Batman - Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman vs. Joker vs. The Phantasm

This is one of the finest adaptations of Batman I've ever seen. It ranks along with Burton's and Nolan's Batman as the best Batman films.
Here, Batman is being blamed for the deaths of crime bosses, all of whom are actually the works of the mysterious Phantasm. So the Dark Knight must find out who is wearing the mask of the Phantasm, while dealing with an old flame named Andrea (who seems to be connected with these recently-deceased crime bosses). Add the Joker (voiced by the excellent Mark Hamill) and you've got a suspenseful story and intense action throughout the movie.

Animation won't disappoint. Voice acting and dialogue are a plus (Joker's one-liners are as memorable as Jack Nicholson's from Batman '89). Shirley Walker's music is spectacular (may she Rest In Peace). And finally, let's not forget the beautiful, but crime-infested city: Gotham City. The dark art direction in this animated film is so compelling and so lovely to look at.

This gets an A+ from me. September 26, 2008

Suprisingly Mature

I have always been a fan of "Batman: The Animated Series." I think I was one of the few people who managed to see this movie spin-off in theatres, and I remember watching the VHS (remember those?) quite a lot as a kid. I always enjoyed this movie, but hadn't seen it for years until recently. Rewatching it as an adult, I'm blown away by how well done it is. Although animated, this movie is in no way a "cartoon." It is a serious, thoughtful, and emotionally rich exploration of the Dark Knight mythos, and a beautifully executed one.

The script deserves a large amount of the praise. It is a tightly paced narrative that juxataposes the investigation into a series of gangster murders by a being called the Phantasm (and for which Batman is blamed) with an untold tale of a love interest from Bruce Wayne's past, a woman named Andrea Beaumont. The script deals with some very adult and complex interpersonal relationships, and if you closed your eyes and just listened you would never guess this movie is animated.

The voice cast is also stellar. I've said before and will say again, Kevin Conroy IS Batman. He expertly portrays the dual nature of Bruce Wayne and Batman, finding the subtle distinctions in how each expresses emotions and yet always showing that Bruce and Batman are one and the same. Dana Delaney gives a mature, nuanced performance as Andrea, and quite frankly is the most believable and interesting romantic foil Batman has been paired with on film. And although he doesn't show up until halfway through the film, Mark Hamill shines as the Joker.

Visually, the increase in budget from the TV series is noticable, but the animation isn't groundbreaking. The score is good, but because composer Shirley Walker's work on the TV series is so stunning that the film score is less impressive by comparison. The TV episodes are scored like films, so there isn't a real jump in quality as far as the music is concerned.

The movie is darker than the televison series, and has more adult content. Although the gangsters die offscreen and words like "dead" and "murder" carefully avoided, its very clear that they met unpleasant ends. There is some mild sexual innuendo, and implied sex between Bruce and Andrea. If you have very young children this might be a concern, but by age 7 they should be able to handle it (and will probably be blissfully ignorant of the sexual content, if my own experience as a child is any indication).

The movie isn't perfect. Characters make some rather convenient intuitive leaps, and while I applaud the filmmakers for not spelling everything out a couple of plot points could use some slight clarification. Once the Joker appears, he hijacks the movie and turns it into something very different from what it was. But overall, this film is very well done, and predates the psychologically dark Nolan films by about a decade. A must for any Batman fan. September 23, 2008

One of Batman's Greatest Films!

Batman is being blamed for the mysterious murders of Gotham City mobsters just as his old flame returns to town, bringing back strong memories and thoughts of a normal life that could have been. The killer is actually a masked figure called "The Phantasm", and things become more complicated when a terrified crime boss turns to the Joker for help in dealing with the vigilante executioner.

There was a time when the animated Batman of the 1990's, voiced by Kevin Conroy and credited largely to Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, was referred to as the greatest Batman screen incarnation ever, and perhaps many still consider that so, but no doubt that status is in contention now that Christopher Nolan's films exist. Nevertheless, this is still one outstanding Batman film that topped any Bat-flick that came before it and at least a couple that came after. Though the visuals mostly look the same as those of the TV show, that show had some pretty good art anyway with its art deco/film noir influence that is perhaps even heavier here. The music is great and we are talking about some of the best voice talent in the business here as Warner always used in its '90's shows. You'll recognize the voice of hottie-hot-hottie Andrea Beaumont as the same voice of the animated Lois Lane from the "Superman" series of the '90's, Dana Delany. And who can forget the work of "Star Wars" lead Mark Hamill as the legendary Joker? This film was actually originally intended to be a direct-to-video release like later films "Subzero" and "Mystery of the Batwoman", but the brilliance of the series inspired WB to make it a bigscreen release. Unfortunately, that decision to go bigscreen came a bit late for proper promotion, and "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" didn't make its money back till home video. Luckily, we can all enjoy it now on DVD, but try to seek out the solo release so you can have a choice of viewing the widescreen version or the fullscreen version (the current release that is a double feature with Subzero only has the fullscreen version, but in some places you can still find the solo release if you search for it). The only bonus feature is the theatrical trailer. If you enjoy this one, you'll definitely want to pick up the animated series it sprung from, not to mention the DVD release previously mentioned and the Superman animated series and Justice League shows as well. And for those who loved the latest live-action Batman films, you'll want to check out the Anime anthology movie "Batman: Gotham Knight". Oh, and of course, for the full story of the animated Batman of the 1990's, you'll need to check out the series "Batman Beyond" and the direct-to-video movie "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" (but make sure you get the uncut release).


September 1, 2008

Batman-Mask of the Phantasm...........

Batman-Mask of the Phantasm sees Batman trying to figure out who is killing off all of Gotham City's crime bosses. It just so happens to be that, due to this person's appearance, that Batman is mistaken for him. Originally released in 1993 in theaters; the movie was met with moderate success from fans but, because of poor marketing from WB, failed miserably at the box office. It eventually passed that number with it's release to video and DVD. Out of all the animated features I have of Batman, this has to be my favorite. The story is gripping and keeps you glued to the end. It also helps that The Joker is in the movie... ;).

It's directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm and stars the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Mark Hamill, Hart Bochner, Abe Vigoda and Stacy Keach.

I really love it and can't recommend it enough. August 8, 2008

Awesome

This is one of the best Animated batman movies ever made. it features a new villian & an old foe. this animated batman movie rocks. It's a must see. August 8, 2008

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