#337 - Review: 'The Phantom' (1996) 4K UHD Kino Lorber release

Something a little different, as today we review the recently remastered in 4K from a 35mm original camera negative by Kino Lorber, a boutique Blu-ray distributor. This new edition comes in both 4KUHD (two-disc) and Blu-ray (single disc) and can be purchased at the Kino Lorber website. 

Along with a new master of the film, each set (either two-disc or single) comes with audio commentary from directorSimon Wincer, a new interview with star Billy Zane, and an interview with film composer David Newman. A trailer is also included. 

At Chronicle Chamber, we picked up a copy for review. Watch or listen to our video review, and read on for our impressions of the new master, as well as special feature highlights. 

The New Master

One of the elements to this film that Simon Wincer frequently comes back to in his audio commentary is the lighting, and it’s for good reason. This new edition of The Phantom is beautiful. 

Compared to previous releases, the color and visuals are crisp, clean, and warm. There was a decision to use natural lighting as opposed to filters during production, and it pays off nicely. In outdoor adventure sequences, the natural lighting makes the action feel real and believable. In closed settings, such as Xander Drax and Diana Palmer’s introduction scene early on in the film, a functional, expository sequence feels glamorous and stunning. When Dave Palmer agrees to send his niece, Diana, on a quest during this sequence, this new master captures the warmth and ornate decor of the art deco style of the 1930s. 

The sound is also markedly better than previous editions, making for an overall enjoyable rewatch that feels closer to what audiences experienced in theaters 30 years ago. 

The Special Features

Director Simon Wincer’s Audio Commentary

Audio commentaries can be hit or miss with many Bluray and 4KUHD releases, even from boutique companies. The Simon Wincer commentary included with this new edition of The Phantom lands right in the middle. It’s not necessarily exciting, but it’s not the worst commentary either. Wincer does highlight some of the elements and motifs he was going for, and he does spend a great deal of time talking about the use of natural lighting versus filtering. 

For Phantom fans looking for answers to decisions this adaptation makes, like why Guran was changed into a child helper of The Phantom or why a skeleton strangles a grave robber to death, there aren’t any answers here. 

The quality of the audio commentary, at times, is also suspect. Right off the bat, there’s a noticeable audio lag, as if this was recorded over Zoom or some other online meeting software. That’s a bit of a disappointment. 

Billy Zane Interview: “Kismet in the Jungle”

Thirty years after the release of the film, Billy Zane is a master craftsman at discussing The Phantom film. Many of the ideas and motifs he touches upon in this new interview have been covered elsewhere in talks at Supanova Con and other interviews. Zane highlights his love of the character stemming from collecting Frew Comics on visits to Australia and notes that, in his performance, he was trying to embody the classic adventure films of classic Hollywood from the likes of Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, John Wayne, and others. 

This interview has the highest production values to it, and for fans looking to see Zane wax poetic about all things The Phantom, it’s a good interview. 

David Newman Interview: “Slam Evil: Scoring The Phantom”

David Newman is a phenomenal composer,  and to see him among the interviews included in this new release is something out of a dream for a huge fan of film scores (such as myself). This interview was conducted over Zoom or some other type of online meeting software, so the production value is a stark difference compared to Zane’s interview. 

For film score enthusiasts, the soundtrack to The Phantom is a hidden gem. It’s fast, rhythmic, complicated, and powerful. For Newman, putting this score together was mostly done on instinct and was something akin to a nightmare, which is unfortunate to learn. 

In the interview, Newman states that scoring The Phantom was a last-minute rush job that compiled hours and hours of work over a very short period, often with little to no sleep. While Newman doesn’t have great memories of working on The Phantom, it’s the film in his IMDB that he worked the hardest on. 

For those looking to learn a little about what’s buried in the beat and rhythm of the soundtrack, Newman speaks to this. 

For Those Who Came In Late… What’s the verdict?

For Phantom “phans” who want to revisit this adaptation or film fans looking to tap into a little 90s nostalgia, this new master is absolutely stunning and the best version of The Phantom commercially available. For collectors who love to dive deep into special features and bonus content included in boutique collections like these, it’s a bit of a miss. Apart from the Billy Zane interview, the other two special features feel hastily compiled to pad the set, and it’s not worth the spend if you’re primarily looking to learn more about the production and behind-the-scenes of The Phantom. 

Verdict: Buy it for the film, not the special features.