No one seems to be taking any of it seriously, especially as the dialogue reflects dumbed-down conversations and repetition for viewers who may not be paying attention.

If you're looking for a movie that captures the foundational spirit of comic book adventure, The Phantom is for you.

A sleek and breezy action film in the vein of "Indiana Jones"...

Maybe "The Phantom" would have been better served betting the house on its old-school aesthetic. Supertitles. Narrators. Melodramatic music. Cheesy? Sure, but bravely so, in a way that would make it a bold outlier rather than a mostly blas casualty.

'90s superhero adventure has action violence, profanity.

The result is oddly ineffectual and sometimes just plain dull.

If the biggest problem with costumed superheroes is those silly costumes, the venerable comic-book crimefighter known as the Phantom (Billy Zane) has a bigger problem than most.

Our grim avengers of the 21st century could use some reminding that it's okay to smile once in awhile… and that 'fun' should be more than just an afterthought when stories of this ilk are told.

As the Phantom, Billy Zane, buff to the max, has a likable insouciance, but there's not much he can do to flesh out this relic.

While it hardly stands to vanquish the celluloid incarnations of Superman and Batman, this version of an older cartoon crusader's exploits does have a pleasingly astute sense of its place in the great scheme of things pulp.

This belated, albeit decorative adaptation looks tamely second-hand.

[It] could have been much worse.