The Phantom |  | Director: Simon Wincer
Actors: Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Remar
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $15.75
as of 2/9/2010 23:35 EST details
New (11) Used (29) from $15.75
Seller: scifiguy24
Rating:  98 reviews
Sales Rank: 28754
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: D328507D
ISBN: 0792155238
UPC: 097363285076
EAN: 9780792155232
ASIN: B00000ILBM
Theatrical Release Date: June 7, 1996
Release Date: May 25, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
This plain-vanilla version of the old Lee Falk comic strip stars Billy Zane as a 1930s incarnation of the Phantom, an African-based, masked hero whose forefathers have all donned the costume at one time or another. Sworn to crush evil, the Phantom leaves his jungle lair to venture to New York, where he takes on a charming but criminal mastermind (Treat Williams). There's no oomph to this film at all. The very capable director Simon Wincer (Phar Lap) seems to be working with a leaden production and an inferior talent pool behind the camera. The talent in front of the camera do their best, but it isn't enough. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 98
The Phantom is actually "The Phantom" February 8, 2010
B. Gayretli
Well i have always liked comics, been reading them since i was 4, yep i learned reading with them :D, and of the few european comics that i liked The Phantom was the one i liked the most.
It was mysterious
It was funny
It had great action
and the pencils/inks were beautiful.
when i read that they were gonna do a adaptation and saw the production shots i thought they better not screw this.
and finally when i saw it in the theatres i was both swimming with joy and grinding my teeth with rage.
i was very happy with The Phantom, how the suit was handled (ok in some scenes the glue came off and the chin parts of the mask lifted from the face but they were minor glitches), how the Phantom moved and stood his ground. Zane definetely was a good fit for the role. he was athletic and had that sincere clean smile that Phantom gives under his mask to his friends and sharp, cold, frightening gaze to his enemies.
The sidekicks were great :D Devil and Hero :D both very nice examples of their scpecies :D
Zane in costume moved like The Phantom moved in the comics. The way he held his guns, the way he crossed hia arms etc etc
it was very good
those were the parts where i coulndt stop myself smile from joy. But there were a couple scenes points where i was so furious i coulndt help but grind my teeth :(
Of 60+ years of publications whoever saw a Walker's face in the comic. but in the movie we get to see in in 5th min :( why they had to go and show the face..a good actor should be able to do his acting without ever showing his face... Look at V for Vendetta. look at Darth Vader (ok they ruined it in return of the jedi too but nonethe less it is one of the most succesfull villian on screen without a face of the actor... ) shadows they could have used shadows to cover most of his face. and whatever happened the the hat and the sun-glasses..ditched in a sec :(
and what about the Skull-Cave...Hollywood could build entire planets, universes, giant buildings but all they came up with for Skull-Cave is white paint over a cave opening :(
come on guys... in the comics no one would be able to wander in to the cave because they couldnt bring themselves advance to the giant skull shaped rock and that scary opening as the mouth....
those were the weak spots of The Phantom on big screen and overall it was quite an enjoyable watch :D
would suggest every fan of the ghost that walks and fan of light action flicks.
cheers
burak
 Sunday paper memories from when I was young February 6, 2010
Chiefton (OKC, OK?)
Yes this movie sent me back to those sunday mornings of reading the comics section when I was a boy. And no I'm not talking about the cartoon that came out some years later. The comic section was weekly suspense just like those cliff hangers in the theaters years ago. And this movie pulled it off as a full blown remake of those comics. You see back then this guy was Kool wih a capital K. And I was glad to see that they went into such detail about his ring. Cause back when I grew up havin a skull ring was like a nose ring nowadays. Kids knew you read the phantom. But enough about back then.
This movie rocks. And yes, I'd say that into anyones face cause this guy taught me to stand up to bullys. And to do what was right when I saw something going on that was wrong. Sure it got me punched a few times. But its movies and ideas like this that make a person stronger than he or she thinks they are. And that my children creates CHARACTER. The one thing lacking in most of the kids I see today besides respect.
So call me an old crab apple. Say that I'm over the hill. And yes even laugh at me as I walk past you. But by GOD I'll be right there saving your a.. when need be. So go right ahead and put this movie down as a flop. Go right ahead and listen to that idiot friend of yours that smokes that crap and tries to turn you to his side by putting guys like this down. See how far you get in life listening to him.
Or, rent this, and Clint Eastwoods "Grand Torino" and sit down with your kids and teach them a thing or two about how a person should react in the face of danger. How respecting another person can make people proud of them. Because thats what this world needs now is kids we can all be proud of. Enough said.
The Phantom January 5, 2010
Arnita D. Brown (USA)
Deep in the jungled island of Bengalla lies four centuries-old secrets the outer world only suspects exist. The Skulls of Touganda--one of gold, another of silver, and the third of rare green jade--are ancient relics of incalculable value, and extraordinary power. According to legend, they harbor an energy source one thousand times greater than anything known to civilized man. The person who unearths the skulls from their hiding places around the world and brings them together will be in control of unprecedented power. The ruthless Xander Drax, and the blood-thirsty Pirates of the Sengh Brotherhood, seek to control the Skulls. This is an enjoyable comic book movie that is well done without a lot of hoopla or special effects. It is fun to watch.
A lightweight fun adventure . . . but oh, what could have been? . . . December 28, 2009
trebe
The Phantom (1996) is a fun, campy, action-adventure, that stays pretty true to its comic book origins. The character, created by Lee Falk, first appeared in 1936, as a newspaper comic strip. Billy Zane (Titanic, Dead Calm) stars as Kit Walker, the twenty first man to be known as The Phantom, the ghost who walks. The very first Phantom became a masked costumed crimefighter, after his father was killed by pirates. Living in the fictitious African land of Bengalla, the original Phantom was succeeded by his son. With son succeeding father twenty times over the course of some four hundred years, the legend grew that The Phantom, was the man that could not die.
The movie is set in the 1930's, early in Kit Walker's time as The Phantom. His father, played by Patrick McGoohan (Secret Agent Man, The Prisoner) had recently been stabbed in the back and killed, causing Kit to return from college in America, to replace him as The Phantom. Living in a cave deep in the jungle, The Phantom has no super powers, and is aided by his friend Guran (Radmar Agana Jao), wolf Devil, and horse Hero. His symbol is the skull, and his skull ring, is designed to leave the impression of a skull, when he delivers a punch. Handsome, and with a fine physique, Zane is great as the Phantom, bringing charm, and a sense of youthful inexperience and humor to the role.
Wealthy New York businessman Xander Drax (Treat Williams), is seeking to collect the three skulls of Tuganda, because when the skulls are put together, they unleash a great power. Newspaper publisher Dave Palmer (Bill Smitrovich) is suspicious of Drax, and sends his niece Diana (Kristy Swanson) on a mission to Bengalla. Quill (James Remar), the man who killed Kit's Father, is a raider in the employ of Drax. He has just recovered one of the skulls in Bengalla, and his next task is to stop Diana. With the help of Sala (Catherine Zeta Jones), Diana is abducted and held prisoner on a ship, but she is freed by The Phantom, and the pair make a thrilling aerial escape into the jungle, with the help of Devil and Hero. A stunt involving dropping from a plane to a horse, is quite well done.
After learning from Diana, that Drax has a connection to the Sengh Brotherhood, The Phantom sends her back to New York, and Kit himself returns to New York. Treat Williams plays Drax to the hilt, going over the top with gusto. Drax strikes next at the Museum of World History, combining his skull with a second skull on display at the museum. The power of the skulls is displayed, revealing the location of the third skull in The Devil's Vortex. Kit and DIana are Drax's prisoners, but Kit escapes and then makes a dramatic appearance in the Big Apple, as The Phantom. Of course anyone paying attention, should be able to figure out that Kit is The Phantom, but no one does, except perhaps a friendly cab driver.
The Phantom hitches a ride on Drax's plane, piloted by Sala. Beautiful exotic locations in Thailand are featured during the journey to the pirates' haven. The Sengh Brotherhood's lair is in a secret cave, where their leader the Great Kabai Sengh (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), the keeper of the third skull, reveals that there is a fourth skull. No one wants to cooperate, so it's time to slam evil! The Phantom feeds Kabai to the sharks, takes care of Quill, and then faces Drax who has now combined the three skulls. The Phantom's skull ring, is the mysterious fourth skull, and using its power, Drax is overcome. The Phantom leads Diana and Sala to safety, as the pirates liar explodes in flames. Although the movie ends with Diana returning to New York, in the comic she marries Kit, so things were perfectly setup for a sequel. Oh what could have been, but unfortunately for whatever reasons, the sequel never happened.
Jeffrey Boam's screenplay is a nice mix of humor, goofy good natured action, and romance. Boam was very familiar with this genre, as executive producer for The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and as a veteran screenwriter, whose credits include Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Like an Indy adventure, the film directed by Australian Simon Wincer, changes locations several times, and finishes with a flurry, although the ending does feel a bit rushed. Zane and Swanson, have pretty decent chemistry, in rather limited time together. Perhaps Drax was exaggerated, to balance Zane's rather subdued characterization of the ghost that walks. The rest of the cast is very good, including a salty James Remar (Dexter), and Oscar winner Catherine Zeta Jones (Traffic, Chicago), in an underused early film appearance. David Newman does an excellent job of bringing to The Phantom, something of the same kind of excitement and majesty that John Williams brought to Indiana Jones. The film's OST is well worth a listen.
While The Phantom is certainly not in the same class as Indiana Jones, it is a solid and fun, action adventure. Hopefully the upcoming blu-ray release will have more to offer in the way of extras, than just the trailer. A commentary track by Billy Zane, or perhaps Jeffery Boam would be nice, and perhaps fans can find out why a sequel never happened.
An underrated gem! November 16, 2009
Ian Fuller (Gainesville,FL USA)
I never understood why this movie wasn't a success.I remember seeing the trailer and really getting pumped for it,I've probably seen over 15 times.Billy Zane is one of those actors who is great but never really took off,and look out for Treat Williams who is a delight as the villanious businessman,and Catherine Zeta-Jones is hot as ever as the leader of the female air-pirates.If you're looking for a fun,fast-paced actioner for the whole family,then the Phantom is the one you're looking for!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 98
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