The Phantom on Blu-ray

As a big fan of this flick, I eagerly rushed out to buy a copy on the day of its blu-ray debut. My thoughts? While I was happy to see the detailed designs on the costume pop like never before, and that the print wasn't marred by any of the compression or ghosting issues I've seen on even big blockbuster releases... the movie was in desperate need of a good cleaning! The picture is rife with grain and specks and what not. There are some interior shots, in the cave etc, that look terrible. Reducing the backlighting, going from standard to movie mode helped make it a little less noticeable, but that cuts into the detail and vibrancy. If you're going to release a movie in Blu-ray, where very flaw will be noticed, you at least need to do some kind -any kind- of restoration. It also would have been nice if Lionsgate could have provided a decent extra. Such as a retrospective, or an interview with Director Simon Wincer, even a commentary track. I know the Phantom has a small following, but its Blu-ray release deserved to pack a little more punch than this.

My original review of the movie... The Phantom