Did you ever wonder what it would be like to see a retired, blind, ex-military geriatric go one-on-one with a werewofl? Of course you did! In Adrian Garcia Bogliano's Late Phases, Ambrose McKinley, a grizzled, no-nonsense war veteran, is forced to move into Crescent Bay, a retirement community, by his son Will, who simply can't deal with the old man anymore. On arrival, Ambrose finds that his abrasive personality rubs his fellow residents the wrong way, but he soon discovers that the idyllic retirement community has been dealing with mysterious animal attacks for several years. After the death of his beloved dog due to another one of these mysterious attacks, Ambrose sets out to destroy the beast responsible, soon discovering that neither animal nor man but something in-between is culpable for these killings. Late Phases is a welcome throwback werewolf story that relies heavily on practical effects, atmosphere, and a great main protagonist to deliver an engaging and rewarding horror experience. Like most great horror films, what makes Late Phases impressive is what happens when the monster is off-screen, being a surprisingly potent tale of an old man who is simply trying to find a purpose in the late stages of his life. While the relationship dynamics between father and son feels borderline didactic at times, Late Phases excels thanks to Nick Damici's performance as Ambrose, a cynical man who speaks his mind and has little to live for. Playing with tropes of the genre, Late Phases uses the werewolf threat as a symbolic instrument for Ambrose, giving this old man one last battle to prepare for. The biggest problem with Late Phases is it does get a little too wrapped up in side-characters at times, which inevitably hurts the pacing of the film. Personally, I would have liked the film a lot more if it got ride of the whole church subplot, focusing simply on the idea of this old man in Ambrose having 30 days to prepare for the last battle of his life. Featuring some fantastic practical effects which includes a memorable werewolf transformation sequence, Adrian Garcia Bogliano's Late Phases is a solid horror film centered around a deeply cynical old man looking for a purpose.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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