The Phantom Retrospective: Analysis, Review and Comic Comparison

On June 7th 1996, the Phantom was released in theaters.
Today, twenty years later, probably most write it off as just another nineties comicbookmovie misfire. Is this a fair assessment, or is it true what some claim, that the movie was far ahead of it time?
That is what @AndreEinherjar will look into in this retrospective, which also includes possible reasons why the movie flopped upon release, publishing history, comicbook comparisons and a fanedit recommendation...
Midnight’s Edge Phantom intro video:
• Lee Falk’s The Phantom...
Original 1996 trailer:
• The Phantom (1996) Tra...
The Phantom Strikes
ifdb.fanedit.o...
Read more details on how to obtain it on fanedit.org
The Nordic Illustration:
• Vem är bäst? #NORDEN
Special thanks to Anthony D’Orsi, @greenphlem
Produced by your proprietor, @AndreEinherjar
Please subscribe, and follow us on Facebook:
Facebook.com/Groups/MidnightsEdge

[@Truth_Alone_Triumphs_777]

"For those who came in late...." I hear these words and i tear up. Nostalgia so strong it feels like a physical punch to the gut. I remember everything great about my childhood. Thank you Lee Falk, thank you, Phantom.

[@steevrawjers]

yes i love it too i own the vhs with lenticular image cover

[@0anant0]

@@steevrawjers and I have the cards and the rings that were sold when the movie came out

[@steevrawjers]

@@0anant0 excellent #Slam #Evil

[@striderreborn1467]

Have you heard about the Phantom Videogame that's been announced?

[@Jordie_42]

Saw this at the cinema with my brother. I still like despite the flaws. But man Catherine Zeta Jones was smoking back then

[@1thaShivaji]

She still is.

[@pgcroonerva3256]

I actually really like The Phantom movie. I wish we had more phantom comics here in the states. :(

[@speedracer1945]

I used to follow the comics in our newspaper and had a few comics as a kid but saw comics here in the states 10 years ago .

[@Mac_Mayne_ATL]

Agreed

[@anshumanbhattacharya5020]

Phantom is popular in India as well. It was the most read during the 80s and 90s. I have a large collection of Phantom (Betaal , as he is called in India). There was a short lived tv series called Betaal Pachhisi but it ran into copyright infringement and Betaal had to give up his mask. I want a reboot of The Phantom. *Nostalgic love* from India.

[@atsonaga5520]

True huge fan of phantom, pity can't get it nowadays, mobile killed comics📱

[@thomasaskjellerud8288]

A petition for a reboot here: Let`s get it over 3,000! chng.it/7Tpp9nMMwy

[@Charlesputnam-bn9zy]

The movie was well-made and in some respect a masterpiece, a worthy homage to Lee Falk. It was released about the same time with "The Shadow" starring Alec Baldwin. Another criminally underrated masterpiece.

[@Charlesputnam-bn9zy]

My favorite is the Captain-Nemo's-Nautilus-like submarine.

[@steevrawjers]

agreed

[@Mac_Mayne_ATL]

I also agree

[@asatruteacher]

I am an American. I've read the Phantom since I was a child and have loved it since then. I LOVED the movie. (Okay, the skulls were a bit over the top.) I even use Xander Dax as the primary villain in my Victorious (Victorian superhero) RPG. The Ghost Who Walks is still one of my all time favorite stories and movies.

[@SMAXZO]

Kinda weird that the Rocketeer and the Shadow didn't catch on. It was good..surprisingly good. Hell, the Shadow is basically Batman..yet the story about a guy running around in a bat costume did well compared to a story of a guy running around in a trench coat and guns.

[@Taranchule]

Speaking as an Australian: The Phantom isn't quite the equal of Batman or Spiderman, but he is a cultural touchstone. He's a character the literally generations have grown up reading. My Father isn't the least bit geeky and yet he has found memories of reading the Phantom as a boy in the 50's and 60's. Comics were given away in sample bags at state shows (really big fairs, for the internationals) so everyone had at least one in their childhood. Hell, one of the earliest comicbook specialist stores out here were called "The Phantom Zone" (combining the Superman location and of course this character).

[@meattray6932]

Remember reading some Phantom comics from Easter Show showbags. While they were cool, they were always in black and white, and they just didn't feel as slick as like X-Men.

[@Dave-kb7ng]

Thanks for this video. I grew up in Australia in the 80's and 90's. The Phantom was my favorite comic. I agree with your comments and review of this movie. Zane was great as The Phantom.

[@gusman1000]

watch the fan edit it's well worth it

[@Starbug360]

have to say, personally I knew The Phantom from the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series, where he teamed up with Flash Gordon, Mandrake and Lothar. I do own a legal copy of the film on DVD, so I think I will look into the fan edit.

[@AjiLaStrange]

That's how I first discovered The Phantom too.

[@LeeONardo]

Same here, I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in the video.

[@ShaunTheCHB]

"Lord of the jungle, the hero who stalks, the beasts call him brother, the ghost who walks....Phantom!"

[@Jackaal77]

Same here, I was a huge fan of that show. Still remember the opening theme song.

[@slagit]

I was actually one of those kids that had a PHANTOM comic book or two in the 70s and I think he may of been in some newspaper strips that I saw.

[@louisvilleuav5794]

Poor marketing and a horrible trailer killed The Phantom here in the US. I had no idea it was coming out until I saw the toys in the discount bin at walmart. It was not Billy Zane's fault but the movie pretty much killed his A list potential.

[@barret-xiii]

yup. I never saw a single trailer or poster, and the only reason I ever heard of it was when we were on a skiing trip, and inside the cabin we rented was a VHS of the film that the previous tenant forgot and left behind. We watched it on a whim and loved it. Watched it again many years later to see if it was still fun, and it certainly is!

[@thetruebause3122]

I always hesitate to peer into microscopes because of this movie

[@steevrawjers]

truuuuuuuue

[@Sammo212]

I really enjoyed The Phantom. The movie is cheesy but its pulpy goodness as was The Shadow and The Rocketeer. Personally, I didn't mind the film taking place in the past. I think pulp storytelling works better in those settings. Billy Zane is a better actor than people give him credit for.

[@christaborn8535]

I remember getting the Ring from a 7/11 promotion as a kid back then. I thought it was the coolest shit but had no idea that it was from The Phantom, I actually still have it and it's one of my more favorite keepsakes.

[@GreatSmithanon]

I absolutely loved The Phantom when I first saw it in the 90s. It was just a really different take on the whole superhero thing in the 90s and thematically seemed close to Batman, another childhood favorite. I purchased it from a dollar bin several years back on DVD and it's still a favorite of mine.

[@HaloMasamune]

Nice! Great to see a 20 minute feature based on The Phantom. Saw the movie as a kid, and I still like it to this day. Great job!

[@Sutsu]

I used to read The Phantom all the time in my local newspaper, and was so excited that it was made into a movie. I enjoyed it back then, and I'm glad to hear that for technical reasons (fidelity to the original source material, Billy Zane's dedication to the role) it's even better than I remembered it being. Now I have to find this fan edit!

[@RobotShlomo]

I remember seeing The Phantom on television a number of years ago, and thought "hey, this isn't too bad".

[@MidnightsEdge]

Yeah, it gets a bum wrap - more so than it deserves.

[@ThomasK96]

Midnight's Edge Did you hear that the phantom will be in the CW legends of tomorrow! with Billy reprising his role!!

[@MidnightsEdge]

I heard he was cast on the show, but he WON'T be reprising his role of the Phantom. ...if he was, I'd actually watch it.

[@ThomasK96]

Midnight's Edge sorry man I fell victim to more fake news

[@MrChupacabra555]

Yeah, I remember reading some of the Phantom strips in my local newspaper from way back when I was a kid, and I remember liking this movie when it came out as well. I really feel sorry for Billy Zane, since this one role seemed to ruin his career (except for his role in "Titanic", so I guess that's something)

[@mariokarter13]

Still better than Ghostbusters 2016.

[@queendsheena1]

I read The Phantom in the newspapers and loved it. Also Mandrake. Loved seeing that drawing on the wall. It would be so lovely if a proper remake of The Phantom could be made. But I would rather no remake than a terrible one. Thanks for sharing this.

[@MidnightsEdge]

Glad you liked it - hopefully, Dotor Strange will contribute to the in development Mandrake movie getting the green light - then that in turn could open the door to another Phantom.

[@queendsheena1]

Midnight's Edge I would love that to happen.

[@levingthedream]

"To those who came in late" I see what you did there and I approve

[@Kaefer1973]

Wasn't The Mask of Zorro a financially successful pulp hero movie adaptions in that era?

[@ilitardo160]

Ghost that treats objects like women true true

[@Targisvear]

Didn't the film make Banderas a star though? Most people didn't know him if they didn't watch Spanish films then.

[@steevrawjers]

another great movie

[@elfsieben1450]

@@Targisvear "Desperado" had a hand in this, too.

[@Targisvear]

@@elfsieben1450 True, true. They both kind of made him known outside the Spanish language market around the same time.

[@emceedanyoureventman6684]

As a kid I had the first taste to the amazing world of Phantom through comics which a friend of my uncle owned. He had such a huge collection of both Phantom and Mandrake the Magician and whenever he visited he got a couple of them for me to read. I hit the jackpot during one vacation season he came for a long visit and he had a thick hardbound book of several Phantom comics put together. I loved watching the Phantom 2040 series. And when the movie finally aired on Indian television(am not sure whether it was HBO or Star Movies) never missed a single re-run. I believed that it was one of the biggest Hollywood hits to hit our TV screens in India and was glad someone had finally made a movie on one of my first two favourite comicbook superheroes, the other being Mandrake the Magician. We are still crazy about Phantom and Mandrake in India. We had our own TV series version of Phantom called Vetaal . Someone should start a movie universe with Phantom and Mandrake along with Lothar. Long live the ghost who walks. The Phantom never dies...

[@zainhartono7193]

This movie was my favourite for years. I lived by this film my whole childhood and am saddened by how underrated it is.

[@philipandersson4932]

Same here !

[@CouryMcGinnis]

Billy Zane the coolest guy in the world

[@grrrr....maritz6491]

South African here, I also grew up with the Phantom in Sunday newspapers. It was also translated into Afrikaans but I never really liked that. Btw.... he had a purple suit here.

[@ckorhonen72]

Not sure how many people do this, but for years I occasionally watch the original Raiders of the Lost Ark in black and white. Really gives it a great, old serial feel.

[@2099Oz]

Thanks for the recommendation, the Phantom (character) is severely underrated and I enjoyed the Phantom (movie) back in the day

[@Hatingmeisconforming]

Dude I love Billy Zane! We have one of his comedy clubs here in Nashville "Zanies".Great venue

[@NiceGuyVsAsshole]

Hating me is conforming Billy Zane is a pretty cool dude

[@FreakyLynx]

Loved him in both Dead Calm and Demon Knight. Sadly, haven't really seen him in anything recently... well I saw him in Zoolander 2 but that's a movie better left forgotten ^.^;;;

[@Avarn388]

Billy Zane is amazing. I love him, even in the worst movies, cough BloodRayne, screw you Uwe Bol.

[@adamstapleton9756]

I fondly remember that movie, along with the Rocketeer and The Shadow. Very cool.

[@jonathonbisiach749]

As an Australian living in Sweden, it's great to know that we have something in common!

[@ManicExpression1980]

I have looked all day and I can't find The Phantom Strikes fan edit anywhere. It looks amazing.

[@theevermind]

I'd love to see a retrospective like this for Lynch's/De Laurentiis' Dune.

[@jasonbreaux4857]

I loved the Phantom since listening to a vinyl pressing of the old radio serials that my brother had. One side was the Phantom, the other was Mandrake the Magician. I watched Phantom 2040 when I was a kid and saw the movie in the theater. I watch it still and can mostly ignore the bad parts out of nostalgia. Still love the movie.

[@gusman1000]

That fanedit is incredibly entertaining thanks man!

[@rushaholic]

I love you guys so much!! This, The Shadow and The Rocketeer are my 3 favourite films!

[@robinmathews2446]

I still have most of the very early comics by Frew... My father collected them, as did I throughout our lives.. I really enjoyed the movie , as I was totally familiar with the original stories on which it was based.. There are many scenes in the movie, taken directly from drawings in the comics. I saw this as a great tribute to Lee Falk and the early artists .. I often still re-watch the film, and lament the sequels never being made .. Billy Zane nailed the part perfectly and deserved much more credit for his portrayal of the hero. I give this movie a 9 out of 10.. The music and the era were really perfect, but like you, I was not a fan of the skulls of Touganda.. This moved away from the usual Phantom stories of the time and would have been more "in place" in the Sy Barry era.. This is one of my favourite movies.. Thank you for re-visiting it.

[@Ghostbustingjedi]

Great video man. All of my friends thought this movie/character was lame, but I loved the Phantom.

[@qui-gone]

In India, we got the 61-99 era stories locally published by a licensed publisher - diamond comics. It also appeared in newspapers and magazines. A women's magazine that my mom and grandma used to read had phantom comic strips and my grandmother used that to teach me how to read and write. Needless to say I've been a Phan since then and have always worn a skull locket or ring for as long as I can remember. Couldn't get the M1911s in india though 😂. Since India has a state called Bengal with forests, I always assumed as a child that bengalla was in fact in India. We do have pygmy tribes in our eastern islands so it seemed very plausible back then! I watched the movie in theater and did enjoy it a lot. But the 12 year old me wasn't too thrilled about magical skulls and definitely the 4th magical skull. During my time living in Norway, I came across your channel but somehow missed this video till now. Fantastic one as always, Andre. I will check out the fan edition of the movie now. Thanks for this!

[@killerfrank8974]

I liked this movie as a kid, and in fact this actually became one of the movies I watched the most back then. You did a very good job of reviewing the film, and going over the reasons it failed. To be honest, I never heard of the character at all prior to seeing this film, and so I doubt many others in the states did, either. And marketing sucked, they really didnt do a good job highlighting this film. I agree with you about the intro, it was kind of cheesy to say the least. And Billy Zane was awesome for the part, too. Although, I slightly disagree with you about Treat Williams's acting. Yes he was way over the top, however, I thought for the part he was playing and for the film he was in, it worked. That being said, loved your review, brought back fun memories as a kid. Thanks

[@cheshirekat3050]

0:35-0:38 My family and I went saw all three of them when they first came out. Even though my father and I were the only comic book fans in the family, all four of us loved them! Heh. They even bought them on VHS, when they came out on tape. My mother bought the paperback novel adaptation of the Rocketeer and loved it. My father bought the paperback adaptation of the Phantom; and devoured it. As for myself, I developed a passion for the Shadow (as my father had, before me ;) and was thrilled when my parents bought an entire collection of about two dozen old time Shadow radio programs on cassette tape. We used to love listening to them on long car rides. NONE of us ever saw Batman Forever. We'd all seen the trailers.

[@0anant0]

When the movie was released, there was an interview with Billy Zane and he explained how he exercised to get that chiseled, muscular looks. He would hold a heavy iron sphere in his palm and then move it around in sweeping motions.

[@bascxx2]

"Phantom can call upon the strength of 10 tigers" ~ old jungle saying. grand daddy of ALL superheros - THE PHANTOM

[@dawnklug6986]

Have loved The Phantom since I can remember in the early 1960's and yes, I enjoyed Billy Zane's version and still do. It was campy, but still very enjoyable. I knew not to take it seriously.

[@fenrirblaze9350]

When this movie came out I actually enjoyed the movie for what it was I wish I could find it on DVD.

[@SilverNightbane]

I grew up reading him on the weekly comic strips, saw him animated in Defenders of the Earth and even watched a good chunk of the 2040 cartoon. This movie is one of my guilty pleasures because of the sheer cheese factor it had for me when I first saw it as a kid. I still even have the Laserdisc of it... Sadly it's been cracked but it's not like my Laserdisc Player still works anyway XD

[@LukeTopSecret]

The Phantom is my favourite comic book character of all time and the movie one of my favourites

[@stevecarter9596]

I agree 100 percent with your praises and criticisms, and was a fan of the comic in Australia. If you removed the phantom talking with his dead father, kept his eyes hidden, removed the supernatural elements / powers of the skulls including his skull ring, and made his costume a plain gray color in contrast to the colors around him, this movie would have been a worldwide success. I will have to check out the fan edit version

[@JamesRadnus]

I remember watching this movie ages ago. Liked it back then, didnt know that so much was involved with it. Thx, Andre, for that. Also, this one made me laugh: "and... and... AND... AND..!!!"

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

See, having grown up with the current Phantom continuity, I knew Phantom stories could be badass. He was basically a cross between Batman and Conan when I was a kid. And these stories had many cool stuff in it, it easily rivaled Marvel's Conan stuff, it was as gritty and there were many crazy villains like big spiders, zombies, etc...And when the movie came out, I don't remember if I went to see it on the big screen but I knew from the trailer it would be some light weight comedic old school pulpy bullshit. I bought the DVD a few weeks ago for 3 bucks thinking it would be better than what I saw back then and it wasn't. It's mainly bad, if I liked some elements from it. The Shadow was far superior. The pulpy aspects were better and more fun, the acting was better, the effects were better and it was also much grittier, like seeing Shadow as a deadly samurai spilling blood. The tragedy was Shadow bombing cause it was really good. Also Phantom did not seem to have a good budget.

[@Graikos]

I don't know what it is about this channel but I can't click fast enough when I see a new vids released.

[@llcoolray3000]

I saw this at the drive-in when I was 14. That was the only time I've seen it, so I only vaguely remember it. I do remember my dad being excited to see it while I was more skeptical. I also remember that I really liked it. I'm sure I would notice some of the flaws mentioned in this video if I were to watch it again, but I kind of like it being frozen in time, in my memory, on that drive-in screen.

[@baronvoncalculon486]

Back in the late 80s when I was in high school, I read the Phantom comics strip in the newspaper every day. It definitely had a comic book feel to it, was very well written, and always left you wanting the next day’s newspaper to come as soon as possible. The only downside was that if you missed even a day or two, you really lost the storyline. When I got to college and didn’t have a daily newspaper, I lost track of the Phantom. I remember the movie coming out shortly after college, but never got around to seeing it. It seems that it’s definitely overdue for me to watch it!

[@JarJarBinks4ever]

I loved this movie when I was a kid, haven't seen it in ten years though.

[@Avarn388]

Excellent overview, Andre. This is definitely some of your best work. It's funny how you mention that the Phantom wasn't well known to those people living in the US. I knew of the Phantom through Nostalgia Critic's review which is funny. But actually through my mom. It turned out she, along with her siblings and grandfather, used to read the Phantom all the time through newspaper strips.That and Flash Gordon who is one of my favorites. :) The original movie is a guilty pleasure as I love Billy Zane. He's one of my favorite actors. And I'll be sure to check out the Fan edit as Black and white looks fun. Who knows? maybe, a Phantom Reboot can be done in the same style with Black and White. Or perhaps a take on Phantom 2040?

[@MidnightsEdge]

Thanks Neil, glad you enjoyed it! Put a lot of work into this one, so I'm glad the effort shows. I'd love to see a new take on The Phantom, ideally as Netflix anthology series - that would you could explore the Phantom througout the ages, even in the year 2040!

[@brunofranco4416]

The Phantom is popular with old comicbook fans in Brazil, but his suit is a bright red like the Flash's costume, with a yellow and black striped underwear.

[@Laurabeck329]

Honestly I think they should have probably gone with sort of mix of different eras of Phantom. By putting Bangalla in Africa and making the Phantom a little more serious but still have it set in the 1930s and follow old Lee Falk comic strips, as much as the more serious tone would allow, that would make a pretty good compromise between different versions of Phantom and keep most fans happy.

[@SMAXZO]

One thing of praise about Billy Zane...he can rock that Phantom costume.

[@deadeye4520]

Thank you for the Fanedit information Andre. I'm sure it's a treasure trove!

[@daric_]

Had no idea The Phantoms has had continuing comics for decades...I really want to read them now.

[@jd_cowan]

Great video! I really want to see that fan edit. The original movie was much better than most give it credit for, even if not perfect. By the way, the first Lee Falk Phantom novel is being reprinted in North America. It's out next week. Excellent timing on the video.

[@MidnightsEdge]

Thanks, an that's awesome!

[@travisgates6623]

I love the Phantom! I've been collecting the prose novels by Avon for a while, and I still have about half of them to track down. I've also looked, with little success, for a "making of" the bridge scene that I think aired on HBO. I remember watching it as a teenager before the movie came out. Incidentally, where does that B&W footage of Campbell come from? Was that from one of his syndicated TV shows? Thanks for the vid! I loved it.

[@MidnightsEdge]

It's from the movie "The Majestic" (2001) starring Jim Carrey. Great movie, check it out.

[@travisgates6623]

+Midnight's Edge I appreciate it!

[@memyopinionsche6610]

and speaking of the gray ghost there was a mention of the gray ghost in the BATMAN animated series a young Bruce wane was a big fan and watching it gave him inspiration to become batman after seeing his parents die. and I also herd the creators of Batman the Animated Series we're real big fans The Phantom! so there maybe a connection.

[@FasihSayin]

Great video once again. I didn't know the suit was blue in nordic countries. The Phantom was, and still is, one of the most popular comics in Turkey too. But there the suit is red and in fact the comicbook and the character is known as KIZILMASKE, which roughly translates as The Red Mask.

[@MidnightsEdge]

Thanks! Is Kizilmaske still published in Turkey?

[@FasihSayin]

To my knowledge a small publishing house called Büyülü Rüzgar is still publishing it as monthly volumes. First publication date in Turkey is 1939. Originally published as part of a magazine called 1001 Roman. Back then the character's name was translated as Dev Adam (The Giant Man). Turkish comicbook publishers used to localize foreign comicbooks heavily. (e.g. Flash Gordon was called Baytekin and the story started in Istanbul)... Individual books started around 1968 at Tay Publishing. As for the red suit, there are theories. Some people say it was a printing error. Other claim the originals were taken from a Brazilian publisher who also had the same printing error. I believe it looked much better in Red. I was shocked by the purple. However as you mentioned in the video Falk never intended the suit to be Purple. I believe in his mind it was grey. (Hence... Grey Ghost) Today the character is part of the general comic book culture in Turkey. Practically everyone knows him. And I know, as a game developer I would kill for a chance to do a big budget The Phantom game. *sigh* As a bonus here's a link to a piece of Turkish cover art: 2.bp.blogspot.com/--xF772P3DGM/UH74tQZ_9jI/AAAAAAAAFMU/5lLCAuVzTJU/s640/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaot2.png

[@jliller]

I was 14 when the trailer for The Phantom came out and it got me excited about the film. I got it from Blockbuster and really enjoyed it.

[@DionysusJPower]

Fantastic. Came across this character, cartoon and movie the odd time throughout my childhood. Hope that fan edit page have a version of the Shadow!

[@MidnightsEdge]

They do - it is called "The Shadow Strikes". The same editor who did "The Phantom Strikes" gave The Shadow the same treatment, black and white and all.

[@DionysusJPower]

Midnight's Edge Deadly! Thanks for your reply

Thanks for a very neatly made video with great explanation of why the movie flopped. Btw, i'm from Croatia. The Phantom was also read here, though it was printed in very, very large collected volumes. We're talking Bible sized books. Anyways, i'm subscribing, you've convinced me

[@rodster6campingprepper]

As a child I only knew of the Phantom from Defenders of the Earth.

[@MrMoneyclips]

I had that ring. Very high quality..

[@lordaxis115]

great video of this movie :) only noticed one small problem.. you used another Phantom artists Phantom image when you were talking about Sy Barry :)

[@Jawsphobia]

I was not expecting to care about this but what a great segment. I am definitely interested in The Phantom Strikes.

[@JokersMidnightShow]

I liked it as a teen and now, not only do I want to watch it again, I'm eager to watch this fan edit!

[@saddletramp1979]

I watched this today. (not the first time) I recall people talking about how over the top Treat Williams acted. As I watched I thought about people that act like that in the real world, from real estate agents to people just excited about their side hustle. I've saw so many saying things "like that's going to pop" "we got to keep moving forward" or "I'm going to make it happen".

[@IsidorioDNeto]

This channel definitely deserves more subscribers. Keep the good work!!!

[@MidnightsEdge]

Will do!

[@JT-ce2rp]

Thank you for making this.. Always liked the phantom and only read the news paper comic never had access to comic book versions when I was young.. So all this info is awsome

[@ShaunTheCHB]

I remember enjoying The Phantom. I thought some parts of the film were kind of silly but it did not ruin my overall enjoyment of the film. Back then I accepted that any movie based on a comic character was not going to be 100% spot on and to take it for what it was worth. The times today are different. We all expect comic films to be spot on and hate it if it's not.

[@KamilNadeem]

Defenders of the Earth and Phantom 2040. Legendary. Phantom is one of my favourite superhero.

[@Thor13332]

I liked this movie and wished they would have made a sequel. I was not new to the Phantom story because I used to read the comic strip in the newspaper as a child.

[@nicholasjoost5111]

I loved the Phantom as a little kid. I mostly remember how cool I thought it was that Shang Tsung was the villian

[@ExtrackterYT]

I'm curious, was his island "Eden" (with the Stegosaur and stuff) already in the Moore & McCoy version(-s).

[@MinuteExplained]

I love your videos, and the variety you offer outside your heavy-hitting series (Spider-Man, Ghostbusters, Fan4Stic, etc.)

[@MidnightsEdge]

Thanks, we do try to have something for everyone, within our scope;p

[@BedtimeBen]

I was maybe 12 when I saw this on VHS, I liked it a lot, I didn't love it though. I've thought about it once or twice since in the intervening decades so I'm thankful for your video and I'm sold.

[@speedracer1945]

I saw it at the theater and about 8 years saw the bluray at a very low price and bought it . Zane put all his efforts into his character and gave the Phantom his all .

[@DigiMyst]

Haven't seen the Phantom before, but I'll have to check it out someday. I'm reminded of this guy named The Phantom's Revenge (who happens to have The Phantom's face as his icon), who makes some kick-ass tracks. Definitely recommend for anyone who likes good music

[@leonkernan]

Hang on, this isn't Ghostbusters. Am I on the wrong channel? :-p

[@MidnightsEdge]

We try to keep the content varied;p

[@justsignmeup911]

I knew nothing about the comic before this video. Thanks.

[@mikaelholmgren7862]

Thank you for covering the phantom, my favorite comic book character.

[@MidnightsEdge]

Your welcome.

[@jonathangoode546]

BILLY ZANE was awesome as the PHANTOM . anyone watching this movie would believe he is the PHANTOM . VERY GREAT MOVIE .

[@MGTOWPaladin]

I have the movie on VHS and read a hardback version of the Phantom that existed in my junior high school in the 7th/8th grade. So, I knew the "history" of the character and sometimes read it in the newspapers. I enjoyed the movie but had a few problems with it. I wasn't a "big" supporter of the "skulls of Toganda" but I like the "Phantom skull" tie-in! I wasn't too crazy of Billy Zane's "misuse" of his firearms in the movie. First, he uses them as supports to slide down steel elevator cables to protect his hands and second, he's firing his pistols, crossing one on top of the other, in a haphazard and dangerous manner.

[@Jcolinsol]

I really loved The Phantom picture when I was a kid, along with The Rocketeer, Dick Tracy, etcetera, all of those throwback 30's and 40's era super hero movies.

[@Burgermeister31]

The Rocketeer isn't a pulp era hero. It was first published in 1982. It was just done in a pulp era style. It was inspired by a similar character from the late 40's and early 50's that appeared in Republic Pictures movie serials.

[@bronstet]

The Phantom was a fun but fatally flawed movie. The biggest problem was that the tone was all over the place, veering back and forth between camp and playing it straight and satisfying nobody. The Shadow also made the same mistake. So did the much more recent The Green Hornet. I'd love to see more serious reboot versions of all of these properties.

[@ronparker8582]

Loved it I grew up in Oklahoma and in my formative years (1970) we had a Friday night fear host that showed great old horror movies and the old serials a simple time when were black and white.

[@MexieMex]

Nice piece, looking forward to watching The Phantom Strikes! Thanks for the heads up ;^>

[@jeremycline9542]

One of my favorite "comic book" movies.

[@vikramadityapaul7400]

The movie was BIG waste for such an amazing superhero character. I still recall the Phantom comic-books (Publish by Indrajal Comics in India) my parents had subscribed for me.

[@kelvinwelbourn1056]

The Phantom movie is still one of my favourite comic book adaptations. I can't believe that it didn't succeed as I thought the production values were excellent.

[@KingFossilFER]

would be cool to see a Rahan or Turok series retrospective, even tough they dont have theatrical movies

[@williamoxx9133]

DELL and GOLD KEY printed original Phantom stories that had originally seen in the Sunday Funnies in various newspapers in the US.

[@slagit]

That was how I probably came across the character as a kid.