Cult Horror Movies The Little Engine That Could LogoThe Phantom May Be the Most Eager to Please Superhero Movie to Ever Wear Spandex. In the 1. 99. 0s, between The Rocketeer, The Shadow, and The Phantom, standalone, retro styled comics films had a moment. Only one, however, featured Billy Zane galloping through the streets of New York City on horseback while wearing a skintight purple unitard. Its hard to argue with anything so cheerfully corny. Legend Of Frosty The Snowman Movie On Dvd. The Phantom came out in 1. It suffered from being too similar to the movies thatd come just before and from coming out in a year where the big action movies were Independence Day, Twister, The Rock, and Mission Impossible. In comparison to the cutting edge special effects on display in those films, The Phantom looks downright old fashioned. Its plot is old fashioned, too, keeping faith with its source materiala comic strip thats been appearing in newspapers since 1. The comic had some big name fans who circled the adaptation, including the legendary Sergio Leone, Gremlins director Joe Dante, and Batman Robins Joe Schumacher. The gig eventually went to Australian director Simon Wincer, whod hit big in 1. Free Willy. He also made the 1. Tom Selleck Aussie Western Quigley Down Under, which is perhaps a more relevant credit. In The Phantom, the year is 1. Indiana Jones outran a boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Phantom owes a lot to the Indiana Jones series in certain ways, right from the opening act, which begins as a trio of bad guys and a native kid theyve pressed into service as a guide cross a rickety swinging bridge to steal a priceless, supernaturally charged silver skull. The subsequent action sceneslots of derring do on airplane wings, horseback acrobatics, hand to hand combat, shipboard rescues, and clever escapesalso tip their hat to Dr. Jones. But despite the timeline, The Phantom is completely given over to fantasy. No Nazis here. Just a guy who inherited his secret identity from his father and, like, hangs out in a treasure filled cave waiting to fight any villains who might stumble into Bengalla, the nebulously located but vaguely Southeast Asian island that hes sworn to protect. Hes buddies with the indigenous people, who regard him as a folk hero hes also pals with the head of the British jungle patrol that occupies the island. Its a weird conflict of interest that the movie never addresses. Instead of worrying about cultural inappropriateness, or, uh, plot logic, The Phantom instead keeps its focus on light hearted adventure. As Kit The Phantom Walker, Billy Zanein his cheesy beefcake prime here, just a year before he turned scoundrel for Titanicis not exactly the most fascinating hero around. The fact that hes a superhero without any real superpowers unless a pet wolf counts makes him marginally more appealing, though the stakes are never he might die high. Unlike Batman or Superman, the Phantoms not really well known outside the funny pages. No doubt comic creator Lee Falk spent a lot of time crafting the character, who existed for 6. The Phantom movie spends the length of its prologue explaining its protagonists multi generational backstory, but theres not much depth beyond that. Cult Horror Movies The Little Engine That Could ' title='Cult Horror Movies The Little Engine That Could ' />Cult Horror Movies The Little Engine That Could MemeA movie made today would contain, at the very least, a flashback to Kit ascending to Phantom hood when his father is killed. Maybe wed learn who his mother was, and how she played a part in his life. Instead, we get just his father in ghost form Patrick Mc. Goohan, popping up in random places to tut tut him and give him guidance. Theres something to be said for a superhero movie that isnt an origin storybut a little more context wouldve gone a long way toward anchoring the story. Shallow though it may be, though, The Phantom is breezily entertainingand you can tell that most everyone involved knew they werent reinventing the wheel. It also has certain flashes of flair that are pretty obviously why its become something of a cult favorite. A bad rating on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer doesnt always mean its a terrible film. Here are some of the supposed flops that are now cult classics. Jaime in the Water. Brett H. I see people talking everywhere about how Jaime could possibly be alive, but how Hes way at the bottom of the lake and in full armor. Lost Highway is your source for weekly reviews of bmovies and cult films ranging from scifi and horror to the downright weird and bizarre. Enjoy the journey. The three main supporting characters, in particular, do a lot to bulk up the films paper thin story about secret pirate brotherhoods and magical skulls. As mustachioed antagonist Xander Draxthe character spells it out at one point, making sure we notice it begins and ends with an X, for reasons only he knowsTreat Williams is clearly having the best time. Who wouldnt, if they got to play an eyeball stabbing, artifact looting, wannabe world dominating, dapper yet evil businessman Kristy Swanson, so often cast as an airhead, gets to play Diana, the no nonsense love interest who a figures out that Kit is the Phantom, which nobody else ever manages to do and b takes a raincheck on romance by leaving him behind at the end, even though nobody refuses the Phantom. She also punches a bunch of dudes and gets to wear pants throughout the entire movie. Even better, though, is a pre Mask of Zorro Catherine Zeta Jones, who slithers in to play the only character who actually has an arc the glamorous Sala, who commands an awesomely cool squad of lady air pirates. She realizes halfway through the movie that being a mean girl sucksand that she should really be helping the good guys instead. The Phantom is not without flaws. Its got that deliberately retro thing going on, in its 1. If it sounds like lunacy, then youd be right, because thats textbook goddamn lunacy. Winding up in a cult can be a little like binge drinking with your friends you. Heres why American Horror Story Cult is bringing back Twisty the Clown. Hint Its not because of his charming personality. The timeless story comes to life in this allnew, featurelength film filled with fun and adventure When Little Engine Alyson Stoner, Cheaper by the Dozen must. But its also got that 2. Phantom dwells alongsidehavent aged so well. The people of Bengalla supposedly chose Kits ancestor to be their avenger and are therefore the reason hes got a superhero mantle at all, but aside from Kits Alfred Pennyworth equivalent and the little kid he saves at the beginning, the islanders are basically treated as set dressing. Its not good and its also a side effect of The Phantoms frantic urge to compact anything resembling exposition in favor of swinging from ropes, sword fighting, flinging pirates into shark infested waters, etc. The Phantom isnt here to illuminate anything about the human condition or even the condition of its characters. It just wants to please and have fun. Logic be damned. This is a movie that sends its jungle dwelling, leotard wearing hero to New York City makes careful mention of the fact that he attended college there, which suggests he must have some degree of smarts and then has him pay an incredulous cab driver with a pocket full of jewels, because thats the only thing of value he bothered to bring with him. Its ridiculous, and it pulls you out of the movie to ask yourself, Wait. Itd be very easy to ding The Phantom for the many WTF moments like this one, butlike Billy Zanes campy performanceits too goofy and earnest to hate it. Look, if you want darkness, gloom, existential pain, and cynicism, there are a zillion other superhero movies you could watch instead. Or you could have a blast with the movie that decided to bring you this.