The Phantom Review

The Phantom


Release Date: 26th September 1996 - Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (presents)

The Ladd Company (in association with)

Boam Productions (in association with)

Robert Evans Company

Village Roadshow Pictures

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: PG

Runtime: 96 minutes


Budget: $45,000,000

Box Office Gross: $23,523,326 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Believed to be immortal by others as "The Ghost Who Walks" and having descended from a lineage of African superheroes, The Phantom must travel to New York City to stop an evil businessman from obtaining three mystical skulls that would give him the secret to ultimate power.


Cast
Billy Zane - Kit Walker/The
Phantom
Treat Williams - Xander Drax
Kristy Swanson - Diana Palmer
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Sala
James Remar - Quill
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - The
Great Kabai Sengh
Patrick McGoohan - Phantom's Dad
Bill Smitrovich - Uncle Dave Palmer
Casey Siemaszko - Morgan
David Proval - Charlie Zephro
Joseph Ragno - Ray Zephro
Samantha Eggar - Lily Palmer
Jon Tenney - Jimmy Wells
Robert Coleby - Capt. Phillip Horton
Al Ruscio - Police Commissioner Farley
Leon Rossum - Mayor Krebs
Bernard Kates - Falkmoore the Butler
John Capodice - Al the Cabby
Alan Zitner - Dr. Fleming
Dane Carson - Cpl. Weeks
Chatpong 'Jim' Petchlor - Zak
Dane Farwell - Breen
Jared Chandler - Styles
Radmar Agana Jao - Guran
Austin Peters - Boy Phantom

Crew
Director - Simon Wincer
Based on Characters - Lee Falk
Writer/Co-Producer - Jeffrey Boam
Executive Producers - Graham Burke,
Greg Coote, Joe Dante, Bruce Sherlock,
Peter Sjoquist and Richard Vane
Producers - Robert Evans and
Alan Ladd, Jr.
Casting - Deborah Aquila and

Jane Shannon Smith

Animal Coordinator/Stunts - Mark Harden

Wild Animal Trainer - Jules Sylvester

Production Designer - Paul Peters

Supervising Art Director - Lisette Thomas
Supervising Art Director: Los Angeles Unit -

Richard Holland

Set Decorator - Amy Wells

Property Master - William A. Petrotta
Costume Designer - Marlene Stewart

Costume Supervisors - Bruce R. Hogard

and Lisa Lovaas

Director of Photography - David Burr

Camera Operator: Los Angeles Unit/Director of

Photography: Second Unit - Conrad W. Hall

Camera Operator - Louis Irving

"B" Camera Operator: Second Unit - Brian J. Breheny

"B" Camera/Steadicam Operators - Brad Shield

and Paul Taylor

Unit Production Manager: Los Angeles Unit -

Pat Kehoe

First Assistant Director - Robert J. Donaldson

First Assistant Director: Los Angeles Unit -

Nilo Otero

Second Assistant Director - Simon Warnock
Second Unit Director - Vic Armstrong

Aerial Coordinator/Helicopter Pilot -

Kevin LaRosa
Stunt Coordinator/Stunts - Billy Burton
Sword Master - Bob Anderson
Special Effects Coordinator - Alan E. Lorimer
Visual Effects Supervisor: Buena Vista Visual

Effects - Wally Schaab
Visual Effects Consultant: Buena Vista Visual

Effects - Michael Lessa
Editors - O. Nicholas Brown and

Bryan H. Carroll

Supervising Sound Editor - Tim Chau

Co-Supervising Sound Editors -

Cameron Frankley and Donald J. Malouf

Re-Recording Mixers - Robert J. Litt,

Elliot Tyson and Michael Herbick

Music - David Newman


Review
The original superhero predates Superman and Batman and appears in newspaper strips and comic books. The film adaptation of THE PHANTOM is respectful enough to follow the spirit of Lee Falk's creation and shows its loyalty. A few missteps have prevented the 1996 movie from making it to my top superhero features. I hate to be harsh on this movie, but let's talk about the complaints. For example, the opening was too short and felt like an intro to an action television serial and cartoon. The story is too simplistic. There is little romance and character development in the film.

A few of the film's flaws hurt a little, but on the positive side, the action scenes are remarkable, and the cast is good and chosen like Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Patrick McGoohan and James Remar. The two actors stand out in their roles, including Treat Williams, who plays Xander as a campy yet threatening archenemy to the Phantom, and Billy Zane has a good performance as the title character. There's a little-known fact that director James Cameron chose Zane in Titanic because he loved him for his acting in THE PHANTOM.

It isn't the picture that was said to be thrilling, as I thought when watching it long ago on VHS. Some people didn't like the film because of its comparison to the more worthy and acclaimed Indiana Jones series. THE PHANTOM is an old-fashioned and underrated movie that's fun and overtaking. It is for anyone with knowledge and experience of the comic series. It could be the only tribute to the classic superhero.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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