Phase IV: The Evolution Cut

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9.8 (12)
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9.8
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10.0(12)
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9.7(12)
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10.0(12)
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9.6(12)
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Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
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10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Great work in turning this into a more psychedelic, surreal and (in part) experimental film, while removing many of the goofy and cringe-inducing dialogues and scenes. And good riddance to the voiceover.

The original directing style and acting aren’t great (for me) but that’s minimized here because of the small changes throughout the film.

Really great job on the new score, it makes all the difference.

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Yes
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Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
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8.0
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10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
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10.0
I loved the original cut, and this one rules too.

Just having the original ending spliced in was great. But LastSurvivor also did a great job tightening/modernizing certain aspects, while remaining very respectful of the source material. The new music cues didn't noticeably clash with the original score, to my surprise, and were a good match for some of the insane visuals. This movie has always felt weirdly contemporary (given how much old technology is featured), and some of the changes in this cut only augment that feeling.

I'm not sure I would have "gotten" it as much if I hadn't seen the original cut first...impossible to know what it would be like to see it this way first, but I will definitely be revisiting the LastSurvivor cut before returning to the original. Awesome job, obviously made with great care.

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1 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This edit of Phase IV made by LastSurvivor, wow. This was so awesome, awesome in the best possible way. A simple, but really surreal and weird killer-ant story with a crazed researcher and a leering linguist is enhanced beyond what I could have ever anticipated.

LastSurvivor, you made something really special by restoring and enhancing the vision of Phase IV and its creator (You know who I mean). I will return to this edit for years to investigate more of the movie and it's meaning and it's all thanks to you.

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Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
A
Top 500 Reviewer 14 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
This is a great edit that I heartily recommend to anyone who wants some contemplative, old skool sci-fi. It didn't really click with me personally as a film, though. (Full thoughts here: https://boxd.it/2zbiAp)

Honestly, the close-up photography sequences often go on too long and just have little-to-no context without the narration. I think they needed trimming to avoid being sleep-inducing and indulgent. And then as a film there are just still a fair few goofy moments and bits of really muddled accents and dodgy acting...easy to see why this was used for MST3K.

Overall, this edit turns the famous flop into a genuinely respectable movie. The new musical choices mostly worked well for me (again, a bit droning and sleep-inducing at a few points) and the visual quality was fantastic. Looks really great for how old this film was. This ultimately just wasn't really my kind of movie and I had a hard time taking it as seriously as it seems to want (I might have burst out laughing at a few of the human/ant physical battles). But an amazing editing feat that is sure to find its audience.

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
A far cry from the earnest-but-hobbled attempt at sci-fi grandeur that I first experienced years ago as an early MST3K episode, LastSurvivor has given us one of the absolute masterworks not only of fanediting but, in restoring this film to as close as possible to its intended form, one of the masterworks of science fiction film. An absolute psychedelic marvel from beginning to end, it is both a descendent of 2001 and a progenitor of Primer. (Anyone, like myself, bemoaning that we'll likely never see another film from disgraced genius Shane Carruth would do well to track this edit down.)

The music, the editing, the restoration of the climactic sequence, everything about this edit is perfect. My only small complaint is that perhaps Bass' original ending doesn't seem to quite stick the landing in terms of the profundity of 2001's alien-driven-evolution-of-mankind, but who knows, I may change my mind on future viewings -- of which there will definitely be many, if for no other reason than to marvel over how the insects of the film manage such stunning performances.

Even rivalling the lead turn by Michael Murphy, aka "the guy who played the mayor in Batman Returns."

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Yes
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DVD
R
Top 10 Reviewer 156 reviews
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