The Phantom (1996) got it right

[cerealkiller182]

So i was watching this today. I love the pulp vibe. And I realized that this movie got it right in telling a proper superhero story. It glossed over the origin giving the audience the broad strokes and understanding and then started the movie as if it was any other arc. Without having to depict the origin story i think it gave them much more freedom as far as story elements and action scenes.

I see this working really well for certain movies, specifically Super Max or an Iron Fist story.

 

[Warhammer]

This is one of my favorite movies ever. This, The Shadow and The Rocketeer =

 

[cerealkiller182]

But what Im saying is that this movie presented the origin story way betterthan any other comic flick. It just gave the broad strokes enough to get the gist.

Look at Daredevil, they could have breezed through the origin as a child and then they prolly could have kept all the Matt Murdock stuff that was in the Director's Cut which was very cool and Affleck did a much better job as Matt than DD.

 

[Warhammer]

That's true, yet I do feel that The Phantom didn't really have a complicated origin to be drawn out. The legacy of The Phantom was spelled out in the first two minute prologue, but Kit Walker's origin was not spelled out at all. It was not necessary in light of what the movie ended up being. All we know is that the legacy is passed from father to son, and that he clearly took up the mantle. Batman could have it that way (origin spelled out in the first one or two minutes), but at the same time, his origin is such a significant part of what he becomes. For Kit Walker, it isn't. "Ok, my father taught me to devote my life to destroy piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all forms. He died, and that means I must be the Phantom to hold the Walker name." All of that which is basically being a boy scout like Big Blue. It didn't need to add any unnecessary filler.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that origin stories can be quick or drawn out depending on who the character is. An origin story for Hellboy or Barry Allen could be quick, but for someone like Batman or The Punisher, it needs to be drawn out because of it's significance.

 

[cerealkiller182]

Basically, what I am trying to say is that origin stories can be quick or drawn out depending on who the character is. An origin story for Hellboy or Barry Allen could be quick, but for someone like Batman or The Punisher, it needs to be drawn out because of it's significance.

Agreed, i just wish this was done more. When they are developing Green Arrow and Iron Fist later I hope they go with this idea

 

[cryptic name]

But what Im saying is that this movie presented the origin story way betterthan any other comic flick. It just gave the broad strokes enough to get the gist.

Look at Daredevil, they could have breezed through the origin as a child and then they prolly could have kept all the Matt Murdock stuff that was in the Director's Cut which was very cool and Affleck did a much better job as Matt than DD.

how about Burton's Batman?

 

[cerealkiller182]

how about Burton's Batman?

Yeah that too and Blade. Theres definitely movies done that way, I just thought of this while watching The Phantom that so many people (both studios and fans) want to do one movie to explain the hero before going further in movie mythos as if sequels are a sure thing. And the sequels tend to be better only because they can skip the exposition and get right into the story

 

[Chris Wallace]

how about Burton's Batman?

Many things done wrong, IMHO. Mainly the fact that we never really got to know Bruce Wayne. His parents got shot & now he wears a cape. They never properly intorduced him, which opened the door to Nolan's approach.
And I didn't care for "The Phantom".

 

[cerealkiller182]

I really liked Keaton as Wayne. And Burton played it up as a dual identity rather than a front put up by Batman. They are both good in their own right.

 

[rogue trooper]

I'm really hoping this film will have an extended special edition out soon. I would really like to see that cut out scene where The Phantom fights a lion. So come on Paramount, or whomever, bring on "The Phantom: The Skull Cave Edition" or something.

Just like the 1980 Flash Gordon film, The Phantom can be very fun to watch if you view it within its context and not take it very seriously.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I'm really hoping this film will have an extended special edition out soon. I would really like to see that cut out scene where The Phantom fights a lion. So come on Paramount, or whomever, bring on "The Phantom: The Skull Cave Edition" or something.

Just like the 1980 Flash Gordon film, The Phantom can be very fun to watch if you view it within its context and not take it very seriously.

I think those are reserved for well-received movies, which "The Phantom" was not.

 

[rogue trooper]

I think those are reserved for well-received movies, which "The Phantom" was not.

...well hey, Flash Gordon got its Saviour of The Universe Edition and the film was not well recieved at the box office. Not to mention films like Highlander, Legend, and Blade Runner, which also flopped and all have special editions. So, there.....


......oh, and how could I forget The Monster Squad Special Edition.LOL!

The Phantom and The Rocketeer are both cult classics within the comic book movie genre. The did not fare well at the theaters but they were faithful to the comics and that's why fans appreciate them.

 

[Kent Allard]

I liked the Phantom when I first watched it in theaters, I always thought it was a pretty good adaptation. I know it's not perfect, but its not so bad that it should be placed on a top 10/20 worst comic movie adaptation list. I believe part of the movie's problems stem from scenes that were cut from the movie [something on the scale of 10-15 minutes worth of story left on the cutting room floor if I remember correctly].

 

[rogue trooper]

I also want to add that I thought Billy Zane gave an excellent heroic interpretation that I think comes off as a blending of Christopher Reeve and Adam West. For example, in the scenes where he is with Diana Palmer as either The Phantom or Kit Walker, he displays qualities of nobility, tenderness, and charm that remind me of Reeve in the first two Superman films. And at the same time he displays the same sort of campy wit that West showed as Batman. Like in the scene where he surprises the girls in the shower with his guns by mistake and then says, "Ladies, kindly pardon my error." or when the captain asks him why can't he come in thru the front door, and Phantom answers, "It's too obvious. I like the window."

 

[rogue trooper]

I liked the Phantom when I first watched it in theaters, I always thought it was a pretty good adaptation. I know it's not perfect, but its not so bad that it should be placed on a top 10/20 worst comic movie adaptation list. I believe part of the movie's problems stem from scenes that were cut from the movie [something on the scale of 10-15 minutes worth of story left on the cutting room floor if I remember correctly].

I wonder if a petition could be made for an extended edition dvd.

 

[MightyGuy]

This is a TERRIBLE movie - but it's one heck of a lot of fun! I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, but I can also appreciate that it's not very well made.

"What should we do about the girl?"
"Bring her - she's our 'Phantom insurance'!"

 

[rogue trooper]

This is a TERRIBLE movie - but it's one heck of a lot of fun! I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, but I can also appreciate that it's not very well made.

"What should we do about the girl?"
"Bring her - she's our 'Phantom insurance'!"

It has faults. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's terrible. Siskel & Ebert gave it Two Thumbs Up.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

So i was watching this today. I love the pulp vibe. And I realized that this movie got it right in telling a proper superhero story. It glossed over the origin giving the audience the broad strokes and understanding and then started the movie as if it was any other arc. Without having to depict the origin story i think it gave them much more freedom as far as story elements and action scenes.

I see this working really well for certain movies, specifically Super Max or an Iron Fist story.

Yeah, but it completely fails to do what cliffhanger serials are all about....excite the audience! There is little sense of danger or real drama in The Phantom, it's safe and cosy, and the action is very meek and low-key.

 

[cerealkiller182]

Yeah, but it completely fails to do what cliffhanger serials are all about....excite the audience! There is little sense of danger or real drama in The Phantom, it's safe and cosy, and the action is very meek and low-key.

Thats definitely true. I always thought that was part of the "pulp fiction" but i guess not. I only meant to regard the origin and how the story could just start the story. Obviously someone is gonna have a problem with the story

 

[rogue trooper]

Yeah, but it completely fails to do what cliffhanger serials are all about....excite the audience! There is little sense of danger or real drama in The Phantom, it's safe and cosy, and the action is very meek and low-key.

.....yep, that might be the one true limp of the film. But then again, at that time(90's) Hollywood wasn't really taking superheroes seriously(i.e, Batman Forever and Robin, The Mask, Spawn, and, to a certain degree, The Shadow).

 

[rogue trooper]

I've been thinking, Paramount will be releasing Iron Man soon, and if successful, they should take a chance to cash on that and other superhero films like The Dark Knight that are coming out this summer(or maybe later on when The Spirit comes out), by releasing a special edition dvd of The Phantom with extended footage. They should be smart about this and do it.

 

[rogue trooper]

Hey, everyone, I just read this:http://www.nypost.com/seven/09042008/gossip/liz/phantom_of_cinema_returns_127382.htm


'PHANTOM' OF CINEMA RETURNS

Posted: 3:59 am
September 4, 2008

"Anyway, "Titanic" was probably Billy Zane's most memorable role to the moviegoing public. But he did have a nifty cult success with the comic-book-themed 1996 movie "The Phantom." (The comic strip had been a great success from the 1940s through the 1960s.) Zane, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kristy Swanson - the latter starred in the feature version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - were praised by the critics. But the public was unmoved.
Then "The Phantom" moved to video and DVD and found a healthy new life with a wildly appreciative audience.
"Well, now we hear that Paramount has put a "Phantom" sequel into feature fast track development with Zane, of course, reprising his original creation. Rumor has it that Zeta-Jones and Swanson will also do their roles again. Both these fab females, more than a decade later, look better than ever. (Vitamins and clean living, I'm sure!)
What with the success of "Iron Man," "Transformers," "Batman," et al., Paramount figures now is the time for the dark and sexy Phantom to return."

 

[Metamorpho1977]

It has faults. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's terrible. Siskel & Ebert gave it Two Thumbs Up.

Weren't they paraplegics when this came out and their thumbs stuck in the upright position?

But I liked The Phantom too. It was a fun movie. Billy Zane one of the true untapped stars in Hollywood. Billy Zane=Blue Beetle anyone?

 

[Lex Luthor]

The Phantom was pretty good. Unfortunately, it simply did not have enough people interested in it, and/or didnt hit the right flavor people were going for that summer. I remember going to a 9PM showing during it's opening weekend, and being one of possibly four people watching it.

Everyone else was apparently watching Twister.

 

[PyroChamber]

Catherine Zeta-Jones was in this?