Customer Reviews

Wishmaster 4: Prophecy Fulfilled

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I rented Wishmaster 4 thinking that I would get the same pointless gore and relentless and meaningless sexuality of the third film (because the series took a big nosedive with Wishmaster 3), and I was completely baffled when a brand new storyline and a very surprising twist was thrown at me.

The plot follows Lisa (Tara Spencer-Nairn), who is struggling to keep her relationship with her crippled boyfriend, Sam (Jason Thompson), and her own life together. Their lawyer, Steven Verdel (Micahel Trucco) is also doing his best to defend Sam against the company, whose defective motorcycle was the reason of Sam's accident, which cost him his ability to walk.

When Lisa stops by Steven's home to discuss the case, he surprises her with a gift, which she accidentally drops, and it busts and out comes...heheh...the opal containing the Djinn (John Novak). Late than night, the Djinn decides to show himself, and "borrows" Steven's identity (the whole face-stealing thing) to gain easy access to Lisa, who is often referred to as the Waker.

The first two wishes are made, and we are surprised when Lisa makes the third wish! But, there's a little bit of a problem, it's a wish that only Lisa can grant: to love Steven for who he truly is.

This delay does not stop the Djinn's reign of terror on Lisa's town, and more and more people continue to fall at the mercy of their wishes. There's even a scene I particularly enjoyed where a Strip Club guard wishes for Steven/Djinn to put up a better fight, so the Djinn goes Djinn and kicks the crap of the guy, eventually impaling him on a metal bar and throwing him into a dumpster, which brings me to the reason why this film got four stars, well, one of them.

First of all, the part when the Djinn actually throws the guy was extremely lame, that takes up about 3/4 of the missing star, because for God's sake they guy looked like he was hanging from something while he was flying through the air (though he was anyway). The last 1/4 of the missing star was that the fight between the Djinn and the Hunter (Victor Webster) was too dang short! Plus, it needed better coreography.

Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled is definitely best on DVD, but the extra 'WishmasterPiece Theatre' thing was extremely stupid. However, the trailer was awesome, and that little feature on the Djinn's guide to Dating was sort of funny. I'd also like to comment that Tara Spencer-Nairn was lookin' good, and is seen disrobed three scenes, two of which she engages in sexual conduct. Wishmaster 4 is rated "R" for strong horror violence/gore, language and sexuality.

Thanks for reading this review, I hope it has been helpful to you.

This fourth entry in the WISHMASTER series is gory, gory, gory...and has a little more gratuitous sex, but hey isn't that what these movies are all about?
Director Chris Angel offers the evil Djinn (John Novak) as a djinn who just might have a little human in him this time. He embodies the studly body of lawyer Michael Trucco and finds himself falling for the waker, Tara Spencer-Nairn. Tara meanwhile is involved with Jason Thompson, a sculptor who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident, and who also evolved into a caustic, self-pitying louse. That hurts the movie in many ways...Thompson's heroic turn at the end is so out of character. I liked Trucco....he had the bad boy act down good, but he also seemed genuinely interested in his human prey. Victor Webster as the "Hunter" is a big guy, but little talent. Even his sword play seemed clumsy.
It's probably time to lay this franchise to rest, unless the writer/director wants to go beyond the premise it has established for four movies. Anyway, it's a fitting close in some ways, but as always the door is left open.

We have had, by turns, hockey masked killers, Halloween masked killers, a demon from the underworld with nails in his head, a guy in a tacky sweater with razor blade claws on his hands, and a malevolent Leprechaun gracing the big and little screens. Well, someone in Hollywood thought, why don't we make a bunch of movies about an evil genie? We'll get some guy to wear a whole body latex suit, complete with horns, and throw him in front of a camera. Then we'll get a bunch of stars who will work for nothing to serve as cannon fodder, throw a script together, and watch the money roll in. The idea that eventually led to the "Wishmaster" films probably came about in a way similar to this description. And that's acceptable. There are plenty of us who will shell out bucks to rent or buy a movie about an evil genie trying to trick people into asking for three wishes so he can take over the world. I'd like to start out by reviewing the first "Wishmaster" and then move through the list to the fourth installment, but I haven't watched the first two. Sorry about that. I'll get around to those movies eventually. Actually, coming into the series half way through can be a good thing; I don't have any prior expectations to compare the last two films against.

"Wishmaster 4" is inferior to its immediate predecessor even though Chris Angel directed both parts three and four. On this outing the evil djinn (genie), once again played by John Novak, continues his mission to bring about the end of the world. A young woman named Lisa (Tara Spencer-Nairn) and her main man Sam (John Thompson) seem to live the perfect life. They just bought a house, got married, and look forward to days of tranquil bliss. Regrettably, a motorcycle accident leaves Sam in a wheelchair, and as the story picks up a few years after the tragedy it is obvious serious tensions are undermining the relationship. Sam, frustrated that he can't take care of his wife, vents his anger on her whenever he isn't sitting listlessly in front of his computer. Lisa, for her part, works with attorney Stephen Verdel (Michael Trucco) to win a lucrative settlement from the crash. Sam's wife is an attractive woman, however, and Verdel falls in love with her. The attorney is a professional, so he tries to keep his feelings in check while grinding on with his lawsuit. In an attempt to covertly convey his feelings to Lisa, he buys her a little trinket as a token of his affections.

The box in question contains the crystal housing the evil genie, which Lisa inadvertently liberates. Just as in the third installment, the waker of the genie (Lisa) is not the first to feel the wrath of the creature. That burden falls squarely on the shoulders of the hapless Verdel. Again, as in the third installment, the genie assumes a human form-in this case, Stephen-and then goes on a quest to find Lisa. He needs her to make three wishes so he can free his compatriots from Hell, thus ushering in anarchy, chaos, and higher gas prices. And what do you know? The djinn actually gets Lisa to make three wishes. Of course, the last wish turns out to be one not easily fulfilled, so the djinn stalls for time to make it a reality. While three of his pals pop up from time to time demanding he fulfill the request so the djinn race can finally rampage on earth, our genie in the interim does have a bit of fun with other humans who make wishes. Check out the pimple wish and Lisa's business partner's wish to see the horrific effects of dealing with the genie. Oh, I almost forgot-there's also some chap called the Hunter (Victor Webster) running around trying to dispose of the genie and Lisa.

"Wishmaster 4" could have been a better movie. The low budget shows in the make up and gore effects, neither of which are as good as the stuff we saw in the third episode. As for the acting, well, you don't want to go down that road. With the exception of lead Tara Spencer-Nairn, the cast mostly falls flat on its face. Especially the guy who plays the Hunter; he's on par with the cheesy Archangel Michael from the third film. Director Chris Angel seems to sense the cast is a weakness, so he punches up the film with a few racy scenes in an effort to draw attention away from the pedestrian acting. The effort fails. The pacing of this film fails, too, as it doesn't move nearly as fast as "Wishmaster 3." Another problem hampering the success here is the lack of interesting wishes. No broken hearts or rapid weight loss emerges to ramp up the gore. There's a fistfight between the genie and a bouncer at a bar that is moderately interesting, but certain other elements achieve such a high level of hokeyness that it ruins the overall impact. The showdowns between the Hunter and the djinn aren't exciting, either. Yep, "Wishmaster 4" could have succeeded if only a few things worked better.

Extras on the disc include a couple of commentary tracks with Chris Angel, John Novak, Michael Trucco, and John Thompson. A few trailers grace the DVD, along with storyboards, a cheesy extra about the Djinn's guide to dating, and an even cheesier "Wishmasterpiece Theater." It doesn't look like further installments in the "Wishmaster" franchise are in the works, so perhaps we've seen the end of these films. Horror fans will probably want to give this one a rent if for no other reason than to complete the series. As for me, I need to go back and watch the first and second episodes.

Shot back-to-back with Wishmaster 3, this film is surprisingly good considering the fact that the filmmakers had very little money to work with.

While the effects and makeup are nothing to write home about, the film is still entertaining thanks to strong performances from the three leads, and confident direction by Chris Angel. The actors playing the main couple are very believable as two lovers torn apart by temptation.

The reason I keep coming back to the Wishmaster franchise is the theme. Exploring the negative effects of having your every wish come true is a topic not often dealt with by hollywood. In a time of corperate and individual greed, the Wishmaster series is- dare I say it?- very relevant to today's American society.

If you want a better-than-average direct-to-video production (which still isn't saying much), do yourself a favor and pick this up.

The first 'Wishmaster' I can say that I fully enjoyed, maybe even loved it, same goes for the secoond installment. But 'Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled' goes along with its predicesor 'Beyond the Gates of Hell'. The terrible acting, the changing of the demon's color and character, the laughable new storylines, and the bulls hit way to end the "terror". A lot of horror movies with the previous descriptions are watchable and semi comedic, but this movie was just painful. There is now way that this once great series could die like this. To add to all of the gripes, the ending itself makes no sense and is not worth sitting through the hour and a half of this movie... Avoid this film at all cost, the tact that the first two contained are now completely gone...

I thought the 3rd intallment of this series was awful, but this one is worse! I'd give it a 0* rating but 1, is as low as it goes. They should have never changed the Djinn charactor, in Andrew Divoff! He played the part the way it should be played, and I don't think anyone can replace him! If they ever decide to make another one of this series, they better give him a call back, and get a well written script!!
DON'T BUY THIS ONE!!

Oh man, this was bad. This is one of the few times I actually felt as though I would be justified in taking it back to the store and requesting a refund.

I didn't expect much. All I ask for a Wishmaster movie is there be at least one cool scene, slightly inventive, of a character foolishly making a wish and the Djinn taking some little loophole in their wish and exploiting it in a gruesome fashion. That's all. All hell breaking loose during the finale (as with the first one) would be nice too. No. This movie did have a few gore scenes--trust me they are NOT worth it. They're stuck in with no suspense or buildup, so they aren't even remotely scary, just sort of boring and
inappropriate. Not disturbing, just slightly gross.This movie is like Wishmaster-The Red Shoe Diaries. I do not mean this in a positive way. I felt embarrassed for the actors. OK, I could MAYBE see the Djinn wanting to get laid, but falling in love???? Why? And what would happen if he did get together with the woman? Hell would be unleashed? No, not really. He doesn't even want her for reproduction, I guess he just got bored, lonely, or lost his mind.

The first half hour was tolerable, the second downhill, and the third painful and embarrassing. I actually winced I was so embarrassed to be watching it. The plot is terrible; we don't even know who we should be rooting for, and I don't think this was intentional. Worst --well, actually the worst part is a toss-up of several elements, I take it back-- is the introduction of some halfassed attempt at Djinn mythology, with some "Hunter" appearing with a mission to kill the woman the Djinn wants, something like a rejected Angel plot arc, and that's being insulting to Joss Whedon. If I want to see demon sword fights I'll watch Buffy, thanks.

There was not even one mildly scary moment or even a hint of one in the movie. I kept watching out of a sort of horrified amazement at how much worse and bizarre the movie got as it went along. But it wasn't entertaining. It's also not 'so bad it's funny/good', just very bad and boring. Terrible! Rent the original and watch it a second time if you're feeling nostalgic. Don't touch this mess with a ten foot pole!

Please avoid this film at all cost. It is a horrendous movie. The plot, acting, characters are all POOR. This is indeed as a reviewer belowe described, just like the 'power rangers'. Stick to the original and avoid the 2nd, 3rd and 4th installments. Typical Hollywood to spoil what could have been a very good franchise.

If you are looking for an absolutely horrendous sequel to the Wishmaster this is it. I haven't seen the third installment of wishmaster but thought the first two with the original actor who played Wishmaster were great. I picked this sequel up figuring it was wishmaster and wouldn't be that bad...boy was I wrong. It was like a mix between Power Rangers and Japanese Anime/old-school Godzilla. Not only is the acting horrible but the story is too. What happened to the good quality old school horror that was good even if the story was horrible it was a decent movie worth seeing...the Prophecy Fullfilled is not and I will say DO NOT waste your mney...it is disappointing.

If you're expecting a direct-to-video horror romp you will not be disappointed. This is possibly the best instalment since the original "Wishmaster".

The movie's premise is as simple as it comes, with the beautiful Lisa getting a gift from personal-injuries lawyer Verdel who is defending her disabled husband Sam against a large corporation. The gift, of course, contains the Djinn's red ruby; the lead Djinn guy (Novak) manages to steal Verdel's face and begin a tirade of wish-manipulating terror on the denizens of Lisa's town.

The personal problems of the characters seem forced, and Sam's behaviour against Lisa never seems to register as something any man would do. And once Lisa's wish regarding Sam's condition is granted neither the husband nor the wife seem particularly amazed.

The gore is good, while amateurish. The big boss's self-mangling while signing the document is wonderful but very poorly executed visually, and several other wishes and deaths seem rushed and pointless. And most baffling is the introduction of The Guardian whose presence seems so unbelievably pointless it is cringe-worthy.

(Nudity/sex hounds will not be disappointed, as the beautiful Tara Spencer-Nairn [the character of Lisa] disrobes on two separate occasions.)

What are the positives? The movie keeps a quick pace, and while the deaths are fake they aren't without their certain charm. The credit goes mostly to Spencer-Nairn who injects a certain whimsy and easy into her performance that makes watching her silly Djinn problems worthwhile. The actors take their roles seriously enough that the whole thing seems believable.

While wholly silly (and that has been obvious from the whole series), "Wishmaster 4" is a very enjoyable and fluffy piece of entertainment. Rent only if you're a "Wishmaster" fan, not if you are looking for hardcore and riveting viewing.