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Dr. Phibes Rises Again!Rating:
Release Date: 20 February, 2001 Retail Price: $14.95 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (9 total) |
Dr. Phibes Rises Again! Reviews
"Oh, it's Phibes alright sir, and he always comes back."
Based on the popularity of the original film titled The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), American International had little choice but to churn out this sequel called Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), which was quite a feat given how the first film ended, specifically with regards to the main character...co-written and directed by Robert Fuest (The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Final Programme, The Devil's Rain), the film stars Vincent Price (The Haunted Palace, The Tomb of Ligeia) reprising his earlier role as the title character, and Robert Quarry, probably best known for his earlier features Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) and The Return of Count Yorga (1971), both of which are available on DVD. Also appearing is Peter Jeffrey (The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Return of the Pink Panther), Fiona Lewis (Tintorera, Innerspace), John Cater (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), Hugh Griffith (The Final Programme), Valli Kemp (The Great Muppet Caper), Milton Reid (The Spy Who Loved Me), Terry-Thomas (The Vault of Horror), and Peter Cushing (The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Hound of the Baskervilles).
The film begins by relating some highlights from the first film (amazing how they can sum up a movie in the space of three minutes) to which we learn it's now three years later, and as the planets align themselves, Phibes (Price), who has since been in a state of suspended animation, rises like the phoenix from the ashes as he has a new quest, one that involves resurrecting his long dead wife Victoria along with ensuring eternal life for both him and his beloved...good luck with all that...also returning is Phibes faithful and fashionable mute assistant Vulnavia (Kemp), which is a pretty neat trick given that whole acid incident from the last film. Turns out Phibes has a line on an underground river in Egypt, one supposedly used by the pharaohs back in the day that has some kind of special spiritual properties, and has been making plans to one day take his deceased wife to a special underground mountain lair he's constructed so that he may achieve his ultimate goal of returning her to life, or something along those lines...only problem is there's another, named Darius Biederbeck (Quarry), who's interested in the restorative properties of the waters for himself and his girlfriend Diana (Lewis), and has since mounted an archeological expedition at the very mountain wherein Phibes has set up his elaborate operation. As Biederbeck and his crew crash the party, the flamboyant and theatrical Phibes sets out to eliminate all those he sees as a threat through a series of diabolical and highly lethal traps, each more insidious than the last...
Dr. Phibes Rises Again, in my opinion, does exactly what a sequel should do in remaining faithful to the original while upping the ante suitably. One of the aspects I really liked about the film was here Phibes didn't constrict himself in terms of the methods in which he brought about the deaths of those he saw interfering with his machinations. In the first film the means of death were tied to the ten curses wrought upon the pharaohs as spelled out in the Old Testament, which was fine for the first, but no sense in revisiting that which we've already seen...subsequently, the sky is the limit here (most do involve a desert theme, but that's not surprising given the locale in which they occur). I won't go into specific details about the methods Phibes employs, but I will say they're just as maniacal and convoluted as in the first. There's The Scorpion's Embrace, The Eagle's Caress, and my favorite The Sausage Machine, just to name a few. The actual body count may not be as high as in the first, but the methods utilized are just as imaginative and entertaining to watch if you're into that sort of thing. Price, looking a lot like pallid Pagliacci through much of the movie given his garish garb, really comes into his own here, presenting an even more flamboyant (if possible) character than before, taking it to the theatrical hilt. While this is Price's film, Robert Quarry gives a most excellent and entertaining turn as Biederbeck, Phibes' cold and calculating would be nemesis. The story does take an interesting turn from the first as in the original Phibes motives were strictly that of revenge, but here the character does not seek out to kill out of retribution, but more so only to do away with those who would interfere with his carefully laid plans (vengeance does come into play once his deceased wife is unwittingly stolen). It's sort of like two super villains battling each other, except here Biederbeck is way out of his league as Phibes will not be denied of his prize (Biederbeck does supply a healthy reservoir of potential victims). Peter Jeffrey and John Cater return from the first film as the hapless Scotland Yard detectives Trout and Waverly (Waverly is Trout's supervisor) on the trail of a fiend they thought long since gone, providing some comical moments, especially when coming across some of Phibes' handiwork. Seemed to me once they were in Egypt they were out of their jurisdiction, but given Phibes previous crimes they may have gotten some leeway given their past experience with the mastermind criminal. The oddest aspect to me as far as the casting was Peter Cushing in a bit part as a ship's captain, as he was only had a minute or two of screen time...strange seeing such a recognizable performer in such an inconsequential role, but, as they say, there are no small roles, only small actors. The story itself does possess some loose threads (the movie was rushed to capitalize on the popularity of the first), but you're better off going with the flow and enjoying the ride rather than getting hung up on some of these minor elements. I thought the production values were solid (something not always present in American International features), especially in regards to Phibes underground mountain dwelling. I was curious how Phibes kept his wife's corpse, played by Caroline Munro, so well preserved. Given how long she'd been deceased I would have thought some signs of rot would have settled in by now but I guess if she was kept in hermetically sealed containers, she could retain her appearance indefinitely. All in all if you enjoyed the first film, then you'll most likely dig on this gruesome follow up.
The picture quality, presented in widescreen (1.85:1), enhanced for 16 X 9 TVs, looks very clean and clear, and the Dolby Digital mono audio, available in English, Spanish, and French, comes through very well. The only extra included is an original theatrical trailer.
Cookieman108
A note for those interesting in picking up this film up on DVD...both The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again were originally released onto DVD individually, but then later re-released paired together as a DVD double feature, so if you're interested in owning both, try to locate the dual release, as it might be a better value (depending on availability, or course).
The Camp is High
Despite the return of the director Robert Fuest and star Vincent Price, plus a handful of supporting players from "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (including Hugh Griffith and Terry-Thomas in different roles), this Phibes go-around threatens to spin out of control at every turn. In the first one, the camp had a kind of magnificence to it -- Phibes' graceful dance with Vulnavia, for instance -- while here it comes perilously close to descending to the level of a "Carry On" film. That is not to say it isn't fun to watch, you just have to overlook the indulgences, not to mention a fair amount of absurdity.
Price, in modified makeup and wig, actually cuts a rather handsome, dashing figure here, though his character is weakened somewhat by his murdering people in ghastly ways chiefly for the sake of killing them, and not out of revenge, as in the first film. Some of the death traps are wonderful (Hugh Griffith washing ashore in an enormous bottle, for instance), while others are so ridiculous as to make the cliffhangers in "Batman" look subtle by comparison. Granted, in this sort of movie it is usually best not to worry about logic, but even so, some of the bits are so over-the-top that they negate the effect. Another problem is that Price's voice over narration (Phibes can only speak artifically)tends to be repetitious and banal exposition, as though nobody could think of anything for him to say except constant recaps of the plot.
Robert Quarry, then enjoying a brief starring career as a road-company Christopher Lee, is effective as the antagonist and appears to be the only one taking things seriously, the down side of which is that he comes off as the only one not in on the joke. Fiona Lewis is decorative as the nondescript heroine, and the bungling policemen played by Peter Jeffrey and John Cater are amusing. John Thaw -- later TV's "Morse" -- shows up mid-way through for the sole purpose of meeting a particularly nasty end. However, Valli Kemp as Vulnavia looks like a plump young deer caught in the headlights. Her only stab at expression comes in trying desperately not to laugh out loud at Price, who is playing in broad comedy mode. Meanwhile, Peter Cushing has never been more wasted.
All in all, it's amusing, but it can't touch the first "Phibes." And for the record, Price's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" at the end WAS in the original theatrical version, but removed from the film when it went to video.
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