I'm just going to say it up front: I love this movie. I know that nobody else does. Most people don't even seem to like it. I can't figure out why. It's based on the comic strip, and it does everything right (from my point of view). It's set in the right period (the '30s), and it's based on some of the actual comic strip stories. It doesn't go over the top with special effects. It captures the spirit of the old movie serials (and maybe I'll talk about the serial version of The Phantom one of these days). It has a great cast, and if you don't think Billy Zane can pull off an authentic hero, you should watch this. You might change your mind. Others include Treat Williams chewing the scenery, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine Zeta-Jones (as a female air-pirate!), and Kristy Swanson, for starters. It has the Skull Cave, Hero (the Phantom's horse), Devil (the Phantom's dog), and the Phantom's cool ring. It's set both in New York and in the jungle, and both settings look great.
And, yes, there's a plot. It's an origin story, and there's the usual MacGuffin (or three of them, mystic skulls that will supposedly allow one to rule the world if all three are brought together). It has action, it has heart, and it's fun from beginning to end. Or it was for me, if not for anybody else. Should've been a big hit, should've had many sequels. Didn't happen, more's the pity. But that's okay. I love it, anyway.
