The Phantom
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Movie Reviews of The Phantom
Movie Review: Too weak to be a superhero.
Summary: 2 Stars
The movie started O.K. but went nowhere after that. The problem is with the weak superhero character who enjoys taking taxi rides. The script was very bad and so was the acting, except for that of Treat Williams and Catherine Zeta Jones. Given the technology available at the time, the special effects were horrible. It is a shame that a good comic strip was butchered in this fashion, which will definitely prevent a sequel from ever being made.
Movie Review: Where Is The Awe-Inspiring Hero of the Comics?
Summary: 2 Stars
I always liked the character of the Phantom, but this movie was a disappointment. It starts out fine, but then after the opening episode it goes flat. The biggest problem for me was the portrayal of the character of the Phantom himself. He has always been presented in the comics as a powerful, mysterious, awe-inspiring, larger-than-life LEGEND...THE GHOST WHO WALKS...the 400-year-old MAN WHO CANNOT DIE!!! But Billy Zane plays him--or was directed to play him--as a low-key, friendly, smiling "galoot" of an all-American-boy-type. He seemed like an overgrown teenager, eager to please, undercutting his manliness. No forcefulness or charismatic presence at all. Remember how Batman was an exciting presence in the Michael Keaton movies? There was always a buzz of electricity when Batman was on the screen. THAT'S how you do it. There was none of that here. Yeah, he did heroic things, one stunt or another, but he was just a guy in a funny costume...not THE PHANTOM! No wonder there hasn't been a demand for a sequel in these eight years.
BTW...I'll NEVER understand how anyone can wear a skin-tight head-to-toe costume in the hot, steaming jungle. But if we can accept Batman's heavy suit and cloak in Gotham City in August, I guess we can let the Phantom slide.
Movie Review: A Hero movie that is...just that!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, The Phantom is a real hero movie and does not pretend to be an amazing piece of cinema crafting in its script BUT its quality is still high.
Billy Zane is the Phantom like Toby Mc Guire is Spiderman. Some people are born for such roles. I have seen movies in 5 countries regularly and know quality by seing the whole of the product not just a piece of it: The Phantom is a superb mixture of adventure, imagination, courage and noble ideas as well as great entertainment. The action and the music mekes you want to save the day...Take it for what it is: a hero movie for people that dig hero thinking...I do!
Movie Review: One Of The Finest Adventure Films Ever Made
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're in the market for a big film about an adventure hero
that the entire family can enjoy time and again, then THE PHANTOM
is a standout choice. Released in 1996, the Paramount blockbuster
commemorated the 60th anniversary of Lee Falk's classic comic
strip about "The Ghost Who Walks" and his fearless escapades,
crowning the special achievement in grand style.
Smart enough to place this film solidly in the 1930s, director
Simon Wincer and scriptwriter Jeffrey Boam deliver a powerhouse
roller-coaster ride which sweeps us around the world and back
again. Its larger-than-life exploits well-reflected by the
superb symphonic soundtrack of David Newman, THE PHANTOM
is a globetrotting delight of swashbuckling derring-do. From
the deeps of Africa to New York City, further into uncharted
waters and undisclosed powers, the film is a dynamite
blend of cliffhanger and coming-of-age thriller, with
just the right touch of love story imperiled to stir the
pot even finer.
With Kristy Swanson feisty and formidible as the strip's
longtime female lead, and hearty nemesis Catherine
Zeta-Jones displaying the depth & dash which has since
propelled her career into the highest honors and many
hallmark performances, this film leaves you breathless.
Add Treat Williams, cute but dangerously cutting as THE
PHANTOM's arch-nemesis, along with legendary master
Patrick McGoohan adding a gleefully tart literal touch
to the legend of "The Ghost Who Walks", and the drama
gets even deeper.
Give up the ultimate props to Billy Zane in the highly
demanding lead role, which he delivers with a vengeance.
Dynamic in wit, disarming in charm, and a dramatic
knockout as THE PHANTOM, Zane's performance conveys
the innocence of thecharacter, and the conviction of
his struggle, without turning him into a campy,
lantern-jawed lummox a la Adam West.
As physically prepared as he was dramatically equipped
for the horse-riding, canyon-swinging, crimebusting role,
Zane is a marvel to watch on the screen.
In the recent upswing of Hollywood films which treat
comic strip subjects more dramatically (and in a decidedly
less hokey manner), THE PHANTOM definitely stands with
Tim Burton's 1st BATMAN film as a direct predecessor for
the outstanding live-action work being done currently
with the genre, especially when one considers the
Marvel-based films now on the market.
The only thing which would be better than simply seeing
this highly underrated film would be if Paramount would
finally do THE PHANTOM its just due as a deluxe DVD set.
With such a release, Paramount could finally issue the
very thorough documentary from A&E's BIOGRAPHY on
the strip, its creator, and the film, along with the HBO
FIRST LOOK featurette on the movie.
Neither item has been available on DVD, and packaging
this material with, say, a special edition of this film
would be as welcome as it is overdue.
Considering that the film's 10th anniversary -and THE
PHANTOM's 70th anniversary- is due in 2006, the time
is ripe for a serious reappraisal of this highly
entertaining motion picture, and the idiom which
it represents so very well.
Movie Review: Pulp hero
Summary: 4 Stars
Billy Zane plays the Phantom perfectly. He's not a dark, grim superhero like Batman or a neurotic superhero like Spider-Man. The Phantom loves being a superhero and being the good guy.This is one of the best adaptions of a comic book (cartoon strip) ever captured on film. This is the type of movie meant for children of all ages. If you're looking for a movie with deep meaning, thought provoking dialogue and lots of introspection, what the heck are you doing watching The Phantom? Go see a different movie. If you're looking for entertainment in the vein of pulp fiction heroes from the Golden Age this is the movie for you.