Useful information
Prime News delivers timely, accurate news and insights on global events, politics, business, and technology
By Drew Dietsch | Published
The ghost He had a lot to offer. It was a compelling production, there was a strong marketing push, and it was positioned as a perfect summer superhero movie. Unfortunately, none of them helped him sink to the No. 6 spot during his opening weekend.
Because The ghost Can’t capture the audience? And almost twenty-five years later, has the time come to revalue this swashbuckling adventure?
Let’s hit some evil while we look back The ghosta film that is much funnier than its reputation would lead you to believe.
WHY THE GHOST DESERVED BETTER
Before we dive into The ghostwe need to contextualize this unique piece of comics history. The Phantom, who originally appeared in a 1936 newspaper strip by Lee Falk, was a pulp superhero from the golden age of pulp superheroes. Three years before Batman, the Phantom had a trusted servant, a secret cave as a hideout, and used criminals’ cowardly and superstitious feelings against them by pretending to be a real ghost. Yes, the Phantom was a clear inspiration for Batman.
Thus, it seems obvious that the enormous success of Tim Burton’s film Ordinance In 1989, interest in this predecessor would also be aroused. It finally came to fruition in 1996, The ghost was one of the many pulpy action heroes who appeared in feature films in the wake of Ordinance.
What are you doing? The ghost Such a delightful experience is how serious the adaptation is. Set in 1938, director Simon Wincer and screenwriter Jeffrey Boam treat the material as if it were being produced in 1938. Raiders of the lost arkThere is not even a hint of irony or self-satire at the core of this film. From the Phantom’s precise costume design to the period-appropriate performances, it wants to be the truest possible adaptation of the character and his world.
That means the cast is playing things in a warm but certainly old-fashioned way. It’s easy to read as cheesy, but it’s crucial to making the movie work. Each actor is in the classic comic book vibe of the movie. This keeps the tone light, fun, and upbeat. Yes, this is not a movie with great thematic resonance or super complex characters. And that’s fine. His goals are simple and he meets them at all times.
Don’t take this to mean that there are no good performances in The ghost. The cast is packed with notable stars and excellent character actors. Billy Zane plays the Phantom, aka Kit Walker, much like Clark Gable or Errol Flynn would. There are perfect supporting turns from Catherine Zeta-Jones and James Remar as two of the minor villains. Kristy Swanson plays the no-nonsense romantic lead, Diana Palmer, with old-school confidence. The always amazing Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa appears at the end of the film as an evil pirate and is a delight. It’s also nice to see veteran actor Patrick McGoohan appear as the spirit of Kit’s father, the previous Ghost.
If there’s one cast member who threatens to steal the show, it’s Treat Williams as the antagonist, Xander Drax. Williams enjoys every moment he gets to be a scenery-chewing villain. You can practically see the marks of his teeth on the set. He’s the kind of unhinged, delicious bad boy that we don’t see enough of in these types of movies anymore.
RELATED:
’90s Buddy Cop action franchise robbed by failure and tragedy
Perhaps the most admirable feature of The ghost it is its production design and its tactile character. Like I said, this looks like a 1938 movie that was made in 1996. The sets, the stunts, the costumes, and the cinematic approach reinforce that this is a movie that knows it’s a movie. Realism is not what this is looking for. Realizing that allows the film to feel stagey and not try to go overboard with modern effects. Instead, you can be as pulpy and cartoony as you want in every way.
That could be one of the reasons it failed.
WHY THIS PULP ADVENTURE FAILED
One of the most important takeaways from this ongoing column is that the failure of a film is rarely due to the perceived quality of the film. There are always a multitude of factors that contribute to a film’s initial failure.
With The ghostIt likely has to do with a change in what audiences enjoyed regarding action movies. Michael Bay’s the rock It opened the same weekend and took the number one spot. Mission: Impossible and Tornado They were ranked #2 and #3 and were in their third and fifth weeks of release, respectively. Audiences were seeing that action movies were becoming even bigger spectacles thanks to advances in special effects. The ghost It seemed too dated compared to everything else in the theater.
There’s also the issue that these pulp adventures never really click with modern audiences. The rocketman, The shadow, and Dick Tracy (all of which have their merits) underperformed. Moviegoers didn’t seem to be drawn to these characters and their period (or period-inspired) shots.
One facet of that same issue is recognition. The Phantom didn’t have the same level of cultural saturation or widespread nostalgia as a character like Batman. The truth is that the feature film was the first knowledge I had of the character. It is likely that many of these superhero characters needed some familiarity with the public in order to appear.
It’s a bummer that The ghost It was not very successful at the box office. Noted film critic Roger Ebert gave it three and a half stars in your review and called it “one of the most attractive films in a long time.” If you’re looking for a movie that captures the fundamental spirit of comic book adventures, The ghost It’s for you. Expertly crafted in its simplicity, it is not a film that deserves to be overlooked or underrated.
