Cole Clay // Film Critic
LATE PHASES | 95 min. | Rated R | Director: Adrián García Bogliano | Stars: Nick Damici, Ethan Embry, Lance Guest, Tina Louise, Rutanya Alda and Tom Noonan
Despite the TWILIGHT SAGA’s take on lycanthropy, it’s an incredibly fascinating affliction to feature on camera. Having a man come into touch with the ravenous instincts that lie within and completely change form is utterly terrifying and gives endless options for prosthetics and lore to take hold of the story. But not with LATE PHASES. This bland take on werewolves has an excellent premise and a slow burn to its pacing that had a lot of promise, but unfortunately, it wrote a few checks the script couldn’t cash.
Ambrose (Nick Damici), a blind veteran, is forced to live at Crescent Bay retirement community by his WASPY son Will (Ethan Embry), when residents are mysteriously getting murdered the grizzled war vet rallies the troops to find out if it’s man, or beast committing the heinous acts.
Spanish director Adrian Garcia Bogliano has a clear objective for the film, but what the filmmaker misses is developing a genuine amount of tension within the confines of the film. Luckily Damici’s “get off my lawn” schtick and Embry’s stubborn son archetype form at least somewhat of a dynamic, but the misguided plot is enough to put a silver bullet straight through the heart of the film.
LATE PHASES is playing in select theaters, and is also available on VOD.
