The Show
This two-part miniseries from SyFy uses its ample running time (about three hours without commercials) to introduce the world to a completely reinvented Phantom. In his final year of law school, Chris Moore (the dashing young Ryan Carnes) discovers his true identity, and destiny, and is being groomed to become the 22nd in a line of "Ghosts Who Walk," a mysterious evil-fighter who is everywhere and nowhere and can seemingly never die. That's surely bad news for the international crime syndicate that his family has been battling for centuries.
But Chris is not his father's Phantom. (His father was the Phantom before him, by the way.) Not settling to be a well-honed martial artist and crack shot, packing a pair of politically incorrect handguns, The New Guy dons a high-tech outfit that's a cross between The Batsuit and Iron Man's armor, giving him something the vintage Phantom never had: super powers. He's also a rogue who wants to do everything his own way, and is backed by a well-funded paramilitary organization. What's left of Lee Falk's original newspaper strip character from 1936? The name, the reputation, some backstory and setting. Enough to sell this new production to TV.
The impressive bitrate of this Blu-ray is routinely over 30 megabits per second, occasionally passing 40, and the roominess yields some simply stunning close-ups, rife with natural detail and free of noise, when amply lit. Shadows and out of focus areas of the 1.78:1 frame can be mildly to moderately twitchy, and blacks are a little mushy but I've seen worse. Video streaking is evident in the fast-action sequences, but overall the look is well above average.
The Sound
To my almost immediate surprise, there is real discrete, sometimes quite aggressive surrounds within the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Not strictly the music, either, but gunshots, crashes and more. Unlike what I've noticed in a lot of made-for-TV fare, The Phantom flaunts a general willingness to use all the available channels, and the quality never disappoints, with a terrific explosion as well. Clearly this is done as an attempt to thrill the audience, and while this production lacks the scope of a Bruckheimer film, it works.
The Extras
The disc serves up a pair of one-on-one interviews, the first with director Paolo Barzman (six minutes), the other with star Ryan Carnes (eleven minutes). Both are endearing in their enthusiasm and the obvious effort they put into their jobs. Both interviews are presented in high definition.
Final Thoughts
The end of the mini suggests a launching point for an ongoing series, as yet unmaterialized, although I imagine it would be an entertaining blend of action and intrigue. Apart from its fast-and-loose reinterpretation of the classic lore, and a penchant for cliché, The Phantom isn't half bad, and the technical quality is actually pretty darned good.
Product Details
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