Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) Reveiw

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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) Reveiw

March 24th 2010 17:13

Here we get a look at the new villian, albeit just his mask

If your an American, and were a kid at some point, then you've heard of and most likely admired Batman. He's the worlds greatest detective, an amazing fighter, and he's got an arsenal of super-cool gadgets, What's not for a kid to like? Batman has had an uncountable number appearance outside of comic books, TV, Movies, Video games, action figures, it goes on and on. Most of Batman's movies, even the 1960's Adam West Vehicle, did exceptionally well. Something iconic as Batman it seems he could produce nothing but box office gold, but even the caped crusader can't win every time.

Let it be known, this isn't a comment of “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” in terms of quality, this animated epic is possibly one of the best non-comic Batman stories ever told. In 1993 “Batman: the Animated Series” was one of the top kid's shows on television, and Writer/director Bruce Tim wanted to to a three episode series about his own take on Batman's origin. The producers at Warner Brothers did him one better, and told him to make it a full-length feature film. It seemed a great idea, Batman: Returns had just made a mint, and the Animated Series was going strong as ever on Fox's weekday afternoon slot. Unfortunately this movie was a victim of the animated movie curse, and despite the fact the hardcore fans and the critics adored it, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who remembers this movie other than the guy who stocks the Wal-Mart discount rack.

Bruce Tim is likely one of the best animation directors in history, in this reviewers humble opinion. The animation is stylized, but ritty dark and utterly believable. Even compared to the biggest names in direction, Bruce TIm's animation is still stunning. The story is unique to the history of Batman, while it involves The Joker (who's voice is provided by the Star Wars veteran Mark Hamill) it introduces a new and terrifying enemy, as well as a new love interest for Batman. The take on Batman's origin is fascinating: Bruce Wayne's original plan was to simply wear a regular ski mask as he combed the city for evildoers, but after several nights out fighting crime the battle weary vigilante laments to Alfred “Something's not right, I just don't have the edge”. One thinks that he's also holding on to part of a normal life, when he falls in love with Andrea Boumont, he even considering giving it all up for her but fate intervenes in the typical, cruel fashion by the movies amazing climax. To hardcore fans, messing with Batman's origin is like drawing in the Bible with a crayon, but even they seemed to give this movie a pass. For the first time in film, Mask of the Phantasm seems to capture the character of Batman well enough it feels like your watching the comic book. The movie is even grittier and more violent than the animated series, not shying away from showing blood, and even dealing with murders, where the TV series had a fairly strict rule against fatalities. The joker himself gets a tooth kicked out in a memorable battle with the caped crusader. Not quite "Saw" Material but shocking to see it in a format that's normally bloodless.
Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman has won numerous polls, naming him the best actor to portray Batman, over the likes of Adam West, Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer. While this is mainly for his

Batman Dons the mask for the first time, and changes forever

work on the Animated Sereies this movie is based on, there's nothing missing in his performance here. See Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and you'll see why people call him the best Batman of all time.
Sadly, the movie was a box-office bomb, preventing any more Batman animated feature films (Yes there were a few others) from getting into theaters, this one is remembered fondly by just about anyone who actually gets a chance to see it. It's rare to see a comic book movie that has so much respect for the source material, and missing this one is a crime, and we all know where Batman stands on crime.

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Posted By: Joshua the Samurai - Category: B

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Comments

1 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by JohnDoe

May 4th 2010 15:51

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Josh,

This does still rank right up there for style and understanding of the bat lore...you nailed how it felt to see it upon original release..the only other animated adaptation to come close was HBO's Spawn series.

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