| The Phantom (1996) Cast:Billy Zane, Treat Williams,Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Remar,Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. When Xander Draxx(Williams) aspires to gain the three skulls to give him the power to rule the world, "The Phantom" (Zane) steps up to save the day, as well as get back on good terms with his former girlfriend (Swanson) in what has to be one of the lamest superhero movies ever. If there's anybody who doesn't look like a "Xander Draxx" it's Treat Williams. Williams gives what has to be one of his most embarrassing performances of his career. Part of the problem is that Williams only works at playing realistic villains rather than over the top comicbook villains, it's just that Williams seems like too much of a nice guy to do any of this stuff. Infact one wonders if Williams' character wants to rule the world so he can open up an orphanage. When your villain has the edge of a blunt object, chances are the movie won't be very good. What's even more surprising is that despite Williams' terrible performance, it's easily the best thing about the film. Whether it be lame special effects, boring actionscenes and lifeless acting from the cast, The Phantom emerges as one of the lamest comicbook movies ever. Even the usually dependable Remar and Tagawa are wasted. D.Simon Wincer* |