The Phantom
2.5/4
Starring: Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, James Remar, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bill Smitrovich, Patrick McGoohan
Rated PG for Action/Adventure Violence and Some Mild Language
Superheroes were much more interesting when they kept things simple. Good guy wears costume, fights evil. The trend towards Shakespearean tragedy or being bigger and more extravagant than the last one has made the comics and their film counterparts lose sight of why we go these movies in the first place: to see the likable hero kick ass, defeat the villain, and of course get the girl. "The Dark Knight" is a great movie, but sometimes we want something more innocent and fun.
"The Phantom," based on the comic by Lee Falk, remembers this. It's got all the hallmarks of the simple adventure yarns that everyone loves to romanticize but no one wants to make anymore. The tough but sensitive hero who holds a torch for the rich girl, the villain bent on obtaining a MacGuffin in order to take over the world, and the sidekicks. But the film version falls short of the mark, due to sloppy scripting and a sorely miscast lead.
The Phantom is a costumed hero who has been protecting good for the past 400 years. At least that's what he wants you to think. The truth isn't as fanciful: he comes from a long line of men to don the costume and fight evil. Kit Walker (Zane) is the 21st successor, and he's about to come in the sights of Xander Drax (Williams), a megalomaniac who wants to obtain 3 magical skulls to obtain supreme power. Intent on stopping him is Diana Palmer (Swanson), the daughter of a newspaper mogul and the object of Kit's affections.
There's nothing terribly complicated about "The Phantom." It's a fun little adventure yarn that has been rightly compared to "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but a closer cousin is "The Mummy," which came out 3 years later. Unfortunately, comparing this film to either of those movies, it comes up short. It's not as fun or as breathless as either (although the stunts and special effects appear to be real, unlike the recent "Captain America" movie, which was clearly CGI).
Billy Zane is utterly miscast as The Phantom. Maybe it's because of my affection for "Titanic" (which came out roughly a year and a half later), but I never bought him as a costumed Indiana Jones. Zane gives it a game try, and there are moments when he's effective. But he's better at playing sleazy, evil characters like Cal Hockley or Hughie Warriner in "Dead Calm." Kristy Swanson is adequate as the feisty damsel in distress, but she lacks wattage and sex appeal (even if it's a family movie). Treat Williams overacts to his heart's content and is clearly enjoying himself doing so. James Remar is very good as Drax's right hand man but Catherine Zeta-Jones is pretty stiff.
Director Simon Wincer has all the parts to make a good serial, but he hasn't assembled them very well. The whole thing never quite gels in the way that "Raiders" or the first two "Mummy" movies did. It's certainly not a bad movie (I have a fondness for this sort of jungle adventure). But it's also not a very good one either.
Starring: Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, James Remar, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bill Smitrovich, Patrick McGoohan
Rated PG for Action/Adventure Violence and Some Mild Language
Superheroes were much more interesting when they kept things simple. Good guy wears costume, fights evil. The trend towards Shakespearean tragedy or being bigger and more extravagant than the last one has made the comics and their film counterparts lose sight of why we go these movies in the first place: to see the likable hero kick ass, defeat the villain, and of course get the girl. "The Dark Knight" is a great movie, but sometimes we want something more innocent and fun.
"The Phantom," based on the comic by Lee Falk, remembers this. It's got all the hallmarks of the simple adventure yarns that everyone loves to romanticize but no one wants to make anymore. The tough but sensitive hero who holds a torch for the rich girl, the villain bent on obtaining a MacGuffin in order to take over the world, and the sidekicks. But the film version falls short of the mark, due to sloppy scripting and a sorely miscast lead.
The Phantom is a costumed hero who has been protecting good for the past 400 years. At least that's what he wants you to think. The truth isn't as fanciful: he comes from a long line of men to don the costume and fight evil. Kit Walker (Zane) is the 21st successor, and he's about to come in the sights of Xander Drax (Williams), a megalomaniac who wants to obtain 3 magical skulls to obtain supreme power. Intent on stopping him is Diana Palmer (Swanson), the daughter of a newspaper mogul and the object of Kit's affections.
There's nothing terribly complicated about "The Phantom." It's a fun little adventure yarn that has been rightly compared to "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but a closer cousin is "The Mummy," which came out 3 years later. Unfortunately, comparing this film to either of those movies, it comes up short. It's not as fun or as breathless as either (although the stunts and special effects appear to be real, unlike the recent "Captain America" movie, which was clearly CGI).
Billy Zane is utterly miscast as The Phantom. Maybe it's because of my affection for "Titanic" (which came out roughly a year and a half later), but I never bought him as a costumed Indiana Jones. Zane gives it a game try, and there are moments when he's effective. But he's better at playing sleazy, evil characters like Cal Hockley or Hughie Warriner in "Dead Calm." Kristy Swanson is adequate as the feisty damsel in distress, but she lacks wattage and sex appeal (even if it's a family movie). Treat Williams overacts to his heart's content and is clearly enjoying himself doing so. James Remar is very good as Drax's right hand man but Catherine Zeta-Jones is pretty stiff.
Director Simon Wincer has all the parts to make a good serial, but he hasn't assembled them very well. The whole thing never quite gels in the way that "Raiders" or the first two "Mummy" movies did. It's certainly not a bad movie (I have a fondness for this sort of jungle adventure). But it's also not a very good one either.
Comments
Post a Comment