The Phantom (1996)

[Spider-Aziz]

Me too, especially when he is in the back seat of the cab.

It's a shame they cut some parts from the movie. Scenes developing the romance between The Phantom and Diana, The Phantom fighting a lion and a snake...

Somehow I got the feeling I don't miss the lion fight scene

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

The Phantom is just a feel good film.

That's a good description of itt:

 

[Galactus123]

I watch it everytime it's on TV. Poster was great:

Sad that they didn't get to make any sequels.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

I watch it everytime it's on TV. Poster was great:

Sad that they didn't get to make any sequels.

That was also on the VHS covert: I love that picture. Not a big fan of the DVD cover, though. "Slam Evil!"

(Btw, Is The Phantom still popular in Finland?)

 

[DeadPresident]

I used to love this movie, think I saw it a few times when I was about 9-10 and I thought it was epic. There was a cartoon of it in a kinda futuristic setting that was quite sweet too.

 

[Jake Cassidy]

I actually remember seeing this in the theatres. I agree that it's also underrated like The Shadow and another period piece/comic book movie of the time (that also didn't do that well box office wise) - The Rocketeer.

I love all 3 of those.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I love all 3 of those.

Ditto

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

I used to love this movie, think I saw it a few times when I was about 9-10 and I thought it was epic. There was a cartoon of it in a kinda futuristic setting that was quite sweet too.

The Phantom 2040. Saw a few episodes of it. And then there's Defenders of the Eartht:

I love all 3 of those.

Me too. Sky Captain is also very good...

 

[Galactus123]

(Btw, Is The Phantom still popular in Finland?)

Hard to say. I haven't heard people talking about The Phantom in a long time but they are still releasing the comic.

 

[Micromind]

I think that this movie was not good, it had potential but the forced camp and some deviations they made from the source material make this a mediocre movie.

Things that were good -

1 Billy Zane was perfect as The Phantom / Kit Walker.

2 Catherine Zeta Jones should have been Diana Palmer, but Kristy Swanson as Dina was also OK.

3. The cinematography was nice.

Things that were bad -

1 Forced camp and over the top villain.

2 Magical rings ? The Phantom in comics does not have any magical rings or skulls, what was that ?

3 Skull cave was shown to be in east Asian jungle instead of African forest.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Skull cave was shown to be in east Asian jungle instead of African forest.

I could be wrong, but I believe that The Phantom lived in a fictional Asian/Indian jungle in the first comic strips.

 

[Micromind]

I could be wrong, but I believe that The Phantom lived in a fictional Asian/Indian jungle in the first comic strips.

The Phantom has been shown living in Africa since early 80's (I think.) But initially, The creator "Lee Falk" thought of locating it (skull cave) near India, hence the name "Bengalla" forest (as Bengal State is in India)

According to an interview, Lee Falk wanted Bangalla to be based partly on India but with African elements too. In fact, the word 'Bangalla' has its roots in the 'Royal Bengal Tiger' ('Bengal' itself is the name of an Indian state). Bangalla started off as a country neighboring India, but over time was moved closer to Africa.

http://www.phantomtrail.com/phantom-universe/phantom-country

Phantom regulary interacts with African tribals, so the modern interpretation has him based in Africa.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Phantom regulary interacts with African tribals, so the modern interpretation has him based in Africa.

I knowt:

SyFy also used Asia instead of Africa. I didn't like that...

 

[DeadPresident]

The Phantom 2040. Saw a few episodes of it. And then there's Defenders of the Eartht:



Me too. Sky Captain is also very good...

Yes! I remember watching it when I was a kid, it was quite cool. Such nostalgia now...

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Season one of Phantom 2040 is out on DVD in Australia.

 

[samsnee]

I liked this movie fine, thought it was well made. But if we're going with pulp comic adaptations, I think I like this one better:

 

[Octoberist]

I think The Shadow had great atmosphere, a great theme, and a great costume for Baldwin.

 

[DeadPresident]

Season one of Phantom 2040 is out on DVD in Australia.

I'd have to order it, but I think for this I might make an effort to do just that!

I liked this movie fine, thought it was well made. But if we're going with pulp comic adaptations, I think I like this one better:

Spoiler

I agree. The Phantom is a very different movie though, and much more of a popcorn adventure flick. The scenes in the jungle were so reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie. I really liked The Phantom, it 's an extremely fun movie.

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

I'd have to order it, but I think for this I might make an effort to do just that!

Me too, I have only watched four or five episodes of it, but it looked pretty interesting.

The cool thing about the Phantom is that they can make stories set in the mid 1500's AND far into the future. I wrote this earlier in the Shadow thread, but I would like to see a movie that tells the story of the 1st Phantom, and the 21st. Something like Sin City (minus all the sick stuff, of course). The 1st can fight pirates, while the 21st fights poachers/gangsters/warlords etc.

 

[superhero]

I heard they were going to reboot it but that been couple years ago syfyf had phantom min series I highly recommend checking it out I didn't like it hardly had no action I didn't like the phantom suit It's nothing like the original movie it about his son becoming the phantom

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

Yeah, it was going to be called The Phantom: Legacy or something like that. I looked forward to it, but I guess it's cancelled...

SyFy's Phantom is okay. The worst thing about it is how they disrespect the original suit.

 

[Uncle Radiation]

Every time I watch The Phantom, one think leaps out at me; Billy Zane and Kristy Swanson really, really should have played Superman and Lois Lane.

 

[horacethegrey]

SLAM EVIL! t:

That was a lame tagline btw.

As for the film, I always thought it was a lame as well. Half the time it can't figure out whether it wants to be a serious comic film or a camp comedy. It was a mistake I think to make the Phantom like a regular dude in spandex. There should be an air of mystery to the character. Bad guys are scared of the Phantom because they all think it's the same guy wearing that costume for 500 years, not knowing that the mantle has been passed on from father to son. Had the filmmakers made the Phantom a more menacing presence like the way Tim Burton approached Batman, the film would have worked. They also should have cast an actor with great screen presence, instead we got Billy Zane, an actor with zero charisma and couldn't fight for ****. That's not to mention the ultra hammy performance of Treat Williams as the bad guy.

Really, the only good thing about this film is seeing Catherine Zeta Jones before she became famous in Zorro.

So yeah, do not like this film. But it's not the worst comic book film ever made.

 

[Lord]

I think they should have changed the costume a little, purple spandex in the middle of the forest just looks way too out of place. That was the problem of being too close to the comics, this is a design that doesn't work all that well.

They should have probably tried to adapt it into something that could have been done 800 hundred years ago, the time he supposedly first appeared in-universe

 

[bluerayer]

I had some problems with The Phantom movie when it came out, nitpicks really, little things like: That his suit was purple instead of blue. Yes, i know its purple in the original comics but they changed him to blue here in Sweden, and i guess some other countries.

Also, you got to see him without his mask. Everyone who read The Phantom knows that "anyone who sees The Phantoms face will die a horrible death!" (Old jungle saying)

Or was that saying only used over here?

But all in all i enjoyed it though.