BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR (2003) Reviews and overview

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Beyond Re-Animator is a 2003 Spanish-American science fiction horror film directed by Brian Yuzna from a screenplay co-written [uncredited] with José Manuel Gómez. It is the second sequel to Re-Animator.

The movie stars Jeffrey Combs, Jason Barry, Simón Andreu (The Blood Spattered Bride), Elsa Pataky and Santiago Segura.

The film premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel, though it was produced independently and acquired by the channel only as a distributor.

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Plot:
For the past thirteen years, Doctor Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) has been serving his prison sentence for his role in the death of a teenage girl at the hands of one of his zombies. With what scant supplies he has on hand in the prison medical centre, Doctor West has been capable of performing only extremely basic experiments on rats. However, his lack of supplies does not prevent him from uncovering a key element in his re-animation process.

When a young doctor named Howard Phillips (Jason Barry) comes to work at the prison, he teams up with West to help him attain the supplies and tools needed to bring his experiments to the next level. Phillips is the younger brother of the teenage girl who was killed (he’s shown watching West being taken away by the cops) and came to the prison for the explicit purpose of working with West. In the meantime, Phillips gets a girlfriend, the journalist Laura Olney.

Doctor West has discovered “NPE” (Nano-Plasmic Energy), an energy that can be extracted from the brain of a living organism through an electrocution-like process, to be stored in a capsule resembling a small light bulb. The capsule can then be connected to a corpse and used in conjunction with West’s previously developed reagent to restore the former dead to a lifelike state…

Reviews:
“…a major disappointment. Ably directed by Brian Yuzna (producer of the first film) and featuring some delightfully squishy gore effects, the film nevertheless fails to recapture the magic of the original in any notable respect. It doesn’t take the ‘franchise’ in any new directions, either.” Eccentric Cinema

“The animation is as cheesy as ever, and viewers who’ve seen the previous instalments will feel right at home with such familiar shots as the undead guy in the straightjacket, the twitchy reanimated animal, the almost cute dismembered eyeball, and the not-quote-accurate line, “but he’s dead!” The movie doesn’t break any new ground, to be sure, but it’s 95 minutes of comfortable fun and gleeful goo.” The Harrow

Beyond Re-Animator features ear chewings, a flesh-boiling electrocution, and, most notably, a disembodied zombie penis, and its effects-laden final melee boasts a decapitation and some reanimated inmates with exploding intestines. Unfortunately, there are just too many plot holes and generally dumb things happening for me to wholeheartedly recommend it.”Glenn Kay, Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide

zombie movies the ultimate guide glenn kay chicago review press

Buy: Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

“If your idea of Lovecraftian fun is Combs’ acidic one-liners, and digitally enhanced gore effects that weren’t available for the other two films, then, by all means, have a look. But if you’re comparing this film to the still classic Re-Animator, well… This third try is only a shadow of the gonzo wit of the original and not nearly as entertaining.” Andrew Migliore and John Strysik, Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft

Beyond Re-Animator is better than its immediate predecessor … Combs slips back into the white shirt and black tie, wielding the hypo of green goo like he never put it down, but his performance is nicely tempered by the passage of time, giving us a West that lacks some of his youthful confidence but none of his single-minded desire to pursue “The Work.” Arnold T. Blumberg, Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For

Releases:

On July 24, 2018, Lionsgate released Beyond Re-Animator as part of the Vestron Video Collector’s Series. Special features:
Audio commentary with director Brian Yuzna
Isolated score selections and an audio interview with composer Xavier Capellas (new)
Beyond & Back – Interview with director Brian Yuzna (new)
Death Row Sideshow – Interview with actor Jeffrey Combs (new)
Six Shots By Midnight – Interview with I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft author S.T. Joshi (new)
Production art gallery by illustrator Richard Raaphorst (new)
Still gallery
Vintage EPK
“Doctor Re-Animator – Move Your Dead Bones” music video
Theatrical trailer

In 2011, Arrow Video released a Special Edition DVD, with the following special features:
Audio commentary with director Brian Yuzna
‘All in the Head’ Brian Yuzna on the Re-Animator Chronicles (50 mins)
Original Trailer
Reversible Sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Tom Hodge ‘The Dude Designs’
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring new artwork
Collector’s booklet featuring ‘World of Lovecraft’ and an Interview with star Jeffrey Combs as well as an extract from H.P. Lovecraft’s original story ‘Herbert West: Reanimator’

beyond re-animator

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

Jeffrey Combs … Doctor Herbert West
Jason Barry … Doctor Howard Phillips
Simón Andreu … Warden Brando
Santiago Segura … Speedball
Elsa Pataky … Laura Olney
Lolo Herrero … Sergeant Moncho
Enrique Arce … Cabrera
Bárbara Elorrieta … Emily Phillips
Raquel Gribler … Nurse Vanessa

Technical details:
95 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.66: 1
Audio: Dolby Digital EX

Trailer:

Re-Animator timeline:

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