Phantasm Limited Edition Collection (1979 - 2016/Arrow U.K. Region B Import Blu-ray Box Set)/Tunnel (2016/Well Go DVD)/World Without End (1956/Allied Artists/Warner Archive Blu-ray)

Picture: B/C+/B- Sound: B-/C+/C+ Extras: B+/C-/D Films: B-/C+/C/C-/C-/C/C+

PLEASE NOTE: The Phantasm Import Blu-ray set is now only available online for a limited time while supplies last, and the discs can only play on Blu-ray players that can the Region B format, while World Without End is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.

Here's more genre films for you to know about, and see... if you're really curious.

The Phantasm Limited Edition Collection (1979 - 2016) offers all five films in one nice set, but we are covering the slightly more elaborate Arrow U.K. version (Well Go issued it in the U.S. market with simpler packaging) and this version is locked into being a Region B Import. Otherwise content is the same. Extrapolating on the press release for this version, including adding links to the films previously covered (4 of 5), see the following for full details...

LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL PHEATURES:

All 5 Phantasm movies together on Blu-ray for the first time!

Limited Edition Bonus Disc featuring Exclusive Pheatures

English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all films

Exclusive 152-page book with new writing on the Phantasm universe from Kim Newman and Bill Ackerman alongside a wealth of archive material, all fully illustrated with original stills and posters

Replica Phantasm Sphere

Limited Edition Packaging with newly-commissioned artwork from Gary Pullin

PHANTASM (1979 - 2016 REMASTERED)

Phantasm: Remastered 2016 Theatrical Version

Original Theatrical Mono or Remastered 5.1 Surround Options

Phantasm: Remastered 2016 Los Angeles Premiere Audience Track - Join the audience of die-hard fans as they experience the restored classic for the first time!

Archive audio commentary with director/writer Don Coscarelli and actors A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury and Angus Scrimm

Reflections of Fear: Realizing Phantasm - brand new pheaturette looking back at the making of Phantasm, including new interviews with cast and crew

Behind-the-Scenes footage with commentary by Don Coscarelli and Reggie Bannister

1979 TV interview with Don Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm

Deleted Scenes (6)

Original Trailer

TV Spots

Radio Spots (5)

Stills Gallery

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14647/Phantasm:+Remastered+(1979/Well+Go+USA+Blu

PHANTASM II (1988)

Original Theatrical Stereo

Audio commentary with director/writer Don Coscarelli and actors Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister

Reflections of Fear: Realizing Phantasm II - brand new pheaturette looking back at the making of Phantasm II, including new interviews with cast and crew

Angus Scrimm 1989 Convention Appearance

Fangoria Magazine TV Spot

Original Trailer

TV Spots

Stills Gallery

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2116/Phantasm+II+(0/PAL+set

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD (1994)

Original Theatrical Stereo or 5.1 Surround Options

Audio commentary with actors A. Michael Baldwin and Angus Scrimm

Reflections of Fear: Realizing Phantasm III - brand new pheaturette looking back at the making of Phantasm III, including new interviews with cast and crew

Original Trailer

Stills Gallery

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5332/Phantasm+I+++III+%E2%80%93+Lord+Of+The+U

PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION (1998)

Original Theatrical Stereo or 5.1 Surround Options

Audio commentary with director/writer Don Coscarelli and actors Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister

Reflections of Fear: Realizing Phantasm IV - brand new pheaturette looking back at the making of Phantasm IV, including new interviews with cast and crew

Original Trailer

Stills Gallery

At this point, the unplanned series was running on fumes, doing the desperate thing of filling in background info on the characters we really do not need, ruining the mystery and suspense of the first one. Audiences agreed and this was the end of the series for decades. This really goes nowhere and is the least memorable of the series.

PHANTASM: RAVAGER (2016)

2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround Options

Phantasm: Ravager 2016 Los Angeles Premiere Audience Track - Join the audience of die-hard fans as they experience Ravager for the first time!

Audio commentary with director David Hartman and writer/producer Don Coscarelli

Reflections of Fear: Realizing Phantasm: Ravager - brand new pheaturette looking at the making of Ravager, including new interviews with cast and crew

Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by David Hartman and Don Coscarelli

Phuntasm - Bloopers and Outtakes

Phantasm and You - a light-hearted recap of the Phantasm franchise directed by David Hartman

Original Trailer

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14672/Phantasm:+Ravager+(2016/Well+Go+USA+Blu-ray

BONUS DISC

Phantasmagoria - pheature-length documentary covering the original Phantasm through to Phantasm IV: Oblivion, including interviews with key cast and crew members

Phantasmagorical Tour - actor Reggie Bannister hosts a tour of some of the key filming locations from Phantasm.

A non-fan like myself tends to like the first film enough, thought the sequel was not awful, but the rest truly a for-fans-only affair, but this is a nice set and I dare say the extras are more interesting than most of the films.

Kim Seong-Hun's Tunnel (2016) is a film about a man who drives into a tunnel, when it collapses. The result is he is stuck there for about the whole movie... all 2+ hours in what is an elaborate stuck-in-a film. If you really like the actor and might be able to get into this one, you'll likely enjoy it, but I was not as impressed and felt this one went on and on and on and on and on and on. A new location is not enough for these kinds of formula films, which we have seen too many of of late, so watch at your own risk and don't operate heavy equipment or anything complex while watching.

A trailer is the only extra.

Finally we have Edward Bernds' World Without End (1956) campy outer space romp in which a four-man crew (including Hugh Marlowe and Rod Taylor) are the first men to make it to Mars, but killer Martians are waiting... to capture them while making us all laugh. Between usually male eggheads running things, sexy women circling around them and battles with semi-mutants outdoors, this can drag at times, only to be barely saved by another wacky, campy moments. I wished this had a track spoofing the events, but no dice.

This was Allied Artists (not Warner Bros., as the back of the case erroneously states) attempt to do a B-movie that was more than the usual such romp. Set in 2508 A.D. When the space ship enters some kind of time warp, there's more here that is warped than you might expect. Not a great film by any means, see it for a few chuckles and the ambitions the studio had for it. Too bad most of them did not work out.

There are sadly no extras.

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on each of the Phantasm Blu-rays (the same transfers as the U.S. Well Go releases including the singles we managed to cover) with the original 4 films shot on 35mm film and the new one an HD shoot. The original film looks so good, it might actually be too good and take away from the darkness and natural look that sold the film as a surprise hit back in the day. The first sequel needed this upgrade badly, the third was due and this the the best I have seen the fourth film, which needs all the help it can get. The new HD-shot film is not bad, but I am only so impressed with its look, but at least it separates it from its predecessors.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on World can show the age of the materials used and tends to be softer more often than a 35mm CinemaScope production should be, but this is far superior a transfer to all previous releases of the film and unfortunately might be about as good as it will ever look. This is only one of four Allied Artists films shot in CinemaScope that was released in 35mm dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor (likely originating on Eastman Kodak Color negative) and you can see how good that color can look at times.

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on Tunnel is a very solid HD shoot in a good way, with good color, good Video Black for the format and professionally consistent throughout. A Blu-ray would likely look better, but this will do.

As for sound, all Blu-rays offer DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless mixes with the Phantasm mixes explained in the extras above (anything in 2.0 is Stereo and has Pro Logic surrounds from the analog Dolby releases; no Ultra Stereo here in the bunch) showing their age, while the newest all-digital recording can be harsh and not always naturalistic. World is a 2.0 Mono film (originally theatrical mono) that shows its age, can sound dated and compressed slightly, but is also about as good as it can get.

The lossy Dolby Digital Korean 5.1 on Tunnel has its moments, but this codec is cutting into what is apparently a better soundmaster.

You can order the Phantasm set directly by trying out this link while supplies last (before turning elsewhere)...

http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/

… and to order the World Without End Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive releases at:

http://www.wbshop.com/

- Nicholas Sheffo