The essence of pulp entertainment is, usually, propulsive momentum. There’s not a lot of time to evaluate the sense of the story because things just keep happening. The grave robbers are murdered by a skeleton. Then, they’re chased by a ghost. That ghost, really a man, rescues a child and brings him to his mountain lair. Things just keep happening.
Buy The PhantomThis is the essence of pulp storytelling that The Phantom understands. It’s not concerned with geopolitics, or common sense. It’s a collection of things happening, and as long as they’re contained in a coherent plot, that’s fine.
The Phantom‘s plot, though ridiculous, is coherent. A boy is left orphaned by a pirate clan and is rescued by islanders who (for whatever reason) make him the magical guardian of their island. This mantle is passed down for 20 generations. Billy Zane is the current phantom. He wears a skull ring on his finger and has the powers of… a guy wearing a ring.
The Phantom does not have superpowers (though he has an affinity with animals). He has riches but spends most of his time hanging out in the jungle in a ridiculous purple costume. The Phantom is supposed to be an immortal, but he’s just a line of succession of guys who hold on to the ring, and the purple costume. They’re just all really athletic.
The plot of the film involves a rich oligarch, played by Treat Williams, with a belief in the supernatural trying to collect a trio of skulls which are supposed to bring him ultimate power. To gather these skulls, he uses his sidekick James Remar and a set of lady air pirates led by Catherine Zeta-Jones. One of the flaws of the film is that the bad guys are played by way better actors than the good guys.
Billy Zane and Kristy Swanson (the Phantom and his girl) are fine. But they have a kind of neutral energy in the story. Zane is fit (they built a muscle suit for him and discarded it because he’d built himself up so much) but there’s no emotional journey for the Phantom to go on in this film. Thankfully, it’s not an origin story… but it’s not much of anything else, either. Even confronting the man who killed his father doesn’t seem to raise this Phantom’s heart rate.
But, so what? Because this goofy story is a lot of fun. And it’s at its best when the villains get the chance to chew the scenery. Catherine Zeta Jones is a fun sexpot, but Treat Williams absolutely relishes playing a capital-E Evil villain who disdains Hitler for his lack of vision.
Joe Dante was set to direct this film but dropped out. He said that he’d written a spoof and was shocked to find it played straight. I just don’t believe him — it’s a fun, silly story. Dumb but earnest to its core and filled with beautiful sets and photography and cool stunts. None of the fights are that convincing, but they don’t need to be. This is a make-believe story, not a gritty hard-edged tale. The dialogue could certainly have used another pass. Screenwriter Jeffrey Boam is also credited with the screenplay for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but Tom Stoppard subbed in and wrote all the good jokes. He could have been handy here.
The Phantom is goofy and dumb, but that’s the worst I can throw at it. I was entertained the whole time, and if aspects don’t hold up to scrutiny (including the baffling conversations the Phantom has with the ghost of his dead father) they don’t invite scrutiny, either. It never mocks itself but doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s just a story. And a beautifully shot one, with excellent practical effects and stunt work.
It’s an antidote to the grim, gritty “realistic” comic book movies of our time. It’s hard to take too seriously but doesn’t seem to mind.
The Phantom has been released by Kino Lorber on 4K and Blu-ray. This release includes both discs. Both discs include a new commentary by director Simon Wincer. The Blu-ray also includes video extras “Kismet in the Jungle” (28 min), an interview with Billy Zane, and “Slam Evil” (15 min), a discussion with composer David Newman.
