Directed by:
Simon WincerScreenplay:
Jeffrey BoamCinematography:
David BurrComposer:
David NewmanCast:
Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Remar, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bill Smitrovich, Casey Siemaszko, David Proval (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Kit Walker discovers that he's the 21st in a line of purple-clad African superheroes known as "The Phantom" or, to superstitious Bengalla Island natives, "the Ghost Who Walks". As Kit learns how to deal with his other identity he find outs that Xander Drax, a slimy industrialist, is plotting to take over the world by uniting the three long lost magical Skulls of Touganda. So he travels to New York, where he finds allies in crusading newspaper publisher Dave and his niece, Diana, who's also Kit's ex-girlfriend. Kit and Diana tackle Drax's forces, including the conflicted Sala, in a quest for the Skulls that brings both sides back to Bengalla for a showdown. (Paramount Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
A deliberate piece of light-hearted rubbish. Some parts are funny enough to make you smile, but it is surprisingly short on narrative, action and humor compared to Shadow, which was filmed four years earlier (and the comparison is directly offered). Billy Zane in particular is a terrible actor... No, wait, that's not it... Billy Zane is terrible. Yeah. And he was obviously taking the prancing around in purple pajamas a little too seriously. But Treat Williams and the other actors were better. The filmmakers certainly expected more from The Phantom, but what can you do? It's fairly watchable, and scenes like jumping from the plane onto the horse are unforgettable.
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Oh, man, that was stupid. And I really looked forward to it! Billy Zane as a masked jungle hero, Treat Williams as the bad guy, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, with whom I was hopelessly in love in my youth. But as it turned out once again, even the most interesting premise with the best cast can be brought down almost to nothing by routine and unimaginative direction. The Phantom starts promising, but eventually climbs onto a life raft, albeit a very rickety and hideous looking one...
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