Plot; The Phantom, a mantle handed down from father to son, squares off against an egomaniacal villain who is attempting to find three ancient skulls which, once united, will give him incredible power.
While Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie was the first big budget modern comic book movie, it didn't exactly ignite the genre on the big screen. That wouldn't happen until a decade later when, at the tail end of the 80s, Tim Burton's Batman became a record breaking success and pop culture phenomenon. The 90s would see studios clamoring to find their own comic book cash cow, but few not named Batman found much success. Among these pretenders was The Phantom, based on the comic strip created by Lee Falk. It had a large budget and a rising young star in Billy Zane as the title character, but it was a massive critical and commercial flop and currently sports a paltry 4.9 rating on IDMb. So why then has it sold so briskly on home video these last twenty or so years? The answer might just be that it's a lot better than its reputation, and a heckuva lot of fun.
Set in the 30s and never stopping long enough to catch its breath, it has that same Saturday serial feel as Raiders of the Lost Ark or fellow 90s comic book movie The Rocketeer. With an origin prologue lasting just a tad over a minute, it eschews the sort of lengthy setup that often plagues 21st century comic book movies and gets down to the business of two fisted, swashbuckling adventure. Zane plays Kit Walker/The Phantom with a charming dash just this side of straight with nary a wink. The supporting cast is solid, with Kristy Swanson making for a believable plucky heroine, Treat Williams a dashing villain and a young and flat out stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones making for a deliciously devilish air pirate captain. Toss in a rousing score by David Newman and The Phantom is exactly what it sets out to be; a fun bit of escapist action adventure and a good way to spend a rainy afternoon.
While Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie was the first big budget modern comic book movie, it didn't exactly ignite the genre on the big screen. That wouldn't happen until a decade later when, at the tail end of the 80s, Tim Burton's Batman became a record breaking success and pop culture phenomenon. The 90s would see studios clamoring to find their own comic book cash cow, but few not named Batman found much success. Among these pretenders was The Phantom, based on the comic strip created by Lee Falk. It had a large budget and a rising young star in Billy Zane as the title character, but it was a massive critical and commercial flop and currently sports a paltry 4.9 rating on IDMb. So why then has it sold so briskly on home video these last twenty or so years? The answer might just be that it's a lot better than its reputation, and a heckuva lot of fun.
Set in the 30s and never stopping long enough to catch its breath, it has that same Saturday serial feel as Raiders of the Lost Ark or fellow 90s comic book movie The Rocketeer. With an origin prologue lasting just a tad over a minute, it eschews the sort of lengthy setup that often plagues 21st century comic book movies and gets down to the business of two fisted, swashbuckling adventure. Zane plays Kit Walker/The Phantom with a charming dash just this side of straight with nary a wink. The supporting cast is solid, with Kristy Swanson making for a believable plucky heroine, Treat Williams a dashing villain and a young and flat out stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones making for a deliciously devilish air pirate captain. Toss in a rousing score by David Newman and The Phantom is exactly what it sets out to be; a fun bit of escapist action adventure and a good way to spend a rainy afternoon.