Verdict
Summary
Perhaps the last great throwback to the pulp comic book movies of the Golden Age of heroes (before Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Disney’s John Carter), The Phantom is such a great time at the movies and has aged remarkably well for a 30 year-old film. It feels as fresh and fun as the first time I saw it opening night (the same day The Rock came out), and my eight year-old son had an absolute blast watching it with me for this review. With a sizable budget, great production values, in-camera stunts, a good score by David Newman, and performances that “get” it, the film is the gift that keeps on giving. Simon Wincer (The Lighthorsemen, Quigley Down Under) did a fantastic job with this material, and it just gets better every time I watch it.
Plot:
A villain plans on collecting three ancient skulls to attain the ultimate power, but a guardian of good – The Phantom – emerges to save the world.
Review:
Xander Drax (Treat Williams), a gangster, sniffs out an ancient evil through tomes long thought lost, and he begins a quest to collect three skulls – silver, jade, and gold – which, when united, will conjure the ultimate evil. What he doesn’t know is that there is a fourth skull needed to complete the set, and that skull is on a ring worn by a purple-garbed guardian of good called The Phantom, who is from a long line of Phantoms reared in the jungles of Bengalla, and the current Phantom is Kit Walker (Billy Zane in his best role), who was raised in the jungles but educated in London and New York. Kit is called into action when his destiny calls: Drax has one of the three skulls and is headed straight for the second one, which is where the two of them meet for the first time … at the Museum of World History! Once two skulls meet (literally), they point to The Devil’s Vortex, where the third skull is hidden amongst the dreaded Sengh Brotherhood pirates that protect it! Along with the plucky and pretty Diana Palmer (Kristy Swanson) and a henchwoman named Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones), The Phantom and Drax will battle for the fate of the world!
Perhaps the last great throwback to the pulp comic book movies of the Golden Age of heroes (before Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Disney’s John Carter), The Phantom is such a great time at the movies and has aged remarkably well for a 30 year-old film. It feels as fresh and fun as the first time I saw it opening night (the same day The Rock came out), and my eight year-old son had an absolute blast watching it with me for this review. With a sizable budget, great production values, in-camera stunts, a good score by David Newman, and performances that “get” it, the film is the gift that keeps on giving. Simon Wincer (The Lighthorsemen, Quigley Down Under) did a fantastic job with this material, and it just gets better every time I watch it.
Kino Lorber upgrades The Phantom to Ultra HD 4K in a two-disc set, which also includes the Blu-ray version, and the new 4K scan is just stupendous. Every fan of the film should add this one to their collection, and it comes with an audio commentary by Wincer, plus a great new interview with Billy Zane, who goes on the record by stating that this is his favorite role he ever played. There’s also an interview with composer Newman, a trailer, a reversible sleeve, and a slipcover.
