The Phantom is a superhero who was first introduced in the mid-twentieth century, much like The Shadow. Both were turned into movies that remained true to the original concept of the character even though much of the public wasn't to thrilled with the results. In the jaded society that we now live in, superheroes are expected to be muscle bound heroes whose movies rely more on special effects rather than on substance (i.e. The Mask, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin). Both The Phantom and The Shadow were unjustly underrated and deserved better. At least the music of both was something many people could agree to as being a high point.
Much of the dark and spooky music that made Jerry Goldsmith's The Shadow a cult film is reflected in The Phantom. The main theme is heroic and strong while retaining a slightly exotic sound to reflect the origins of The Phantom. To give this exotic flavor to the soundtrack and make the darker moments of the movie much more depth and evil, Newman employs a male chorus to support his orchestral movements. These are the moments that make The Phantom worth your money. It combines electronic and orchestral sounds rather well. One of the best themes on the soundtrack would have to be The Phantom, the theme for the hero. It is powerful and driving and perfect. It has been used in a few movie trailers, the most recent of which is in the opening and closing moments of The Mask of Zorro trailer. Overall, I think David Newman fans and fans of action scores in general will be pleased by this score.
Total time: 46:23
1: For Those Who Came In Late (1:21)
2: The Tomb (2:57)
3: The Phantom (5:39)
4: Anything's Possible (1:33)
5: The Rescue (4:32)
6: The Escape (5:44)
7: Must Be the Humidity (2:06)
8: Diana Must Leave/New York (:58)
9: Ray Gets the Point (1:21)
10: The Museum (2:40)
11: Flying to The Island (6:09)
12: Quill is Destroyed (2:27)
13: Escaping the Island (8:48)