Batman - Mask Of The Phantasm (Animated) (DVD)

The Batman animated series that began in 1992 started a revolution in children's cartoons in the US. Following on from Frank Miller's Dark Knight and Year One series even more than Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster, it established a new tone and even a new palette for kids' TV.

Writers Alan Burnett and Paul Dini and director Bruce Timm dug deep into the Batman mythos to portray him as a man first and crimefighter second. Whenever you try ...
...show took elements of the Batman and expanded them, but it also took risks by introducing wholly new elements that had no built-in fanbase from the comics. The most successful of these was the introduction of the Joker's lover Harley Quinn who first appeared in the episode Joker's Favor before breaking into comics with the multiple-award-winning Mad Love.

Sadly, Mask of the Phantasm is one of the less successful attempts to bring new ... more

The Batman animated series that began in 1992 started a revolution in children's cartoons in the US. Following on from Frank Miller's Dark Knight and Year One series even more than Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster, it established a new tone and even a new palette for kids' TV.

Writers Alan Burnett and Paul Dini and director Bruce Timm dug deep into the Batman mythos to portray him as a man first and crimefighter second. Whenever you try an original angle on a beloved character there are always going to be haters, but Batman: The Animated Series debuted to almost universal acclaim from critics, viewers and even old-school comic fans.

The show took elements of the Batman and expanded them, but it also took risks by introducing wholly new elements that had no built-in fanbase from the comics. The most successful of these was the introduction of the Joker's lover Harley Quinn who first appeared in the episode Joker's Favor before breaking into comics with the multiple-award-winning Mad Love.

Sadly, Mask of the Phantasm is one of the less successful attempts to bring new characters into the Batman universe. Part of the blame for this lies in the script's need to wrap up the storyline by movie's end, but partly it's just a simple story stretched too thin over the movies 76 minute running time. By most standards, of course 76 minutes is a short movie but here it's the length of almost four regular cartoon outings and no one needs that many cartoons to tell a story even if they look as good as this.

Plot

In the past a young Bruce Wayne is struggling with his decision to fight crime. He hasn't yet created the Batman persona and the criminals aren't too intimidated by his efforts. He proposes to Andrea Beaumont, and is distraught when she leaves the next day after accepting. Thrown back into his vigilantism, Wayne is inspired to dress up like a bat and begins his career sowing fear into the hearts of wrongdoers.

Years later Andrea returns to Gotham and Batman uncovers a link between the Joker's latest murderous spree, a masked vigilante known as the Phantasm and Andrea's late father.

History

Despite being planned as a direct to video release, Mask of the Phantasm was released first into US cinemas over the Xmas break at the end of 1993. It last around 2 weeks before cinema owners removed it and grossed only $5 million despite excellent reviews. When it was released on video later in 1994, it made considerably more and the whole project went into profit. Nevertheless, no other animated Batman movie has received a cinema release since.

Weakness

Despite the presence of the Joker in all this, the movie is low on action and high on romance, most of it hopeless and unfulfilled. In my opinion the movie neither functions fully as a superhero story, a mystery or a romance instead picking bits from each genre to create an unsatisfactory whole.

Strength

The voice work is excellent, though, maintaining the high standards of the TV show. Kevin Conroy conveys the callow youth of Bruce Wayne and the growing certainty of the Batman with authority. Mark Hamill continues his stellar work as the Joker and Dana Delaney does a good job with the Andrea Beaumont character. Delaney was to return to the animated DC universe when she won the role of Lois Lane in the animated Superman series which ran in the second half of the 90s.

Trivia

Some of the ideas for the Phantasm were taken from Batman: Year Two which marked some of the earliest comic art of superstar Todd McFarlane.

Mask of the Phantasm was the first time the audience saw anyone killed in the animated universe. The murderer was, of course, the Joker.

Summary

Too sharp for kids, too slow for adults, Mask of the Phantasm is a bit of a disappointment. With no DVD extras at all beyond the theatrical trailer, £4.97 from Amazon is the upper limit of what I would advise paying for this curiosity. If I had to pick an alternative, I'd suggest putting the money towards the complete animated seasons which for reasons beyond the understanding of even the world's greatest detective were only released in the US. 

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