The Phantom (1996)

Directed by Simon Wincer. Starring Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, James Remar, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Patrick McGoohan, Bill Smitrovich, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jon Tenney, Samantha Eggar, John Capodice, Radmar Agana Jao, Chatpong Petchlor. [PG]

Rollicking old-fashioned superhero-adventure story inspired by Lee Falk’s comic strip (predating the likes of Batman, Superman and Captain America) is earnest, enthusiastic, and full of satisfying stuntwork and derring-do, but doesn’t have much in the way of a story. Zane plays the “Ghost Who Walks,” a.k.a. the Phantom, a masked crimefighter on an island in the Indian Ocean who does battle with a power-mad industrialist (Williams) obsessed with the Skulls of Touganda, of which legend promises untold destructive potential. The mythology is so undercooked, backstory is still getting revealed during the denouement, and the innocuous tone turns downright goofy at times (the sight of the hero in purple tights and cowl looks pretty ridiculous whether in the jungle or on the streets of New York City), but it’s still pretty good escapist fun in the tradition of Saturday matinee serials. Williams is, ahem, a treat as the smarmy, irredeemably wicked villain. Co-executive produced by Joe Dante.

69/100