I made a huge mistake when I began to watch the 'Phantasm' series. I started with this one and only because I couldn't find the original and just wanted to see this series so badly. I'd heard good things about it, but that was decreased a bit after seeing this film. It was made worse after I saw the first three because they're all so good by comparison. Every series has at least one installment that can be called the weakest and 'Phantasm: Oblivion' seemed to be this one's example, but then I gave it another chance. It's still my least favorite of the series, but I've realized that after all is said and done it's really not a bad film. It is however a mediocre finale, which may not be the case if V gets it's funding.<br /><br />Pros: A really powerful opening five minutes, which includes an unnecessary, but well done series recap. As usual the performances are excellent. It's cool to see alternate footage from the original in the form of flashbacks. We finally start to get some answers as to when and how this all started. Another really good music score. Setting a large portion of the film at night increases the chill factor. Pace is kind of slow, but steady. Some decent effects.<br /><br />Cons: Lacking in action. Still a lot of unanswered questions. Though it's nice to see the deleted footage from the first film, a lot of it feels like padding. It's also cool to see Bill Thornberry again, but he's way underutilized.<br /><br />Final thoughts: As another sequel, 'Oblivion' is above average and much better than I remember. But as a fan it just doesn't feel like a satisfying end to it all. A fifth film is said to be in the works, but it needs financing and to happen soon. This is overall a great series, but the wait for this next sequel is starting to get excruciating.<br /><br />My rating: 3.5/5