Disney Channel Original Movie Phantom of the Megaplex

Reviews

Jul 13, 2021

Taking inspiration from Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, this one's all about a gigantic megaplex that has to deal with mysterious happenings on the night of the premiere of the film Midnight Mayhem. That's because when the original theater was demolished to build this 26-screen theater, the phantom stayed behind, now haunting this entire film. Perhaps the best part of this is Mickey Rooney as the Movie Mason, an elderly moviegoer whose family opened the original theater. He's so old that he comes to the theater every day thinking that he works there. After a career of directing Power Rangers and teen movies like Wish Upon a Star, in which Katherine Heigl and Danielle Harris switch bodies, he pretty much only makes Mormon-themed movies like Meet the Mormons and a TV series based on the Book of Mormon. For fans of this site, the highlight of this movie is when you can see one of the megaplex screens showing a horror movie called Glimpses of Genevieve which is, of course, Alice, Sweet Alice. I love that one of the most nihilistic movies ever about growing up is in a innocuous Disney film about teens.

Taking inspiration from Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, this one's all about a gigantic megaplex that has to deal with mysterious happenings on the night of the premiere of the film Midnight Mayhem. That's because when the original theater was demolished to build this 26-screen theater, the phantom stayed behind, now haunting this entire film. Perhaps the best part of this is Mickey Rooney as the Movie Mason, an elderly moviegoer whose family opened the original theater. He's so old that he comes to the theater every day thinking that he works there. After a career of directing Power Rangers and teen movies like Wish Upon a Star, in which Katherine Heigl and Danielle Harris switch bodies, he pretty much only makes Mormon-themed movies like Meet the Mormons and a TV series based on the Book of Mormon. For fans of this site, the highlight of this movie is when you can see one of the megaplex screens showing a horror movie called Glimpses of Genevieve which is, of course, Alice, Sweet Alice. I love that one of the most nihilistic movies ever about growing up is in a innocuous Disney film about teens.
Jun 11, 2021

In Disney Channel's take on a whodunnit it ends up being a really fun and engaging film despite having a cold start in the beginning but once the film past it's exposition it takes off setting the tension and tone of the film but towards the second half of the film it finds its self taking detours from the plot and breaking the paste of the film. All in all it ends on a solid note.

In Disney Channel's take on a whodunnit it ends up being a really fun and engaging film despite having a cold start in the beginning but once the film past it's exposition it takes off setting the tension and tone of the film but towards the second half of the film it finds its self taking detours from the plot and breaking the paste of the film. All in all it ends on a solid note.
Jun 10, 2021

As a kid, I had seen parts of this and have memories of it. I don't know if I saw the whole thing back then. Recently I watched the whole thing and it is a load of fun, with the candy scene of people tripping everywhere to the inflatables scene. It is quite funny too, Mickey Rooney helping it be. He works wonders in this. Reccomend if you want to watch something that is a little scary and short and well its mostly family friendly. Use caution.

As a kid, I had seen parts of this and have memories of it. I don't know if I saw the whole thing back then. Recently I watched the whole thing and it is a load of fun, with the candy scene of people tripping everywhere to the inflatables scene. It is quite funny too, Mickey Rooney helping it be. He works wonders in this. Reccomend if you want to watch something that is a little scary and short and well its mostly family friendly. Use caution.
Dec 09, 2020

This is a genuinely entertaining, funny, smart, and heartwarming movie which made me laugh out loud multiple times, and not just because of the nostalgia factor of having watched it as a kid. It really holds up. Of course movies like this have cheesy moments, it's the name of the game, but I found it stands tiers above much of the rest in its category.

This is a genuinely entertaining, funny, smart, and heartwarming movie which made me laugh out loud multiple times, and not just because of the nostalgia factor of having watched it as a kid. It really holds up. Of course movies like this have cheesy moments, it's the name of the game, but I found it stands tiers above much of the rest in its category.
Nov 10, 2020

For 2000: Pete Riley has two siblings Karen and Brian and his mother, he works at the Grande Mall at the Cotton Hills Megaplex which was established back in 1929 as the youngest assistant manager there a majority of this story is in parallel to the black-and-white version of 'Phantom of the Opera' the late and legendary Mickey Rooney is the oldest cinema-lover around as Movie Mason, his family opened the theater back in its heyday and always shows up even when he's not wanted he's just very passionate about the movies as anyone would be as the employees gear up for a big movie premiere something happens when a mysterious figure in a cape and mask begins sabotaging everything he's dubbed the Phantom of the Megaplex but who could it be? the list of suspects is large from the employees to the manager to Mason this DCOM actually might be more geared towards little kids to tweens because it takes a lot of love for the cinema plus it takes place entirely in a movie theater so it teaches the kids the magic of the industry which is always good so many of these characters play over the top versions of themselves but that's where the charm and likability comes from particularly Mickey Rooney, I mean he had a lot of star power back in the day so it makes sense for him to take a role like this this movie gave me an even deeper love for going to the movies cause in truth almost anything can go wrong whether its a technical issue with the projectors, the air conditioning or the concession stands when we go the silver screen we want to experience the magic as well as escape from the real world, being transported into many kinds of stories is what the experience is all about maybe not the best Disney Channel Original Movie but still a harmless, mystery-filled adventure the cinephiles will love this one, too

For 2000: Pete Riley has two siblings Karen and Brian and his mother, he works at the Grande Mall at the Cotton Hills Megaplex which was established back in 1929 as the youngest assistant manager there a majority of this story is in parallel to the black-and-white version of 'Phantom of the Opera' the late and legendary Mickey Rooney is the oldest cinema-lover around as Movie Mason, his family opened the theater back in its heyday and always shows up even when he's not wanted he's just very passionate about the movies as anyone would be as the employees gear up for a big movie premiere something happens when a mysterious figure in a cape and mask begins sabotaging everything he's dubbed the Phantom of the Megaplex but who could it be? the list of suspects is large from the employees to the manager to Mason this DCOM actually might be more geared towards little kids to tweens because it takes a lot of love for the cinema plus it takes place entirely in a movie theater so it teaches the kids the magic of the industry which is always good so many of these characters play over the top versions of themselves but that's where the charm and likability comes from particularly Mickey Rooney, I mean he had a lot of star power back in the day so it makes sense for him to take a role like this this movie gave me an even deeper love for going to the movies cause in truth almost anything can go wrong whether its a technical issue with the projectors, the air conditioning or the concession stands when we go the silver screen we want to experience the magic as well as escape from the real world, being transported into many kinds of stories is what the experience is all about maybe not the best Disney Channel Original Movie but still a harmless, mystery-filled adventure the cinephiles will love this one, too
Dec 07, 2019

Underwhelming, cheesy disappointment without much caring nor encouraging commitment in going along with the mediocre creativity that only parodies the classic tale rather than honoring it besides the surprising masquerading first minute. (C-)

Underwhelming, cheesy disappointment without much caring nor encouraging commitment in going along with the mediocre creativity that only parodies the classic tale rather than honoring it besides the surprising masquerading first minute. (C-)
Oct 24, 2019

This is one of the best Disney channel movies

This is one of the best Disney channel movies
Jun 05, 2016

Amazing movie phantom causing problems during a big premiere!

Amazing movie phantom causing problems during a big premiere!
Oct 11, 2015

Nowadays children's television--not the least of which, television movies--are targeted to kids in a very different way. We see kids having extraordinary abilities and powers that set them above normal kids, and much of what's available now creates unrealistic goals for the children watching it. Gone are the days where they can watch TV and see people just like them--people who dress like them, act like them, and have similar problems. Everyone's world on TV is perfect now, which heightens kid's expectations for their own worlds. With that rant aside, Phantom of the Megaplex came out on the Disney Channel in 2000--still running off the fumes created by the '90s children's television boom. At that time, the Disney Channel was now a network available in non-premium cable packages and had been coming out with quite a lot of original programming to compete with Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, and the like. That year, they peaked their Disney Channel Original Movie--or DCOM--production at one movie per month--the only year to date with that frequency. The years before and after gave us 8 and 10, respectively, but compared to recent trends of releasing as little as 1 DCOM in a year, even 8 gave us plenty of options. We weren't seeing the same couple of films all year long, and we were appreciating the ones we saw when they were broadcasted. Amidst the plethora of releases in 2000 was a Halloween-themed movie Phantom of the Megaplex, which follows a 17-year-old movie theater employee who is about to experience the craziest night of his life as the megaplex he works at is having their first red carpet premiere. Meanwhile, everything seems to be going wrong and he, along with his two younger siblings, must try to figure out who or what is causing the chaos in order to save the premiere. Within the movie, there are several "movies" talked about and shown intermittently inside the theaters. It creates its own meta world of movies within the film universe, along with acknowledging a few masterpieces of old cinema. This movie is far from being a technical masterpiece itself, but if you take it for what it is you will see a different experience altogether. It never tries to be perfect, which considering the alternative is fine by me. Once you get past the corny tendencies that were so common in low budget post-'90s TV movies for kids, you get a pretty entertaining film. The pacing is a little slow in the beginning, but carries on just fine after about 20 minutes in. It provides us with a fun mystery to solve, along with the characters, and does a good job of masking who the actual phantom is. The main issue this movie faces is that there's never really anything at stake other than the ruining of a film premiere and maybe the fate of the characters' jobs. Nobody's life is threatened, or even feels threatened. It's all just really mysterious more than anything else. Also, the motives of the person responsible for all the mayhem don't make much sense and are brushed off once explained. But this film is filled with some really good messages and pays great homage to the classics of the silver screen, as well as to cinema in general--a theme that is seldom, if ever, delivered to this demographic. Phantom of the Megaplex sparked my own love and passion for movies when I first saw it in 2000 when I was 11. It inspired me to want to see all the classics and watching it again now helps to remind me of why I started loving movies to begin with. It's a movie I think of often whenever I may doubt my passion. Although I feel lately that film has undergone a lot of change and while I'm not a fan of modern trends in cinema, Phantom of the Megaplex rekindles the spirit of what movies should be--magic. It romanticizes cinema for me every time I watch it, and making it available to kids now will hopefully do the same for them and make them yearn for the days gone by. "If you pay attention, movies can teach you about life." --An actual line from a made-for-TV movie for kids. Twizard Rating: 79

Nowadays children's television--not the least of which, television movies--are targeted to kids in a very different way. We see kids having extraordinary abilities and powers that set them above normal kids, and much of what's available now creates unrealistic goals for the children watching it. Gone are the days where they can watch TV and see people just like them--people who dress like them, act like them, and have similar problems. Everyone's world on TV is perfect now, which heightens kid's expectations for their own worlds. With that rant aside, Phantom of the Megaplex came out on the Disney Channel in 2000--still running off the fumes created by the '90s children's television boom. At that time, the Disney Channel was now a network available in non-premium cable packages and had been coming out with quite a lot of original programming to compete with Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, and the like. That year, they peaked their Disney Channel Original Movie--or DCOM--production at one movie per month--the only year to date with that frequency. The years before and after gave us 8 and 10, respectively, but compared to recent trends of releasing as little as 1 DCOM in a year, even 8 gave us plenty of options. We weren't seeing the same couple of films all year long, and we were appreciating the ones we saw when they were broadcasted. Amidst the plethora of releases in 2000 was a Halloween-themed movie Phantom of the Megaplex, which follows a 17-year-old movie theater employee who is about to experience the craziest night of his life as the megaplex he works at is having their first red carpet premiere. Meanwhile, everything seems to be going wrong and he, along with his two younger siblings, must try to figure out who or what is causing the chaos in order to save the premiere. Within the movie, there are several "movies" talked about and shown intermittently inside the theaters. It creates its own meta world of movies within the film universe, along with acknowledging a few masterpieces of old cinema. This movie is far from being a technical masterpiece itself, but if you take it for what it is you will see a different experience altogether. It never tries to be perfect, which considering the alternative is fine by me. Once you get past the corny tendencies that were so common in low budget post-'90s TV movies for kids, you get a pretty entertaining film. The pacing is a little slow in the beginning, but carries on just fine after about 20 minutes in. It provides us with a fun mystery to solve, along with the characters, and does a good job of masking who the actual phantom is. The main issue this movie faces is that there's never really anything at stake other than the ruining of a film premiere and maybe the fate of the characters' jobs. Nobody's life is threatened, or even feels threatened. It's all just really mysterious more than anything else. Also, the motives of the person responsible for all the mayhem don't make much sense and are brushed off once explained. But this film is filled with some really good messages and pays great homage to the classics of the silver screen, as well as to cinema in general--a theme that is seldom, if ever, delivered to this demographic. Phantom of the Megaplex sparked my own love and passion for movies when I first saw it in 2000 when I was 11. It inspired me to want to see all the classics and watching it again now helps to remind me of why I started loving movies to begin with. It's a movie I think of often whenever I may doubt my passion. Although I feel lately that film has undergone a lot of change and while I'm not a fan of modern trends in cinema, Phantom of the Megaplex rekindles the spirit of what movies should be--magic. It romanticizes cinema for me every time I watch it, and making it available to kids now will hopefully do the same for them and make them yearn for the days gone by. "If you pay attention, movies can teach you about life." --An actual line from a made-for-TV movie for kids. Twizard Rating: 79
Apr 12, 2013

It was a slightly entertaining Disney original movie.

It was a slightly entertaining Disney original movie.