When I was a child I looked forward the Sunday newspaper because of the comic section. It was the one day of the week that the comics were in color. One of my favorite strips was The Phantom. Fighting evil with an aura of mystery, The Ghost Who Walks. So, on a quiet afternoon when I saw that the 1996 movie, The Phantom was available on cable I took the time to watch it again after many years.
I had forgotten what an amazing cast was in this movie. The main character, The Phantom (Billy Zane) is from a family line that has held the title for over 400 years, righting wrongs and protecting the weak. He took over after the murder of his father. Diana Palmer (Kristy Swanson) is the spunky love interest, Xander Drax (Treat Williams) is the power-hungry villain and the extra surprises are Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones) as one of Drax’s henchman and the Phantom’s father (Patrick McGoohan).
The story takes place in the 1930s. Drax is seeking 3 skulls (one gold, one silver, one jade) that when brought together will form weapon more powerful than any seen before and he doesn’t care what he has to do to get what he wants. When the local newspaper owner finds out that Drax is going after this weapon he threatens to expose Drax for what he is.
The owner sends his niece Diana Palmer to get the proof of what Drax is going after. When Diana is kidnapped by Drax’s henchmen, she is rescued by the Phantom. The Phantom understands that Drax cannot gain the power he is seeking, it would be detrimental to the world for one man to have the power. The rest of the movie is the Phantom chasing Drax, saving the girl and avenging the death of his father.
This movie is a little campy, with some over the top stunts like dropping off a plane onto a running horse. Even though the movie was at times a little silly, I enjoyed it. It was an escapist movie that reminded me of the comic that I used to love. Break out the popcorn!
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