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Parents' Guide to

The Phantom

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

'90s superhero adventure has action violence, profanity.

Movie PG 1996 100 minutes
The Phantom Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 18+

it’s okay

some mild violence
age 8+

Ignorance

The Phantom predates all other comic characters, yes, that includes superman and batman. For any critic to say this is just some movie in the vein of superman or batman, shows the ignorance of the the critic. The Phantom is the most popular comic character in history. I think that before a so called critic forms an opinion they should at first do some research.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (4 ):

It feels like a copycat of Superman, Indiana Jones, and other period comic book adventures, but nevertheless fans of that genre may enjoy this retread of well-worn material. Suspension of disbelief plays a big role in such enjoyment, and the Phantom's origin story may stretch reality too much even for them. (It's hard to believe that, dating to the 16th century, generations of Phantom descendants have run around the muggy jungle in purple spandex and a Lone Ranger mask.) Billy Zane plays the Phantom with a sunny zest that's endearing. The stunts and special effects are fun, as when the Phantom wordlessly communicates to his galloping steed to catch him as he jumps off a low-flying plane. It should be noted that an original co-writer of the movie has reported that the script was written as a spoof, and when the film was produced without him, it was played as a straight action-adventure drama. This may explain the movie's uneven texture.

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