And a TV miniseries about a 1930's pulp comic book hero is a bit of a tricky subject for a revival / reimagination. I mean, it's not like I have anything against the Phantom as a character - I just don't quite understand the need to revisit his story and play around with his origins. It would have made more sense if there was some recent fan petition for its return to the screen but I don't recall anything of that nature in recent months.
Still, every show / movie deserves a chance to be watched in its entirety in order to be evaluated, right? And who knows, some reimaginations may not have made sense from a fan context, but became wild successes like Battlestar Galactica.
The Phantom miniseries was produced by RHI Entertainment and Muse Entertainment and debuted on two different channels - The Movie Network in Canada and on SyFy in the US. Like many other shows and movies before it, it was inspired by the Lee Falks comic strip of the same name.
The story begins with Chris Moore (Ryan Carnes), a law student and parkour enthusiast who find his life turned around when a stranger reveals that he's actually Kit Walker, the son of the legendary crime fighter, The Phantom, as part of a long line of succession over the past few decades. Initially he is unable to accept this reality but when his adoptive parents are murdered because of his identity, he agrees to go with Abel Vandermaark (Jean Marchand) to Bengalla to learn more about his heritage.
First of all, I really can't agree with Ryan Carnes as their choice for the Phantom. Yes, I understand that the character does change through the years since different members of the Walker family take on the role. However, I think we still need to show some respect for the general nature of the character and who takes on the mantle - the Phantom just has to look a certain way with a certain build! Plus, if Carnes was really a parkour professional, he would probably have a body that's closer to that of the Phantom instead of this weird skinny body of his. I know some people find him cute or even hot, but he's not THAT hot quite frankly. And worst of all, he can't really act. The last time I accidentally watched a TV show with him in it was because he was wearing a pig-faced mask for Doctor Who. Seriously.
And don't get me started on Cas Anvar as the head of the Singh Brotherhood. Seriously - this is supposed to be the big villain we're all afraid of? He's a joke all throughout the movie and his inconsistent delivery of his lines does nothing for the character. He never feels menacing or threatening and one can't help but wonder why the Brotherhood tolerate him as a leader at all.
Marchand makes for a weird mentor / companion figure and the foreshadowing around his character is as subtle as a crash of rhinos. And as for Sandrine Holt as Guran? I don't even get what purpose she truly fulfills in this reimagined mythos since she really doesn't seem to contribute anything meaningful to his development or the story.
I know this was meant as a backdoor pilot in case we all bite and clamour for this to become a regular show. Please don't. SyFy, listen to reason. You have a better shot at reviving a dead show like Dollhouse instead of pursuing this horrible piece of drivel. If you do pursue it, just don't call it The Phantom, since this isn't at all about him. The Billy Zane movie in 1996 actually seems like an awesome movie compared to this miniseries.
The Phantom is a classic example of an ill-timed revival concept that forgets to truly pay homage to its source material. It gets 1 blatant use of parkour as a plot device out of a possible 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment