The spark and drama of Bajrangi is not there and the fairly terse action drama of Ek Tha Tiger is missing. What we end up with is a screenplay which has as much fizz as a cola that has been left open for a week.

Watch Phantom just for the character actors if you have to. All of them — Sohaila Kapur, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Sabyasachi Chakraborty — deliver power-packed performances, as if to compensate for the lead pair’s lack of acting skills.

Phantom could have been a terrific film but somehow it never really involves the audience completely into its narrative. It is good in parts and definitely watchable but a different lead cast and more cohesive writing would have done wonders to this script.

It’s all fake fakery and yet the film and its hero and heroine keep their lips pursed in solemn seriousness, making the whole affair dull rather than fun. Some measure of irony would have helped. But it’s not there only.

Even if you let go of sanity of the bigger picture, the little things are a bother too. Facts are repeated to help you make the connect. The filmmakers must be confident that the audience is not going to pay attention because the fact was mentioned 5 minutes ago. All it does is add minutes to the film that the film doesn’t need.

But hey, if you don’t watch the film, the extra minutes won’t bother you.

On the surface the way Kabir and his writers build up the narrative is dull and tedious and with no humour to spice up the mood, the spy games fail to spur the imagination. I laughed only when Katrina was introduced as Nawaz. Unfortunately, the name fails to rub on her and she remains as detached from the character as she has been all these years. Saif seems to think that he is doing the sequel of Agent Vinod with a more simplistic script and less budget for costumes.

The jingoistic dialogue and the film’s questionable message aside, this is boring, inert stuff. The director’s last film ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ feels like Citizen Kane in comparison.

In the month of Independence Day, Phantom is the perfect film to fuel up the patriotic spirit. Go for it.

Phantom has nothing extraordinary and satisfying about its revenge tale of 26/11. It is a pity that not one scene gives you a sadistic pleasure in seeing the suspects get killed. Those lazy to read Mumbai Avengers could watch it but mind you it is not half as intelligent.

By the time the climax showed up, featuring a not-so-subtle nod to Titanic, the film’s lapses in logic, bad performances, and simplistic understanding of world politics had left me in a stupor. I never thought I’d say this, but it almost made me want to re-watch Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Almost.

Phantom is a hotchpotch of many Hollywood films such as Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Mission Impossible series, Captain Phillips and towards the end even Titanic. The end result is a thriller sans thrills.

The creative zest to tell a rock-solid story in a language that is both virile and sensitive comes from director Kabir Khan himself who films S Hussain Zaidi’s fantasy novel with a reliable quotient of compelling scenes and characters. Dark sinister and utterly riveting, Phantom is a brave ballsy thriller that yanks Kabir Khan aeons away from the arcadian idealism of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

The film, based on Hussain Zaidi’s book Mumbai Avengers, moves you only towards the end, especially when you realize that 166 people died in the 26/11 terrorist attack, and that none of the terrorist masterminds have been punished.

Which is why, this monumental tragedy needed a throbbing, emotional film that could express the collective nation’s angst. It’s disappointing indeed to see a film with such a passionate story, turn out this bland and lackluster!

…the one thing about this film which is worth mentioning is that it is indeed a story which you wish were true. We are going for three stars for ‘Phantom’ since it has a gripping storyline, is well directed and is also sans the regular brainless stuff.

If you’re in Mumbai, go down to Colaba and take a walk alongside the Taj Mahal Hotel. Watch the tourists and remember for a moment the images of the hotel’s distinctive dome with plumes of black smoke winding out of it. It’ll be more poignant than 147 minutes of Phantom.

The film dares to throw some unsettling questions, one of them being, are Pakistani locals supportive of the militant outfits in their country? It even shows the ISI as hand in glove with the LeT. Disturbing scenarios yes, but they explain why the film has been banned in Pakistan. Phantom is no more just 147 minutes of big screen time. The reel and the real Phantom episodes have packed in an almost filmi irony bawling out the difference between the story that should have been and the story that is.

The plodding pace, choppy editing and amateurish exposition are relieved by slick action sequences, suitably dressed-up foreign locations (including Beirut) and convincing production design. Every effort has been made to make sure that this delusion of vengeance looks as close to the real thing as possible, right down to the actors who play Headley and Hafiz Saeed. This is art imitating a fantasy about life, made with the hope that life will eventually catch up with art.

“Phantom” is a run-of-the-mill action thriller that fails to take its rather clever idea and make it rise higher. Instead, like a Phantom, it disappears into thin air.

Parts of the film are tight and paced well. Some of the suspense is delivered properly; others, lost in transmission. Phantom begins fine, and then loses way so badly that by the end, you’re just waiting for an extra helping of Afghan Jalebi. Among the songs, that’s the one that stays on the mind long after the credits roll.
By the end of Phantom, one is left with a disarray of emotions within.

Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif’s Phantom is disappointing, there is no crackle, only fizz…

Phantom offers action and revenge but not of the mindless variety. The violence is always far enough that you can turn a blind eye to it. Pakistani civilians are shown to be innocent and humane (some great performances here), even if the establishment is not. This is a film that entertains, engages and offers “insaaf”, without ever becoming too serious or too sentimental.

All this talk of intelligence, but no smarts anywhere in sight.

Stay away from Phantom. It gives audiences a raw deal.

I wish the film engaged me a bit more. 26/11 attacks enraged the entire nation. It made us feel vulnerable. A film that deals with it should stir my patriotic sentiments. I should be able to empathise. Alas, it felt like a decent film on anti-terrorism, something that I have already seen before.

The unexpected twists and turns in the plot with no dull moments makes Phantom movie a gripping watch.

Bolstered with the razor sharp editing skills that put a seasoned surgeon to shame, excellent cinematography and commendable screenplay, Kabir Khan delivers a cinematic treat that entertain as well as thrill you. The movie is technically supreme too. A special mention here for the background score and the action sequences where the expertise employed is on par with the international standards.

Even though the protagonists fall in love, the good thing about the film is that it avoids degenerating into a romance with unnecessary displays of love and meaningless songs — though Arijit Singh’s Saware at the end of the film is a good listen. Even the one wedding song was made an essential part of the mission. The action and thrills stay right through to the end.

Phantom is slightly lacking in cinematic intelligence and guile. Especially when you consider Kabir Khan’s last offering Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The film’s sense of patriotism is kiddish and it tries a little too hard to make a hero out of its protagonist. Even then, it does enough to entertain you and keep you hooked. It would make a decent Sunday watch if not taken too seriously.

With exquisite cinematography, charming shots and stellar stunts, Phantom scores as a terrific, taut, crisp, nail-biting thriller that will easily be unmatched for a long time to come. When we see the final shot of Taj and Gateway, it is hard to miss the feeling of satisfaction Kabir has conjured up. So what if isn’t true yet, some day the souls of those killed on that gruesome night will be avenged. Some day…

Do not miss this film. It will win you over, thanks to Kabir Khan’s vision and implementation of the same. I stand convinced that this truly is a story I wish were true. Kabir has simply highlighted what most of us feel and would want in reality. A brilliant plot, teamed with thrilling action, Phantom is a must watch.

Considering how Phantom cheerfully borrows from real life and makes no bones about ISI being in cahoots with Lashkar-e-Taiba, it isn’t surprising that the film isn’t being shown in Pakistan. However, considering just how much of a bore Phantom is, for once the Pakistani courts may just have done our neighbours a favour.

PHANTOM is a good action film which runs high on patriotism and will appeal to every Indian worldover. Highly Recommended.

As cinema, this thriller is over-simplified, though the gloss adds to the large-screen appeal. Saif is adept; Kat is pretty appealing (pun on the pretty because her make-up is intact even in the battlefield). Zeeshan and his jingoism in the climax gives you that proud-India moment. And, if you’re still licking the wounds of that senseless Mumbai massacre, then Phantom is the balm you should reach out for.

The climax is worth the ticket money. Watch this film. Flaws aside, it talks of a real concern facing all of us, even while taking a flight of fantasy.