sense what so ever,how come some of the corpses need it and others don't,just doesn't make any sense.Or how about Howard,who whines and screams at West how they shouldn't be doing this,but yet he still keeps helping him,at least in Bride,why Dan Cain still stuck around,was a little more believable then this.And then their's the subplot of the reporter who's doing a story on West,and wants to get more information on him,that's dropped like a pin,when she's becomes a re-animated corpse.
As long as Jeffrey Combs is alive,their's going to be franchise,he still has what it takes to be West,seeing him as West is a treat.Too bad, I can't say that about the rest of the cast,Devon Sawa wannabe Jason Barry and non-actress Elsa Pataky are both awful, couple that with Simon Andreu's campy over the top performance as the Warden,you got yourself, some really bad acting.Spanish extras are awful,too,everyone,expect for Combs and Barry,looks Latino and speaks with Spanish accents,and I'm supposed to believe this takes place in America. Yeah,right?
The atmosphere of the first two movies are gone,Yuzna's direction is on the bland side,considering his movies are always very stylish.The photography is lacking, and the gore is limited,although there is a couple of nice gory sequences,but it's always followed up by something stupid,here's an example,the jawless zombie is good,up until it's starts drinking milk out of a carton,stupid.There's all kinds of stuff like that throughout the movie.
Maybe Herbert West should have stayed dead after Bride.Because nothing we see here is original or inspired,considering how strong the first movie, and how Bride was worthy followup,I expected better.It's clear the series is dead after this sequel.
Herbert West ends up going to jail for his re-animation crimes,13 years pass,West gets himself a new work partner,Dr.Howard Phillips,who wants to work with West(although his sister was killed by one of his re-animated experiments,which was one of the reasons West went to jail),they begin making new re-agents serums and,of course,the a-hole warden,thinks their up to something they shouldn't be.Slap in a female reporter who Howard falls for and vice versa and she has secrets of her own.Also throw in prison inmates who have a grudge against West and all this leads to a bloody climax.
WARNING! SPOILERS!!SPOILERS!! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE,DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW!!
Something told me this was going to be bad,when they decided to keep West in jail for the whole entire movie,when they also hired a first timer to pen the script for the movie and worst of all when they kicked Bruce Abbott out of the series in order to draw a more youthful audience into the series by hiring Jason Barry.*coughselloutcough* Plus, director Brian Yuzna's most recent efforts haven't exactly been spectacular,either,Faust,Love of the Damned,anyone?
Their's nothing inspired in the script,either.Here we get a bunch of retreads,the Phillips/female reporter/warden love triangle is a fourth-rate version of the Dan/Megan/Hill love triangle from the original, the female reporter gets killed and then gets re-animated*yawn*,the villain(the warden),gets killed, then steals West's re-animaton serum and creates his own army of the undead,just like in the original.That's just some of the stuff that's been rehashed in this movie.They basically took the plot of the original, slapped in a prison environment and put a different ending on it.
Their's tons of other problems with the script,too.West is under used to a certain degree, the movie focuses on a little too much on other prison inmates,the nurse, the awful and contrived romance between Howard and the reporter,when they should have been focusing more on him. Another disappointment.The NPE,Nano-Plasmic Energy,which supposed to control the re-animated subjects makes absolutely no sense what so ever,how come some of the corpses need it and others don't,just doesn't make any sense.Or how about Howard,who whines and screams at West how they shouldn't be doing this,but yet he still keeps helping him,at least in Bride,why Dan Cain still stuck around,was a little more believable then this.And then their's the subplot of the reporter who's doing a story on West,and wants to get more information on him,that's dropped like a pin,when she's becomes a re-animated corpse.
As long as Jeffrey Combs is alive,their's going to be franchise,he still has what it takes to be West,seeing him as West is a treat.Too bad, I can't say that about the rest of the cast,Devon Sawa wannabe Jason Barry and non-actress Elsa Pataky are both awful, couple that with Simon Andreu's campy over the top performance as the Warden,you got yourself, some really bad acting.Spanish extras are awful,too,everyone,expect for Combs and Barry,looks Latino and speaks with Spanish accents,and I'm supposed to believe this takes place in America. Yeah,right?
The atmosphere of the first two movies are gone,Yuzna's direction is on the bland side,considering his movies are always very stylish.The photography is lacking, and the gore is limited,although there is a couple of nice gory sequences,but it's always followed up by something stupid,here's an example,the jawless zombie is good,up until it's starts drinking milk out of a carton,stupid.There's all kinds of stuff like that throughout the movie.
Maybe Herbert West should have stayed dead after Bride.Because nothing we see here is original or inspired,considering how strong the first movie, and how Bride was worthy followup,I expected better.It's clear the series is dead after this sequel.
This is not Re-Animator, it's BEYOND Re-Animator (but is that really a good thing?)
MercurioKnight23 March 2004
I think they had the right idea. The basic concept for me had potential. This special element representing 'the soul', energy that could be used to revive someone back to normal once re-animated. Having to kill one source to bring back another has a nice twist to it.
The opening and closing of the film was cool (with the intro of West and him walking away into the mist). I could deal with the new protege, Howard, or whatever his name is, though I would have rather he used his native accent to give the film some more flavour. (but having Dan Cain back would have been so much better)
My first biggest problem with the film comes from what they do with the basic concept. To me, they never fully realized it. I kept waiting for everything to go to the next level... especially when the riot broke out, I was hoping they'd take the massacre at the end of the first movie and just let loose. That never happened. Instead, they opted for a couple truly idiotic moments and what at the end of the day felt like a stale re-mix of elements from the first and second. I didn't want to see reflective moments from the first, though that might have been fine in a better movie... nor of Bride. I wanted something taken to a new level, much like Bride did after the original.
They had the concept. They had the setting. And I believe that Brian Yuzna can still direct a decent movie had he a good script and cast to work with. More and more, I wish they could have convinced Stuart Gordon to come back and take his rightful place as director of Beyond Re-Animator. I loved Dagon, very much showing he's still got it (not to mention the fact I love Re-Animator and enjoy From Beyond), and I could only imagine what he could have done with Beyond Re-Animator.
I think the script is the biggest fault of the film. Performances or the direction of those performances is next. The only truly golden character in the film is obviously Herbert West, with Jeffry Combs doing a wonderful job given the material he has to work with. I would rather they focused more on West than the silly little romance between Howard and that reporter (with an annoying voice recorded, which I believe must be because of bad dubbing to hide a thick accent. And if it wasn't dubbing, please dear god go back in time and cast someone else). The reporter subplots would have been better written out than to have to sit through them again. The only part I could get behind with that whole mess was at the end, when Howard had lost it and he was going back and forth calling out Emily (his sister) and Laura, the reporter, mixing the two up in his head, and just before that cradling her head in his hands. From that point on, the film was back on target... exactly as it should of been all along. Too bad there was only a couple minutes left in the film.
Don't get me started about the final Rat shadow sequence.
All I have to say in regards to the Warden was that he was no Dr Hill.
Overall, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. A disappointment. At the back of my mind, there was a hope that it'd be at least on the level of Bride. Not great, but a decent Re-Animator fix. The final result is anything but.
The opening and closing of the film was cool (with the intro of West and him walking away into the mist). I could deal with the new protege, Howard, or whatever his name is, though I would have rather he used his native accent to give the film some more flavour. (but having Dan Cain back would have been so much better)
My first biggest problem with the film comes from what they do with the basic concept. To me, they never fully realized it. I kept waiting for everything to go to the next level... especially when the riot broke out, I was hoping they'd take the massacre at the end of the first movie and just let loose. That never happened. Instead, they opted for a couple truly idiotic moments and what at the end of the day felt like a stale re-mix of elements from the first and second. I didn't want to see reflective moments from the first, though that might have been fine in a better movie... nor of Bride. I wanted something taken to a new level, much like Bride did after the original.
They had the concept. They had the setting. And I believe that Brian Yuzna can still direct a decent movie had he a good script and cast to work with. More and more, I wish they could have convinced Stuart Gordon to come back and take his rightful place as director of Beyond Re-Animator. I loved Dagon, very much showing he's still got it (not to mention the fact I love Re-Animator and enjoy From Beyond), and I could only imagine what he could have done with Beyond Re-Animator.
I think the script is the biggest fault of the film. Performances or the direction of those performances is next. The only truly golden character in the film is obviously Herbert West, with Jeffry Combs doing a wonderful job given the material he has to work with. I would rather they focused more on West than the silly little romance between Howard and that reporter (with an annoying voice recorded, which I believe must be because of bad dubbing to hide a thick accent. And if it wasn't dubbing, please dear god go back in time and cast someone else). The reporter subplots would have been better written out than to have to sit through them again. The only part I could get behind with that whole mess was at the end, when Howard had lost it and he was going back and forth calling out Emily (his sister) and Laura, the reporter, mixing the two up in his head, and just before that cradling her head in his hands. From that point on, the film was back on target... exactly as it should of been all along. Too bad there was only a couple minutes left in the film.
Don't get me started about the final Rat shadow sequence.
All I have to say in regards to the Warden was that he was no Dr Hill.
Overall, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. A disappointment. At the back of my mind, there was a hope that it'd be at least on the level of Bride. Not great, but a decent Re-Animator fix. The final result is anything but.
Wait till you get a load of the "rat man".
Hey_Sweden6 October 2013
Brian Yuzna continues this wild horror series with this cheaper entry filmed in Spain. While inevitably it doesn't reach the same level of lunatic heights as the original or even the first sequel, it comes up with enough outrageous mayhem to work as a generally enjoyable sequel. At least it comes up with one new wrinkle to add to the familiar plot.
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) has now been in prison for 14 years and experiments on the only living things he can find: rats, of course. A new doctor at the prison, Howard Phillips (Jason Barry) chooses this gig because he's intrigued by West and had a run in with one of Wests' creations as a kid. Things predictably get out of hand, even as West reveals his invention of a new solution that supposedly will restore rational behaviour to a re-animated subject.
Combs is as perfect as ever playing West, still with that same air of superiority, and sneering at almost everybody around him, including the nefarious Warden Brando (Simon Andreu). Barry does a passable job at basically being a replacement for Bruce Abbotts' Dan Cain. Incredibly foxy blonde Elsa Pataky is highly watchable as ambitious journalist Laura Olney, a potential girlfriend for Howard.
The makeup effects are reasonably effective, with good work by Screaming Mad George and others. There's an extremely infantile gag involving a part of the male anatomy and a rat (that extends into the closing credits). The prison setting allows Yuzna and company to build to a typically frantic climax involving a riot while our main characters have it out with each other. The "Psycho" inspired main music theme by Richard Band is still fun to listen to.
If one is a fan of this series and isn't too demanding, they can have a pretty good, if not great, time with "Beyond Re-Animator". It's the least of the three movies, but still offers a fair amount of entertainment.
Seven out of 10.
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) has now been in prison for 14 years and experiments on the only living things he can find: rats, of course. A new doctor at the prison, Howard Phillips (Jason Barry) chooses this gig because he's intrigued by West and had a run in with one of Wests' creations as a kid. Things predictably get out of hand, even as West reveals his invention of a new solution that supposedly will restore rational behaviour to a re-animated subject.
Combs is as perfect as ever playing West, still with that same air of superiority, and sneering at almost everybody around him, including the nefarious Warden Brando (Simon Andreu). Barry does a passable job at basically being a replacement for Bruce Abbotts' Dan Cain. Incredibly foxy blonde Elsa Pataky is highly watchable as ambitious journalist Laura Olney, a potential girlfriend for Howard.
The makeup effects are reasonably effective, with good work by Screaming Mad George and others. There's an extremely infantile gag involving a part of the male anatomy and a rat (that extends into the closing credits). The prison setting allows Yuzna and company to build to a typically frantic climax involving a riot while our main characters have it out with each other. The "Psycho" inspired main music theme by Richard Band is still fun to listen to.
If one is a fan of this series and isn't too demanding, they can have a pretty good, if not great, time with "Beyond Re-Animator". It's the least of the three movies, but still offers a fair amount of entertainment.
Seven out of 10.
Herbert West is back in a wild low brow horror comedy
dbborroughs26 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Comedic Horror film in the HP Lovecraft vein-based on the classic Reanimator film. This is third or fourth in the series and has Herbert West in prison but still continuing his experiments to bring back the dead.
Gory and silly, with some genuinely clever bits, this is mostly a splatter comedy of a low brow nature. How low brow? A rat has a kung fu fight with a severed part of the male anatomy. I caught this on Monster HD and for the most part it amused me but I like this sort of thing, especially if its done well, which it kind of is here. Those who dislike blood or truly sick jokes need not bother. I don't think you can really say much beyond that.
6.5 out of 10
Gory and silly, with some genuinely clever bits, this is mostly a splatter comedy of a low brow nature. How low brow? A rat has a kung fu fight with a severed part of the male anatomy. I caught this on Monster HD and for the most part it amused me but I like this sort of thing, especially if its done well, which it kind of is here. Those who dislike blood or truly sick jokes need not bother. I don't think you can really say much beyond that.
6.5 out of 10
third time lacks the charm
movieman_kev3 September 2005
Little Howard Phillips watches his sister get killed by one of Dr. Herbert West's re-animated experiments. Now thirteen years later, Howard now a doctor himself meets Dr. West again in the prison he's being held in. Dr. Phillips is endlessly intrigued by West's ability to re-animate corpses. So now both man continue his experiments once more. But when a investigative journalist, Laura, whom Howard was having an affair with is killed and they take it upon themselves to bring her back using the re-animation formula with an addition of NEE, which is discharged from the brain at the moment of death, the feces really hits the fan. This third film in the series is OK, Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West still delights, but the absence of Bruce Abbot as his collaborator/foil, Dan Cain, is sorely missed. Tommy Musset just can't compare and the film lacks the sheer manic energy of the original or even "Bride"
My Grade: C-
Eye Candy: Elsa Pataky shows very brief left nip; Raquel Gribler shows better boobage
DVD Extras:Commentary by director Brian Yuzna; a 17 minute and 16 second Making of; Music Video by Dr. Re-Animator, "Move your dead bones, bones, bones!"; Theatrical trailer; and trailers for "Cabin Fever" & "Faust: Love of the Damned"
Gripes: Why is USA the only nation NOT to release this unrated???
My Grade: C-
Eye Candy: Elsa Pataky shows very brief left nip; Raquel Gribler shows better boobage
DVD Extras:Commentary by director Brian Yuzna; a 17 minute and 16 second Making of; Music Video by Dr. Re-Animator, "Move your dead bones, bones, bones!"; Theatrical trailer; and trailers for "Cabin Fever" & "Faust: Love of the Damned"
Gripes: Why is USA the only nation NOT to release this unrated???
Not as good as the previous two but still not too bad.
poolandrews8 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Beyond Re-Animator starts with an innocent woman named Emily Phillips (Barbara Elorrieta) being attacked & killed by a zombie (Angel Plana) in front of her younger Brother Howie (Tommy Dean Musset), as the police arrive & blow the zombie away Howie witnesses them arrest & take away Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) from a nearby cemetery & finds a needle with some strange bright green fluid inside. It's '13 Years Later' & Dr. West has spent those years in Arkham State Penitentiary trying to keep his experiments alive by using rats as test subjects, Howard Phillips (Jason Barry) is now a qualified Doctor & has got a job as the prison MD. Howard asks Warden Brando (Simon Andreu) if he can have Dr. West as his assistant which he can, their first patient is an inmate named Moses (Nico Baixas) who has a heart attack & dies. Howard reveals who he is to West & that he has some of his serum which they use on Moses to bring him back to life. At this point Warden Brando & a journalist named Laura Olney (the gorgeous Elsa Pataky) walk in & see Moses as a mindless zombie. Both Warden Brando who senses a ground-breaking discovery & Laura who senses a big story decide to investigate the incident as Howard uses his position to assist West in his experiments, but as usual things quickly spiral out of control & turn into an absolute bloodbath...
This Spanish American co-production was co-written, co-produced & directed by Brian Yuzna & I thought Beyond Re-Animator was a pretty decent horror film, although not as good as the previous two instalment's Re-Animator (1985) & Bride of Re-Animator (1990). The script by Yuzna & Jose Manuel Gomez based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft moves along at a fairly good pace but does take a while to get going, it doesn't stray too far from the Re-Animator themes & ideas. The character's are OK if a little clichéd. There are plenty of over-the-top sequences & set piece's in Beyond Re-Animator which is what the film is all about when it comes down to it, a prisoner ends up with no lower body, someone explodes, the evil warden gets electrocuted, there's a castration, a cool zombie without any jaw & his tongue exposed, breast biting, zombie rats, decapitation & a babe in a dominatrix outfit who knows how to fight in probably my favourite scene. Beyond Re-Animator never seems to take itself too seriously & it's all good fun if you have the stomach & liking for this type of material. Director Yuzna plays the comedy side of things up a little bit too much for my liking on occasion but films everything with a degree of style & imagination. Technically Beyond Re-Animator is polished & well made although the quality of some of the special effects vary & the use of CGI feels out of place & odd in a Re-Animator film which were always full of fake blood & guts. The traditional Re-Animator theme music is present once again but has been slightly re-arranged by composer Richard Band & the cinematography is fine. Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West is excellent once again, even though the guy is evil you just like him. Spanish actress Elsa Pataky is totally gorgeous & I loved the scenes with her at the end dressed in that cool outfit... Everyone else is rather weak & I didn't particularly like Jason Barry as West's new assistant as he is certainly no Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) from the previous two films. Beyond Re-Animator is mindless entertainment, there are enough stand-out scenes to make it highly enjoyable but at the same time it lacked a certain something. The gore wasn't as plentiful as I had expected & it descended into plain silly farce more than I would have liked. Still well worth a watch if only for Pataky whom is seriously hot in leather & high heels...
This Spanish American co-production was co-written, co-produced & directed by Brian Yuzna & I thought Beyond Re-Animator was a pretty decent horror film, although not as good as the previous two instalment's Re-Animator (1985) & Bride of Re-Animator (1990). The script by Yuzna & Jose Manuel Gomez based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft moves along at a fairly good pace but does take a while to get going, it doesn't stray too far from the Re-Animator themes & ideas. The character's are OK if a little clichéd. There are plenty of over-the-top sequences & set piece's in Beyond Re-Animator which is what the film is all about when it comes down to it, a prisoner ends up with no lower body, someone explodes, the evil warden gets electrocuted, there's a castration, a cool zombie without any jaw & his tongue exposed, breast biting, zombie rats, decapitation & a babe in a dominatrix outfit who knows how to fight in probably my favourite scene. Beyond Re-Animator never seems to take itself too seriously & it's all good fun if you have the stomach & liking for this type of material. Director Yuzna plays the comedy side of things up a little bit too much for my liking on occasion but films everything with a degree of style & imagination. Technically Beyond Re-Animator is polished & well made although the quality of some of the special effects vary & the use of CGI feels out of place & odd in a Re-Animator film which were always full of fake blood & guts. The traditional Re-Animator theme music is present once again but has been slightly re-arranged by composer Richard Band & the cinematography is fine. Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West is excellent once again, even though the guy is evil you just like him. Spanish actress Elsa Pataky is totally gorgeous & I loved the scenes with her at the end dressed in that cool outfit... Everyone else is rather weak & I didn't particularly like Jason Barry as West's new assistant as he is certainly no Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) from the previous two films. Beyond Re-Animator is mindless entertainment, there are enough stand-out scenes to make it highly enjoyable but at the same time it lacked a certain something. The gore wasn't as plentiful as I had expected & it descended into plain silly farce more than I would have liked. Still well worth a watch if only for Pataky whom is seriously hot in leather & high heels...
By Far The Worst Of The Series
EVOL66612 October 2005
BEYOND REANIMATOR is a boring, obviously cheaply made follow-up to RE-ANIMATOR and BRIDE OF REANIMATOR (2 far better films...). This one has the infamous Dr. West in prison and experimenting on rats since it's all he can get a hold of in terms of "patients". I'm not really gonna bother explaining any more of the film, because by about 20 minutes into it, I lost all interest. Not enough gore, a few silly scenes - nothing of any real merit. I was really disappointed with this one. I know a lot of other RE-ANIMATOR fans seem to like this one a lot, maybe we didn't see the same film. For what it's worth, I say stay away from this one...3/10
Dr. West still rocks after 13 years.
Coventry29 September 2003
Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator based on a story by H.P Lovecraft was one of the best and most entertaining horror movies of the 80's. I became a huge fan after only seeing it once and I'm sure many people with me. I now watch it regularly and it's one of the favorite DVD's in my collection. Even the sequel, Bride of Re-Animator ( obviously a tribute to the greatest sequel ever made "Bride of Frankenstein" ) was also a very decent and enjoyable gore horror story. After that it became quiet around the character of Dr. Herbert West.
Now, 13 years later, the director of the sequel and producer of the original decided to create a 3rd installment. Brian Yuzna is a great name in horror. His productions are mainly great fun and the ones he directed himself were often fun and violent movies ( Society, The Dentist, Return of the Living Dead part 3 ) Still, I feared this Beyond Re-Animator a bit. 13 years is a long time and it's almost impossible to live up to the original. Luckily nobody expected him to make another masterpiece...just a fun and entertaining horror movie that'll do justice to the series. And Beyond Re-Animator certainly isn't a failure in this point of view. The most important thing about it is that Jeffrey Combs returns as the dedicated scientist. He sure is the icon of this series and you can see that he really feels comfortable in his role. In fact, he's the only actor worth mentioning in this production because all the others look more like wooden dolls, actually. But that's alright. Jeffrey Combs is all we need. He always has been my favorite B-actor, anyways !
Brian Yuzna and the other co-writers make a good use of the elements that made the first two films so great. The living separate body parts crawling around everywhere. That's nice to see and it never becomes too ridiculous. There's enough blood and gore to satisfy the fans of the series.
The story is rather simple...Dr. West is in jail but he sees his chance to continue his experiments when a young doctor is hired to work there. Dr. West found discovered an important medication. He's now not only able to reanimate the dead...he can let their nerves and brain function again. For a while at least... Beyond is pure fun and average horror viewing. It'll provide you with several laughs and a few disgusting scenes. A must see for the Re-Animator fans but not so much for the average horror or movie fan.
Now, 13 years later, the director of the sequel and producer of the original decided to create a 3rd installment. Brian Yuzna is a great name in horror. His productions are mainly great fun and the ones he directed himself were often fun and violent movies ( Society, The Dentist, Return of the Living Dead part 3 ) Still, I feared this Beyond Re-Animator a bit. 13 years is a long time and it's almost impossible to live up to the original. Luckily nobody expected him to make another masterpiece...just a fun and entertaining horror movie that'll do justice to the series. And Beyond Re-Animator certainly isn't a failure in this point of view. The most important thing about it is that Jeffrey Combs returns as the dedicated scientist. He sure is the icon of this series and you can see that he really feels comfortable in his role. In fact, he's the only actor worth mentioning in this production because all the others look more like wooden dolls, actually. But that's alright. Jeffrey Combs is all we need. He always has been my favorite B-actor, anyways !
Brian Yuzna and the other co-writers make a good use of the elements that made the first two films so great. The living separate body parts crawling around everywhere. That's nice to see and it never becomes too ridiculous. There's enough blood and gore to satisfy the fans of the series.
The story is rather simple...Dr. West is in jail but he sees his chance to continue his experiments when a young doctor is hired to work there. Dr. West found discovered an important medication. He's now not only able to reanimate the dead...he can let their nerves and brain function again. For a while at least... Beyond is pure fun and average horror viewing. It'll provide you with several laughs and a few disgusting scenes. A must see for the Re-Animator fans but not so much for the average horror or movie fan.
A total letdown compared to the first two...
e_b_a14 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
What the hell happened to Brian Yuzna? When he made the first two Reanimator films and From Beyond, I saw the magic of a young horror director who cared about his work and, through the campy, goofy gore I was blown away by the cajones he had to make these films.
The dreadfully plot less Dagon and this latest entry in the Reanimator series show me he should just throw in the towel and direct commercials or something more constructive.
To his credit, the single redeeming quality of this film was Jeffrey Combs who somehow made his role in this awful excuse for a sequel workable. He delivered his performance with the same on screen mania that was so unappreciated on the other films.
The rest of the characters are flat caricatures of real people. The prison warden is laughable, the cell-mates are stereotypes and the reporter... well, she only had two "talents" that got her cast as best as I can tell. The entire cast, Combs aside, seemed like people who had been turned down for soap opera work.
While the first two films suspended believability, they did so with a tongue in cheek and wink of the eye that made those flaws allowable.
SPOILERS AHEAD...
In this film you have an attractive young lady in a courtyard full of imprisoned men and they don't even move on her. RIGHT! JUST LIKE REAL LIFE! If you think that's some sort of stretch of the imagination, consider the guy running around cut in half... he's not mad at the woman who cut him in two. He's mad at Herbert West for corrupting his pet rat. I couldn't possibly have made this up.
And speaking of that rat, if you think cutting to a shot of the poor creature rolling around a severed penis is entertaining, you need to read more books and perhaps graduate middle school.
Which leads me to what bothered me most about this film. Despite all the attempts to rekindle the energy that made the first two films work, Yuzna failed to not only conjure up the atmosphere and giddy playfulness his first two films had, but the film is heavily padded.
During scene after scene of what some will no doubt incorrectly label as genius, we're given shots of prisoners looking, people wandering around incoherently, exterior shots of the prison and that rat with the genitalia. All of these scenes come from nowhere and go nowhere. They seem like some sort of setup for a joke but the punchline never appears. It just keeps going and going as if disconnected from the story.
I'm left with the impression that Yuzna cut the original film and realized that it was 45 minutes long, so he strung in some cutting-room floor footage to space it out a bit and hope nobody notices. I noticed.
You have to understand... I'm a die-hard fan of the first two. They pushed boundaries, shocked people and made for great jokes about nude women strapped to tables and lecherous, talking heads.
Our antagonist, the prison warden, is like Ricky Ricardo on crack and he does everything he can to give you the impression that no man in his mental condition would be given any more responsibility than a fry station at McDonald's. David Gale would mop the floor with this guy, even without his head and no bat wings.
Bárbara Elorrieta is no Barbara Crampton, even if they share first names. Here's a fun drinking game. Every time she slips and her accent starts popping up, take a drink. You'll be wasted before you get to the second act. Also: I nearly threw up during the "tender" scene where she and Jason Barry spout clichés at each other.
As to the gore... well... that's one reason we watch Yuzna's films, now isn't it? Sure... Screamin' Mad George is at it again but his work gets less screen time then any of Yuzna's other films. There's more of the red stuff in the last fifteen minutes of the first film then all of this sequel.
Having said all that, the first scene is great. A little campy but I thought going in it was going to be a return to form after the dismal failure that Dagon was. Oh to be so lucky.
If H. P. Lovecraft were alive, he'd be calling the wrath of Cthulu down upon Brian Yuzna for this.
* INSERT WITTY JOKE ABOUT REANIMATING A GOOD MOVIE SERIES AND IT NEEDING TO BE PUT DOWN BECAUSE IT HAD GONE BAD * If you're a fan of the series, by all means, leave this one on the shelf and watch the original two instead.
The dreadfully plot less Dagon and this latest entry in the Reanimator series show me he should just throw in the towel and direct commercials or something more constructive.
To his credit, the single redeeming quality of this film was Jeffrey Combs who somehow made his role in this awful excuse for a sequel workable. He delivered his performance with the same on screen mania that was so unappreciated on the other films.
The rest of the characters are flat caricatures of real people. The prison warden is laughable, the cell-mates are stereotypes and the reporter... well, she only had two "talents" that got her cast as best as I can tell. The entire cast, Combs aside, seemed like people who had been turned down for soap opera work.
While the first two films suspended believability, they did so with a tongue in cheek and wink of the eye that made those flaws allowable.
SPOILERS AHEAD...
In this film you have an attractive young lady in a courtyard full of imprisoned men and they don't even move on her. RIGHT! JUST LIKE REAL LIFE! If you think that's some sort of stretch of the imagination, consider the guy running around cut in half... he's not mad at the woman who cut him in two. He's mad at Herbert West for corrupting his pet rat. I couldn't possibly have made this up.
And speaking of that rat, if you think cutting to a shot of the poor creature rolling around a severed penis is entertaining, you need to read more books and perhaps graduate middle school.
Which leads me to what bothered me most about this film. Despite all the attempts to rekindle the energy that made the first two films work, Yuzna failed to not only conjure up the atmosphere and giddy playfulness his first two films had, but the film is heavily padded.
During scene after scene of what some will no doubt incorrectly label as genius, we're given shots of prisoners looking, people wandering around incoherently, exterior shots of the prison and that rat with the genitalia. All of these scenes come from nowhere and go nowhere. They seem like some sort of setup for a joke but the punchline never appears. It just keeps going and going as if disconnected from the story.
I'm left with the impression that Yuzna cut the original film and realized that it was 45 minutes long, so he strung in some cutting-room floor footage to space it out a bit and hope nobody notices. I noticed.
You have to understand... I'm a die-hard fan of the first two. They pushed boundaries, shocked people and made for great jokes about nude women strapped to tables and lecherous, talking heads.
Our antagonist, the prison warden, is like Ricky Ricardo on crack and he does everything he can to give you the impression that no man in his mental condition would be given any more responsibility than a fry station at McDonald's. David Gale would mop the floor with this guy, even without his head and no bat wings.
Bárbara Elorrieta is no Barbara Crampton, even if they share first names. Here's a fun drinking game. Every time she slips and her accent starts popping up, take a drink. You'll be wasted before you get to the second act. Also: I nearly threw up during the "tender" scene where she and Jason Barry spout clichés at each other.
As to the gore... well... that's one reason we watch Yuzna's films, now isn't it? Sure... Screamin' Mad George is at it again but his work gets less screen time then any of Yuzna's other films. There's more of the red stuff in the last fifteen minutes of the first film then all of this sequel.
Having said all that, the first scene is great. A little campy but I thought going in it was going to be a return to form after the dismal failure that Dagon was. Oh to be so lucky.
If H. P. Lovecraft were alive, he'd be calling the wrath of Cthulu down upon Brian Yuzna for this.
* INSERT WITTY JOKE ABOUT REANIMATING A GOOD MOVIE SERIES AND IT NEEDING TO BE PUT DOWN BECAUSE IT HAD GONE BAD * If you're a fan of the series, by all means, leave this one on the shelf and watch the original two instead.
Excellent and Very Funny Cult Trash-Movie
claudio_carvalho26 May 2005
After thirteen years in a prison ruled by a very mean director, Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is invited to be the assistant of the new-comer Dr. Howard Phillips (Jason Barry), a brilliant resident, in the penitentiary infirmary. After being introduced to each other, Dr. Phillips discloses that the last experiment of Dr. West killed his sister thirteen years ago, when he was a boy, and he became fascinated with the possibility of bringing dead people back to life. The journalist Laura Olney (Elsa Pataky), who is covering a matter for her newspaper in the prison, has an affair with Dr. Phillips, and they fall in love for each other. However, the experience of Dr. West looses control and the place becomes a branch of hell. "Beyond Re-Animator" was a great surprise for me. I did not expect anything interesting in this sequel, but I decided to risk, based on the names of Brian Yuzna and Jeffrey Combs. When I saw twice the microphone mistakenly in the scene in the beginning of the movie, when Dr. West is having a conversation with Sergeant Moncho (Lolo Herrero) in his cell, I thought that I was going to lose my time watching this film. However, "Beyond Re-Animator" is an excellent and very funny trash-movie, with a great potential of cult-movie. The story is very bloody and has lots of black humor and gore, recalling the style of Peter Jackson's "Braindead". This movie is a worthwhile sequel of the cult "Re-Animator" and "Bride of Re-Animator". Along the credits, there is another very funny scene. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Re-Animator Fase Terminal" ("Re-Animator Terminal Phase")
Title (Brazil): "Re-Animator Fase Terminal" ("Re-Animator Terminal Phase")
Oh Boy....
suspiria1031 January 2004
Dr. Herbert West returns in this the third film. Now on death row. West continues his experiments in secret and creates a new process to control the feral aspects of the reanimated subjects. Well finally I got some answers to some nagging questions. 1. When the heck will there be another film. 2. What happens when the serum is injected into a living subject. 3. And who would when the fight between a cockfighting penis and a kung fu rat.
Beyond Re-demption? (BEWARE ...POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
paulnewman20019 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Some 14 years after Bride Of Re-animator, director Brian Yuzna's back with a cheapo sequel shot in Spain but there's not much evidence of life left in the series.
On the plus side, cinema's best mad scientist Jeffrey Combs is back as the twitchy, ghoulish Herbert West, in the slammer but still able to advance his research until a few inadvisable and gory re-animations (excellent gloopy effects by Screaming Mad George) spark a climactic riot/massacre.
On the minus side, the awful script's nothing to do with creator HP Lovecraft, the rest of the cast are dire and it all feels thrown together because Yuzna had access to a prison set - original director Stuart Gordon is badly missed.
Still, there are some silly, trashy kicks to be had, not least of which must be the end credits battle between a zombie rat and a re-animated male member. Maybe it's meant to be a visual pun to the effect that the series has finally reached a dead end.
On the plus side, cinema's best mad scientist Jeffrey Combs is back as the twitchy, ghoulish Herbert West, in the slammer but still able to advance his research until a few inadvisable and gory re-animations (excellent gloopy effects by Screaming Mad George) spark a climactic riot/massacre.
On the minus side, the awful script's nothing to do with creator HP Lovecraft, the rest of the cast are dire and it all feels thrown together because Yuzna had access to a prison set - original director Stuart Gordon is badly missed.
Still, there are some silly, trashy kicks to be had, not least of which must be the end credits battle between a zombie rat and a re-animated male member. Maybe it's meant to be a visual pun to the effect that the series has finally reached a dead end.
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