Batman: Mask of the Phantasm [DVD] [1993] [2005]

Top class voice acting great companion to Batman the animated series. (Same universe)

If you call yourself a fan of the Batman universe, and yet haven't seen this film then you should hang your head in shame, as this really is the definitive Batman film. Some critics, and fans, have gone as far to say it is the best Batman film ever, which if you look at some of the competition,(Batman 1989, The Dark Knight) then that is no small feat by itself. Although it was commercially unsuccessful, over the years it has gained notoriety, critical acclaim and almost a mass following, elevating the film to cult status.The film is based upon the 90's animated series, which was religious viewing on a Saturday morning. The film begins with the murder of one of Gotham's local Mafia hoods, at the hands of a new villain (The Phantasm), who bares a somewhat slight resemblance to Batman (in that the villain is masked and has a cape). Batman being blamed for this and subsequent murders has to evade police capture, all whilst trying to uncover the truth about his new rival. Although the film isn't a origins story as such, there are are many interesting flash backs to Bruce Wayne's past as he agonises over a decision to abandon his potential life of crime fighting in return for his first true love. The flashbacks are interesting to see as they add a little more history and depth to this already mystifying character. They link also help to link the history/connection between The Batman, The Phantasm and even The Joker! Needless to say when Batman finally unmasks The Phantasm, at the film's finale, things will never be the same again!Everything within this film, from the animation, to the music, voice acting are on top form. In terms of brilliance I would put this film hand-in-hand with The Dark Knight as the ultimate screen adaptations of The Batman. With all the numerous and quite frankly over-saturated, average super hero Hollywood blockbusters, I am stunned as to why no film maker has took to making a live action version of this master piece, in order to bring one of the best Batman stories to a new generation.

This 1 of the classic Episodes / films, love Mark Hamel as the Joker, can you tell I'm a fan?

SO I'm a 90s girl and I never really grew up with Batman the Animated series. I VERY quickly fell in love with it after hearing about it from the Nostalgia Critic and watching all the episodes. Now this film was released in cinemas but sadly it was a box-office flop. However it's fan-base is progressively growing larger.And do I join this fan-base?Hell Yes!This is a fantastic film adaptation of the animated series. It retains that dark, gothic, almost hellish art deco style for the city of Gotham with a nicely animated opening with interesting three-dimensional effects.The animation quality has been enhanced and this is noticeable if you are a fan of the animated series. The movements are more fluid, there are much more adventurous camera shots (making it more believable that Batman was originally a comic) and the fight scenes are dynamic and plentiful!Now, here is my issue with the film. As much as you can see all the heart and soul and pure effort that went into the animating, I still feel that I am watching the animated show. This is also due to the fact that many of the scenes seem way too choppy or rushed. I would have liked to have seen more, especially as the ending didn't satisfy me OR my sister who doesn't know much at all about Batman.Be that as it may, it is extremely good value for money, and I look forward to watching this movie again and again. There are interesting flashbacks into Bruce Wayne's past and some moments surprised me by how dark and sinister they were. The new villain is, in all honesty, meh, but still pretty sinister. I was more psyched when the Joker (played by the supertacular Mark Hamill) made an appearance. Without revealing too much, this is a dark and interesting plot that takes its viewers seriously, so why not do the same with this film?

Movie deserves its iconic status. No frills DVD, does the job very well.

For a animated film it has good powerful story, a new vigilante is hunting down gotham's gangsters and batman is blamed for the killings and the dark knight must clear his name. A lot of Bruce Wayne's past is revealed like his relationship with Carl Beaumont's daughter Andrea. The Joker is also involved and some of his past is revealed like his connection to the Valestra Mob he use to be part of, Mark Hamill reprises his role of The joker and does a damn good job at making the clown prince of crime scary and funny to watch at the same time.A excellent movie that even adult batman fans will enjoy, its what you might call a combination of Tim Burton's Batman and The Dark knight.

Great movie length episide of Batman. As Batman fans, my family enjoyed this greatly and I'm sure those new to Batman will also enjoy.

I don't know how to say it, but I'm going to call it. This is the best Batman movie ever made, despite it only being 70 minutes long. Why? This movie doesn't focus on flashy effects. It's raw, and with just as good an effect. For me, this is the best incarnation of Bruce Wayne and the other characters, and voice and character. Best of all, it tells the story, and pieces it together without the need to stretch it out for very long. It may be short, but it's quite effective at not only staying loyal to the source material, but also legitimately adding to it as well.