Waste of time

Simply Perfect

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The PhantomThe reason Africa doesn't have any superheroes is because they were shipped to the US as slaves.Sadly, the only guardian the Motherland has left is the white guy in this action movie.The legend of The Phantom has been told in African lore for generations. Now, like his father (Patrick McGoohan), Kit Walker (Billy Zane) must become The Ghost Who Walks.Sworn to safeguard Bengalla, the purple protector returns when industrialist Xander Drax (Treat Williams), his deadly assistant (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Kit's ex-girlfriend (Kristy Swanson) come to the undisclosed island for the powerful Skulls of Touganda.Released at the end of the pulp hero renaissance of the 1990s, this earnest adaptation of Lee Falk's comic strip icon is faithful to its swashbuckling roots. And while its whitewashed veneer is troubling, the campy adventure remains fun. Incidentally, strutting around the jungle in purple is an excellent way to attract a peahen. Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

I'd never seen this movie until a couple of months ago, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I've since seen it twice more, and still enjoy it! What some reviewers don't seem to grasp is that it is supposed to be fun, not serious. It's not competition for Indiana Jones, it's simply the story of the Phantom. If the over-the-top performance of Treat Williams was not enough to tell viewers that it is just entertainment, the performance of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa should have let them know that this is not Hamlet. Watch and enjoy.

A big screen outing for one of the more obscure comic strip heroes, THE PHANTOM is an approximate mixture of TARZAN, BATMAN, and INDIANA JONES, although not as much fun as at least two of those film series. This film tells of a guy in a purple bodysuit who lives out in the jungle with his animal friends, fighting crime and mischief wherever he can. It pretty much sank without trace on release and you can see why, but it's still better than some superhero films I could mention (such as FANTASTIC FOUR).The main problem this film has is the juvenile script. Yes, we know this is a kid's film, but does it need to be so childishly simplistic in everything it does? The INDIANA JONES films were meant for children but they avoided this trap and it's a shame more effort wasn't made to turn THE PHANTOM into something adults could enjoy as well. Instead, this is lightweight stuff through and through: heavy on action and chase sequences, light on thought and integrity.The film's cast is one of the strongest things it has going for it. Billy Zane is probably the only actor who could have looked good in figure-hugging lycra, and I enjoyed seeing him cast as the hero for once. His two supporting actors are less than impressive: original BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Kristy Swanson fails to make an impression, while Treat Williams is just bland as the chief bad guy – neither hammy nor sinister, just a bit of a ponce. Still, the supporting cast more than makes up for these deficiencies: there are B-movie regulars James Remar and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as minor villains, turns from old-timers Samantha Eggar and Patrick McGoohan (as Zane's dad!), and a pre-stardom Catherine Zeta-Jones before she made it famous as Michael Douglas' wife (it's amazing how different and more natural she looks here as compared to her later idealised Hollywood image).The action scenes are okay and fairly lively, although they can't help looking cheap on occasion – wobbly scenery and the like. The chases are my favourite, with one excellent scene showing the Phantom jumping from car roof to roof before taking to horse to pursue the bad guys. Sadly, the climax is weak, just cutting to the usual one-vs-one battles as so many of these bland Hollywood productions do. Some might say that THE PHANTOM is deservedly forgotten: I won't disagree, but kids should have a good time with it.

The Phantom is one of those classic heroes that star maybe fading. Back in the 90's he was fondly remembered for the 80's cartoon, Defenders of the Universe and the Phantom cartoon in the 90's, which was excellent.The movie cam out and was a bust and I cannot figure it out.My take is, back in the 90's, heroes were not cool, so many 90's kids would much rather see XYZ and ignore hero films...indeed the 90's were dark times.....comics were dying.So many ignored the Phantom and it seemed movies like it such as the Shadow and Rocketeer. Since many did not read comics, and the Phantom's fame was really in the 50's, it was hard to be successful.Billy Zane took the mantle and played the Phantom aka Kit Walker. He was the Phantom and played it well. The plot was very good, but like Superman, people hate goody2Shoes heroes. But the Phantom is a movie to catch if you are in need of a hero to save you from modern movie making.The stunts were real and CGI is nonexistent.Phantom gets a 10 from me. Ignore the ignos here, MUST SEE!