Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm stands on its own feet extremely well, when at least compared to some of the lessor Batman animated movies (Batman vs Dracula anyone?), and packs a good punch for fans so many years later. The original series was in its own other region- taking what more stories from the comics (if not overall style and atmosphere like Burton or Nolan)- and was able to cover some fine ground with our troubled hero the Dark Knight. This story tells of a character, not ever quite named but called here as 'Phantasm', who is killing off some of the high-rolling gangsters in town. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne meets an old love of his, Andrea, and old wounds are opened over a brief and untimely ended engagement. And then there's also Andrea's father, who... OK, not much to try and spoil here, lets just say at some point the Joker gets involved, and everything jets into a 'laughing matter'.

Even as it was meant originally for TV, the directors Radomski and Timm, through their writer collaborators, have applied a drawing style that is distinctive amongst other cartoons of its ilk from the period: very direct lines and sharp, jagged edges, lots of smoke at (specific) times, the right blend of noir when it comes to revealing the caped crusader when he enters a room in the dead of night. In a sense they're stylists as are the (good) directors of the franchise live-action films. Only here there's a catch: the running time is short (originally the filmmakers thought it would be meant for TV before WB changed their minds), so there's only so much time to dig into the dilemma Wayne is caught in in the movie, where his identity is being cross-checked all over as the killer of the gangsters, and then the personal connection with Andrea and her father. Its some fairly significant probing into the character, if not the deepest there's ever been.

But also, aside from the slightly darker impulses, Mask of the Phantasm is a lot of fun, even up to a point if you didn't watch the series much. Just seeing Hammil ham it up as the Joker is a blast, even though he doesn't appear (almost, one might think, as a lark) until halfway through the movie! But he (via the filmmakers trying their best to give fans the best of the animated basics) supplies a hugely entertaining climax, one which involves a big fight among an immense diorama of Gotham City, rigged with explosives!

Fmovies: This is easily the best interpretation of Batman I have seen in animated form, and along with Tim Burton's sometimes unfairly maligned 'Batman Returns', the best Batman movie to date. There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about movie versions of Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns' and/or 'Batman: Year One' (the latter being an obvious inspiration for 'Mask Of The Phantasm'), I just hope that if either eventually get made they are as good as this. The popular 1960s campy TV series was an absolute hoot, but unfortunately has permanently coloured a lot of people's expectations of Batman, a character generally a lot darker and more twisted than most people expect. The animation in this movie is excellent, the script isn't a masterpiece but it's very good, and the actors involved include some great talents like Stacy Keach ('The Ninth Configuration'), 'Star Wars' Mark Hamill (as The Joker), John P. Ryan ('Runaway Train'), and Roger Corman legend Dick Miller ('A Bucket Of Blood'). I think most fans of Batman in any of his comic book incarnations over the years will enjoy this one a lot. It's first rate.

This movie made perfect use of the BTAS theme music for Bruce Wayne/Batman several times. The best example of such use was in THE BIG CHASE. "THE BIG CHASE" is the greatest Batman Scene ever made. The story is quite tragic and doesn't have a happy ending. Batman is being blamed for a series of high-profile murders in Gotham and the police quickly turn against him. In reality, the Phantasm is the one killing the mobsters. Andrea (Bruce's former love) flies into Gotham weeks after the murders begin.She triggers several flashbacks throughout the story that show us the events that led to Bruce becoming Batman. This includes the incredibly sad movement that prompts Bruce to don the cowl. Alfred's shocked gasp of, "My God . . ." says it all.

This is a continuation of the famous BTAS (Batman the Animated Series) of the 1990's. Many fans consider it to be the definitive version of Batman. Kevin Conroy is THE voice of Batman.

"The series was widely praised for its thematic complexity, darker tone, artistic quality and modernization of its title character's crime-fighting origins. IGN listed The Animated Series as the best adaptation of Batman anywhere outside of comics, the best comic book cartoon of all time and the second best animated series of all time (after The Simpsons). Wizard magazine also ranked it #2 of the greatest animated television shows of all time (again after The Simpsons). TV Guide ranked it the seventh Greatest Cartoon of All Time (out of 60). The universal acclaim led the series to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program."

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm fmovies. This movie measures up to the first two Batman movies and surpasses the last two in quality and story telling. The animation was fantastic. It was dark and mysterious, and that is way Batman should be done. Kevin Conroy's voice is perfect for Batman. Of course, when speaking of the voices for this movie, Mark Hamill can not be ignored. He gives a great performance as the menacing and hilarious Joker. My problem with this movie was the very short confrontation between Batman and the Phantasm. But the fight with the Joker makes up for it. This is a great Batman movie, even though this is animated and made for the kids.

Mask of the Phantasm is one the best Batmans movies ever conceived. It gives that dark brooding look of the batman TV show, throws in an amazing original score, excellent voice acting, and a storyline that encourages us to look at the Batman story in a more human and emotional way. We have well established bad guys instead of just having a guy escape from prison, we have strong inner-conflict dilemmas and very well drawn action scenes. The only downside is that it could have been longer, although the rather short (compared to most movies) length does a good job of not making the flow feel dull or boring.

I highly suggest this movie.

This movie is incredibly cool. It's the most accurate film portrayal of Batman yet. Not only is this movie well-animated, exciting, and tautly-plotted, it's also refreshingly understated. Unlike its live-action cohorts (more specifically, the Schumacher duo), "Phantasm" does not rely on splashy effects, ridiculous action sequences, and a hokey soundtrack to pull it through. As much as I love *Batman Returns,* I have to admit this is probably the best-written of the Batman films. And tell me you don't get chills down your spine the first time Bruce Wayne puts on that cowl. Awww yeah!!