The Phantom (1996)

Lee Falk's seminal comic The Phantom has been around for a long time, since the dawn of comics themselves, yet has had surprisingly few film adaptions! Besides a lone movie serial back in the 40s, it took another 5 decades before we finally got a proper film.

Hundreds of years ago, the only survivor of a pirate attack swore on the skull of his father['s killer] that he would devote his life and those of all his descendants to fighting evil. As The Phantom they are known as The Ghost Who Walks, a seemingly immortal crimefighter from deep within the jungle. The modern day Phantom is Kit Walker, who takes a trip to the city to meet old flame Diana Palmer, and becomes embroiled in a plot by an evil businessmen to find three mystical skulls, which grant the wielder terrible powers...

The Phantom came during a time when Hollywood was producing a surprising amount of pulp hero films, from The Shadow, to The Rocketeer, etc. The 30s was a golden age for superheroes, so it's not a surprise some of these characters would eventually get their time in the sun!

This is an entertaining film, with a basic enough story, plenty of action, and a brisk pace. We have a good story that's simple enough, with enough fun elements, like evil businessmen, vampy sky pirates, magical skulls, exotic jungle settings, etc. It's all pretty cliched I guess, and nothing you haven't seen before, but it's all done right

It's also a really good adaption! It tells a traditional Phantom story (albeit with some added supernatural flair), it embraces the goofy purple costume with no shame. It even keeps the classic 1930s setting, even though the comic has always had a floating timeline, and at this point stories were actually set in the 90s.

The film received a fairly lukewarm reception, but has a modest following now. What I find most astounding is that Lee Falk actually lived to see this! It may be a surprise to know the author of a 1930s comic strip was even still alive in the late 90s, but he was surprisingly young when he created The Phantom.

1930s New York is a good setting, but I kinda wish it had've been Bengali's urban centre instead. That way we see more of the country, and get a full picture of it from the jungle to the city. Instead, half the movie is set in America. It's also a lot more seamless for the phantom to pop in and out of city streets when the jungle is only a stone's throw away.

The Phantom is a good leading man. Badass, noble, and the possessor of improbable aiming skills. There's lots of fun little touches to his character too, from giving 'little people' ludicrous amounts of goodwill and gaining loyal buddies as a result, to how no-one ever realises Kit Walker is the Phantom despite one disappearing every time the other shows up. We don't see him with any milk though (but there was an ad campaign). And he also gains his pet Devil entry everywhere he goes by assuring that he's not a dog, he's a wolf (which I imagine is accepted mostly because of his = tone!).

One difference to the comics is that we see the Phantom's unmasked face all the time here. This does bug me a little, but you get why it was done. Shows the box office draw...I mean actor off, and is more accessible to a studio. It could've been fun if he remained masked the whole film, but I guess The Phantom isn't as serious as something like Judge Dredd, so it's not that big of a deal. And Diana's still the only character who really sees.

One touch to the film I really didn't like was the inclusion of a ghost dad. Nevermind that it makes the Phantom look like a schizo to everyone around him, but he acts too meek and subservient. By the time a Phantom takes the mantle, he's already at peak experience, so it's no fun seeing him basically be browbeaten by a ghost dad. He only has two scenes, an hour apart, making his whole inclusion all the more pointless. And the unnecessary narration spoils the end a bit with a kinda mean comment.

Diana is a pretty fun love interest, and has plenty of spunk to her. She's also not too useless of a damsel, which is appreciated.

The villains are a pretty fun bunch. Xander Drax, who was just born to be evil with a name like that! He's a 'charming' guy with creative and silly ways of dispatching enemies. His partner is criminal Quill, who has a history with the Phantom, having killed the previous one. Then there's Sala, head of an all-female band of sky pirates. She's deliciously bad, but has a surprising change of heart, which works pretty well, and feels right out of a classic Phantom comic.

The Singh Brotherhood are an afterthought, and as fun as having pirates here is, they could be easily cut. Their leader exudes smoother villainy than anyone else though! One amusing scene is when he proclaims he knows the Phantom's secret, that he's not immortal...then immediately dies a horrible death! It is kind of a shame he doesn't escape for future movies, but actually kinda fitting. Since we never got a sequel (or another phantom film ever), tying up all the loose ends is a nice touch.

The action is pretty fun all-round, with setpieces in the jungle, the city, a chase, and a volcanic lair. Apparently some shots are reminiscent of Indiana Jones (the same action choreographer doing this as well), but that's not really noticeable for casual viewers. I mean, I've seen Raiders of the Lost Ark at least 5 times in my life, and nothing really leapt out to me in any negative way. And besides, action's action. It's bound to look similar at a point. One punch is much the same as another, it's how entertaining you make it that counts!

The direction here is good, mixing with good location work, and some alright computer effects, to make good imagery. There's a lot of good practical effects here, and some pretty dodgy CGI! And the score is pretty traditional adventure stuff, getting the job done. I also dug the imagery of the end credits, rather than just scrolling over a blank black screen.

The cast here does well. Billy Zane is a charismatic and dashing hero, while Kristy Swanson is a fun partner and love interest. Treat Williams performance is suitably evil, and hammy, though he goes a bit far with some deliveries. James Remar is pretty good, while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is perfectly cast, and it would've been nice to see him as the main antagonist in another Phantom film. Catherine Zeta Jones is fun deliciously vampy role. Patrick McGoohan is ok as the narrator and ghost dad. And lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the cute wolf and horse playing Devil and Hero!

The Phantom is a more than enjoyable pulp superhero flick, and as good as an adaption as any Phantom fan could hope for. We're not exactly spoiled for choice, are we! It's sad this never turned into its own little franchise, but as long as we got one complete package, that's good enough...