TV Show Review

TV Review: The Phantom (2010): Part 1

The Phantom (2010): Part 1 is the opening segment a two part The Phantom (2010) television mini series, directed by Paolo Barzman. The first part of the new Phantom mini-series is good, slightly bloodier than you might expect in one scene but nothing cheesey or over the top, much like Robocop: Prime Directives. I did think that the opening parkour sequence was too long. Though it was used to set up something later in The Phantom (2010): Part 1, it could have been achieved with a little less screen time.

The new Phantom, Chris Moore / Kit Walker (Ryan Carnes), “the ghost that walks”, is believable and sympathetic. One semester away from an Ivy league law degree and he has it all taken away.

Advertisement
 

When Kit enters his future servant’s opulent hotel room, Abel Wandermaark (Jean Marchand), Wandermaark holds his silenced sidearm like an amateur instead of the trained instructor he is supposed to be (he also gives away his position in the room  by calling out). Why producers didn’t have him hold the sidearm at eye level, turning the weapon wherever his head turned, is beyond me. Its a minor authentic oversight that will go under the radar for most unless they have seen a modern war or spy movie, police or FBI television program.

The Phantom (2010): Part 1 becomes “wider” when the potential Phantom is brought to island of his forefathers. I did not buy why Kit decides to undergo the training. From reading one journal? Come on.

The Phantom training sequences were good and the fact that they were actually filmed in real forests and jungles (the Bengalla jungles), instead of with green screens and on a backlot, added to the authentic feel of them. Some money went into the production of this mini-series and you can see it. Some of it reminded me of the training/selection sequence of Blue and Gold in Golgo 13.

I liked the shooting range scene. The muzzle talk was great. I never knew how the Phantom’s guns were different from regular guns and why he carried two. I also liked the fact that The Phantoms never aim to kill, only to disarm and wound.

One curious segment is when Kit is told that he has access to all the criminal databases in the world. How that is accomplished with the agencies advanced and divergent encryption? It’s a technical matter not to be discussed.

The Phantom’s new suit reminds me of Batman’s Nomex Survival Suit for Advanced Infantry. Its protective qualities I bought but the strength enchantment was a bit far-fetcher but explained somewhat convincing. At least they bothered to explain how and where the strength comes from.

The Singh Brotherhood is far more modern and high-tech than may be expected yet is smart enough to stay underneath almost everybody’s radar, a very harder feat to accomplish. Like Kit’s servant says, “its so pervasive”, alluding to evil in the world.

I’m looking forward to part two of The Phantom (2010) mini-series. Are you?

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to us by Email or Full RSS Feed to be informed when we post new ones.

FilmBook's Newsletter

Subscribe to FilmBook’s Daily Newsletter for the latest news!

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
Back to top button
Share via
Send this to a friend