Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Director(s) - Kevin Altieri (Stripperella, Transformers Prime), Boyd Kirkland (Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero, Wolverine and the X-Men), and Frank Paur (Gargoyles, Spawn)

Starring - Kevin Conroy (Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie), Dana Delany (Tombstone, The Batman), and Hart Bochner (Die Hard, Supergirl)

Release Date - 1993

Genre - Action/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "The dark knight fights to save Gotham City from it's deadliest enemy"

Forma - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      I’ve been lucky enough to watch and review several of the animated Batman films over the last five years or so. The DC animated universe releases or films that I often get very excited for and when they find their mark they are seriously enjoyable. The great thing about the DC animated films is that they are continuously releasing new films while remastering and re-releasing some of the older films. When I was a kid I remember seeing TV spots and posters for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. I remember immediately thinking of the Don Coscarelli film Phantasm and my imagination took over as I imagined Batman taking on the Tall Man and his legion of undead dwarves. Sadly, I never got around to seeing it and over the years I had completely forgot about it until I received the UHD release for review. I had heard nothing but good things about this one and I couldn’t wait to dig into it. I want to thank WB and DC for sending this one over.

      The film bounces between Bruce Wayne at the beginning of his crime fighting career when he was romantically involved with a beautiful and current day when leaders of the organized crime world are being hunted down by a caped villain. Everyone, including the police, suspect that the one behind the murders is Batman forcing him to work quickly to uncover the real killer while exploring his own past. 

      Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is based on the Batman Animated series and features one hell of a voice cast. While I do see why so many Batman fans enjoy this animated feature I will admit I am a bit underwhelmed. I absolutely loved the animated series as a kid but this film didn’t really have the same appeal and flow as the show. I was recently sent the show on blu for review and was able to revisit this classic series. While it has been some time since then I can still remember it very well. The film is decent but it is nowhere near the level of the show. The voice acting in this one gave me chills especially now after the passing of long time Batman/Bruce Wayne Kevin Conroy. It wouldn’t be an animated Batman film with Conroy if it didn’t have Mark Hamill as The Joker. We also have appearances from Stacey Keach, Dana Delany, and so many more. The voice casting in this is so impressive and everyone does a phenomenal job. The story for this one has a fantastic character arch and one hell of a reveal. However, the impact of the film is lost in the film’s flashbacks that throws off the flow of the film. The pacing is all off and the film’s climatic moments is made ineffective with the random flashbacks. The film needed a more traditional story that moves in a linear path instead of back and forth like it is. Finally, I love the film’s animation style. It’s the same style as the animated series and is more a traditional take on American cartoons. I love the look and it works well with the action sequences and the various assortment of characters. We also get the classic Gotham backdrops that was seen in the show which is another thing that I loved about the show. The back drop and still paintings look so fucking good. Overall, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is one of the more popular Batman animated films but I can think of better ones. However, it’s still a fantastic film that deserves a watch. The UHD release looks gorgeous and should be in any fan’s collection. Check it out.