People in the Batman fandom are constantly at odds with one another arguing over which cinematic version of the caped crusader is best. Some will argue in favor of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, while some fans worship Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight, while another group even look to Zak Snyder’s divisive take on the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. While all of these Batman films have their fans and they’re all great in their own ways, for me there was always one Batman film that truly nailed the definitive version of the character; the full length animated masterpiece Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
Released back in 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm revolutionized the way that people looked at animated features. It remains one of only two animated films set in the DC Universe to see a wide theatrical release (the other being Lego Batman, which is largely its own thing), and while it didn’t quite perform to Warner Bros expectations, it was a hit with critics and is still held in high regard today almost thirty years later as one of the best animated films of all time. The film was originally envisioned as a ‘series finale’ of sorts to Batman: The Animated Series (the show that the film spun out of), but the show managed to go on to run another two seasons before spinning off into Batman Beyond and Justice League. So what exactly makes Batman: Mask of the Phantasm so popular? To find out, lets take a look back at the film.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is loosely based around the stories of Batman: Year One and Batman: Year Two. It tells the story of the Batman we know and love from Batman: The Animated Series (as voiced by Kevin Conroy) and his ordeal with a new villain called The Phantasm (who is never actually referred to by name in the film, and is loosely based on the Grim Reaper character from Batman: Year Two), who is killing off mobsters in a rather violent matter. There seems to be some kind of strategy to the people that The Phantasm is killing off, and Batman is hot on the trail! Meanwhile, Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne is dealing with the sudden return of the former love of his life, Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany), who previously disappeared mysteriously into the night many years prior. But why has she returned so suddenly? What does this have to do with The Phantasm and the people being killed off? And what does The Joker (Mark Hamill) have to do with all of this? The only way to find out is to actually watch the movie!
One of the coolest aspects of this film is that we get to see Batman in his early days, almost like an animated version of Batman Begins. I personally feel that this film does it better than Begins did, and gives viewers a very interesting look into the darkness that is Bruce Wayne’s mind. We see Bruce struggling with himself and the notion of his own happiness once he falls in love with Andrea, arguing with himself at the gravesite of his parents saying things like “this wasn’t part of the plan, how could I know that I would actually be happy?”. It’s a very deep look into the character and shows just how seriously Bruce Wayne takes the promise he made to the parents he lost at such a young age. Few animated films have the gall to delve so deeply into the psyche of a character this way, let alone a film that was based on a man that runs around in tights.
As with Batman: The Animated Series, the voice acting for the film is superb. Just like on the show,, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill give the perfect renditions of Batman and The Joker. This film managed to define the characters for an adult audience in a way that the television series never truly could. The rest of the cast also seems to fit into their roles perfectly, with voice work from Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda and series regulars Bob Hastings, Robert Costanso and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. tying the whole thing together. The animation itself was nothing to scoff at either, especially when you consider that the film was made almost three decades ago, long before much of the animation technology we have today was available.
Overall, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is an amazing film that set the bar for future animated superhero films. After Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: The Animated Series managed to give fans another two films with Sub Zero and Mystery Of The Batwoman, which both went straight to video but received almost as much love from the fans. Many animated films we see hitting the market today based in the DC Universe can all attribute their own existence to the fact that Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was so well received by fans. The world of animation has never been the same since!
If you liked this Rewind Review, be sure to check out the whole series as we take a look back at some of our favorite corners of popular culture from years past!
