Distributed by
Pioneer LDCE

Cat.no: PLFEB 35851

Cert: 12

Running time: 96 minutes

Sides: 2 (CLV)

Year: 1996

Pressing: 1997

Chapters: 21 (11/9+1)

Sound: Dolby Surround

Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Panavision)

Price: £24.99

Extras : Theatrical trailer for Star Trek: First Contact

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Director:

Simon Wincer (Free Willy, Quigley Down Under, Lonesome Dove)

Producers:

Robert Evans and Alan Ladd, Jr.

Screenplay: (based on the characters created by Lee Falk)

Jeffrey Boam (The Dead Zone)

Music:

David Newman

Cast:

The Phantom: Billy Zane (Titanic, Tombstone, Dead Calm, Memphis Belle, Only You)
Xander Drax : Treat Williams (Mulholland Falls, Flashpoint, Hair, Things to Do In Denver...)
Diana Palmer : Kristy Swanson (Eight Heads In A Duffel Bag, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Chase (1994))
Sala : Catherine Zeta Jones (Blue Juice, The Cinder Path, The 1001 Nights, "The Darling Buds Of May" (TV))
Quill : James Remar (Blink, Boys On The Side, The Warriors)
The Phantom's Father : Patrick McGoohan (Escape From Alcatraz, Ice Station Zebra, A Time To Kill, "The Prisoner" (TV))
Jimmy Wells : John Tenney (Tombstone, Free Willy 2, Beverly Hills Cop 3)
Lily Palmer : Samantha Eggar (The Brood, Doctor Dolittle, A Ghost In Monte Carlo)
Morgan : Casey Siemaszko (The Chase (1990), Three O'Clock High, "Moonlighting" (TV))

The Phantom is the motion picture version of a comic strip character created by Lee Falk, and brought to the screen by Jeffrey Boam.

The story begins as an expedition lands on the island of Bengalla, seeking the legendary skulls of Touganda. There are three skulls in total, and as soon as the first two are brought together they indicate the position of the third. When all three are in place, they are believed to harness an energy force of incalculable power - and with rumours abound of a fourth skull, it could all spell disaster for mankind, which is exactly what ruthless tycoon Xander Drax has in mind...unless one man can prevent it, namely The Phantom.

Billy Zane equips himself well as the eponymous hero, sending the genre up as well as George Clooney did in Batman And Robin with a number of one-liners, also doubling up as Kit, a man who knew Diana at college. Kristy Swanson, rarely gets to play anything other than the token bimbo-girlfriend role and things are no different here as Diana Palmer, apart from a couple of action scenes. In similar fashion to Superman, Diana sees Kit and The Phantom as two separate people.

The rest of the main cast is rounded out with typical characters such as Treat Williams doing a good turn as the bad guy intent on bringing the skulls together and using them for evil, Catherine Zeta Jones as the gangster's moll, so to speak, and a cameo from former prisoner Patrick McGoohan as the Phantom's father.

The film itself can best be described as average. It won't make anyone's top ten list, but it'll serve as an emtertaining actioner, with sumptuous sets and locations. One feels though that as the plot revolves around three skulls which have to be brought together to create chaos, this smacks of 1984's Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom when Harrison Ford went on the trail of three eggs.

One thing to look out for in the film is a scene early on while Diana and The Phantom are about to leap from red plane, as it looks like director Simon Wincer was still trying to alter his camera's zoom lens (!)

The picture quality is very good indeed throughout the most part bringing great life to the action sequences, the dark night-time scenes, and copes well with the colours ranging from the lush green forest to the garish purple suit donned by our hero. The widescreen framing is essential for this film which was shot in Panavision and uses the frame to good effect.

What makes this disc lose a point in this department is that there are the occasional speckles throughout the film, plus one at the start which goes across the middle of the screen in a straight line.

The sound quality is excellent though, in being quiet when it needs to, in its rousing background score, with its beefy explosions, and the best effects come first when the two of the skulls are brought together, and later when all three are in place.

The disc is quite well chaptered with 20 spread through the 96-minute film, plus the original theatrical trailer for Star Trek: First Contact which is presented cropped to 1.85:1.

Film: 3/5
Picture: 4/5
Sound: 5/5

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1998.