Review: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) · 7:29pm Apr 15th, 2016
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a Batman film that finally, in many ways, focuses on the human side of Bruce Wayne, and how his dauntless pursuit for justice affects him as a human being and in his personal life, all without skimping out on some of the best Batman action sequences you'll probably ever see, and bringing a new character into the fold who is able to stand on their own as a fully realized character.
Wonderfully animated by Spectrum Animation, the film is a beautifully gothic affair that fits right in with the spirit and aesthetic of the animated series of which it is a counterpart to. In the same universe as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League: The Animated Series, Mask of the Phantasm works beautifully with the rest of the universe, and, just like the other shows, is a true love letter to Batman, in a way that no live action film (barring perhaps, Tim Burton's 1989 masterpiece Batman) has been able to emulate.
The voice work is absolutely top notch, with Kevin Conroy being able to balance the younger, more optimistic Bruce Wayne with the brooding crime fighter of the present day, with also giving us the best Batman voice ever. His chemistry with Dana Delany's Andrea Beaumont is spot on, and their romance is a believable, organic affair that flows from the narrative quite well, and doesn't feel shoehorned or overly sappy. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. does an absolutely pitch perfect Alfred Pennyworth, and Mark Hamill is, and perhaps ever shall be, the ultimate Joker, able to perfectly balance pure evil with genuine wit and entertainment value. Additional supporting cast members include Stacy Keach as Andrea's father, with his wonderfully rich voice, and the late, great Abe Vigoda as old school mobster Salvatore Valestra. All the voice acting is spot on, with all the actors inhabiting their characters perfectly.
The story itself, dividing a recount of Batman's origins with the new story of a brutal vigilante stalking mob bosses, is simple, yet not pandering. The hopping through time to flashback to show Bruce's steady evolution into Batman is smooth and not confusing, and the gentler scenes, showing Bruce and Andrea bonding and eventually falling in love, only to have that love be supplanted by their own inner demons is truly tragic and emotional. The film also delves into Batman's psychology, showing his innate desire to not only seek justice for his parent's death, but also somehow find personal happiness, and the struggle between those two desires.
All this is furthered by Shirley Walker's incredible score, which she not only wrote, but orchestrated and conducted herself. It's a deeply emotional, Gothic work, with surging strings and brass and choir all swirling together in a comic orchestral and emotional palette. It's probably the second best Batman film score ever written, after Danny Elfman's definitive opus.
So all in all, this is arguably the best Batman film ever made, as it not only has top quality action, and a wonderfully awesome villain in The Joker, but it also truly addresses Bruce's psychology in a way few other films have.
Simply put, it's awesome. Well played Bruce Timm...well played...
5 out of 5 stars.
I just imagine that anything related to the animated series is just golden
3872916 Except Batman Beyond.
Bruce Wayne is so out of character there it isn't even funny
3873031 How so? I have seen this series, btw. I don't think I've ever thought, "Who's this old man named Bruce Wayne?"
3873060 Well, for me, the difference really becomes noticeable when you watch Batman: The Animated Series side by side with Batman Beyond.
In BTAS, you have scenes like the flashback in Robin's Reckoning where Bruce comforts a lonely Dick Grayson, or where he cracks a joke, or when he lets Baby Doll cry into his cape at the end of her episode. He has scenes where he tires to actively help his enemies get help, such as his interactions with Two-Face, and Harley Quinn in Harley's Holiday.
Meanwhile, in Batman Beyond, he's become bitter and mean, to the point where we have an exchange like this:
This line of dialogue seems to make it seem that Bruce never, EVER cared about any of the women in his life, from Zatanna to Andrea Beaumont to Catwoman to Talia to Wonder Woman. That is obviously not the case if you watch the rest of the DCAU, where he cares deeply about all of these women, albeit in different ways.
In Batman Beyond, Bruce is a bitter, lonely man, whose entire family has abandoned him, no doubt because he himself is so incredibly bitter and toxic.
Furthermore, he canonically (in both the show, and the tie-in comics) had a romantic relationship with Barbara Gordon, who is at least 20 years younger then he was, and he apparently did it behind Dick Grayson's back when Dick and Barbara were dating, and on top of that, got her pregnant. That's not only wildly out of character (Barbara is like a daughter to Bruce), but also incredibly creepy when you think about it.
The biggest shame is that Batman Beyond had lots of good ideas, and an awesome character in Terry and his supporting cast, but they completely blew it on Bruce Wayne.
Bruce Wayne lost all of his humanity, instead becoming a self righteous, bitter old man who is right because the plot demands that he be right, and he always goes unchallenged, or if he is challenged, he's proven right anyways, regardless of if it makes any damn sense or not.
3873078 Okay, I see your point, but I find it believable that Bruce Wayne has become bitter in his golden years.
He's a crime-fighter, he's seen shit that would make average men into piss themselves and die. He's made tough choices in the name of justice and for his own conscience. He's frustrated that he can no longer do the job he has done for over a decade and now has to rely on this random teenager that happened upon his lair. Let's not forget that Terry was very much as teenager as any other teenager if not just a little more responsible.
On the women thing, he states that women "threw themselves" at him and that he just "stepped over them". I find that very in character for him. He has no interest in average women only interested in superficial things. As far as I'm aware, he's only ever dated extraordinary women who have the power to do the things they want without even needing him.
On a side note: did not know that in the animated series, they dated. Or had a kid. What happened to that?
3873104 That might be the case, and I don't even mind the idea of Bruce being grumpy because he can't crime fight himself anymore.
What I do mind however, is the way that they had none of his sidekicks or Justice League at any point attempt to reopen a dialogue with him. Everyone instead just leaves him completely alone.
On top of that, even the women he dated the show seems to imply meant little to him. We get a token sequence of him clicking through photos of his past loves, but no sense that he ever felt anything for them. On top of that, this continual obsession of having Bruce Wayne end up alone, and most importantly, unloved, is something that is not good for his character. yes, he's seen some shit, but as Mask of the Phantasm shows, deep down, within the depths of his soul, he yearns desperately to finally achieve a sense of happiness and peace. In fact, in Mask of the Phantasm, he was ready and willing to end his crime fighting crusade and stay with Andrea, TWICE over. The first time before he properly became Batman, when he even went as far as to propose to her. Andrea accepted and they were about to tell her father, when, due to her father owing the mob money, her father took her to Europe, and she had to end the relationship. Cue him putting on the mask for the first time. Then, in the present day of the film, Bruce and Andrea met again, and rekindle their relationship (even consummating it with a tryst). However, he finds out that she is Phantasm, and even then, begs her to stop her vengeful crusade, to which she says she can't, as she's already gone too far. Even then, he obviously wishes they could have had something, but due to Andrea's obsessive nature, and her unwillingness to change her ways, they could not.
The point I'm trying to make is that Batman Beyond robbed Bruce of that desire for happiness. Instead, we have a man who hates everyone and everything, and even with the events of Return of the Joker, or that idiotic romance with Barbara Gordon (words cannot express how stupid and creepy that is), it makes no sense that his entire extended family, including the Batfamily and Justice League, would let him go that far. Even with the excuse of "oh, he's older", it feels wrong. Gone is the man who comforted a dying girl on a swing set, gone is the man who would try to give criminals a second chance. Bruce Wayne is a man who selflessly took in a total of four orphans under his wing. Bruce Wayne is a man who goes out every night and does his damned best to make sure that the tragedy that happened to him will never happen to another child. Bruce Wayne is a person who cares deeply for his fellow man. In his place is a cold, callous man who cares not for anyone else in his life, and if he does have any form of relationships, they are simply to further his own, obsessive ends.
Bruce Wayne might have an obsessive personality, and perhaps is a somewhat asocial person, but he is not, nor has he ever, been the borderline sociopath that Batman Beyond paints him to be. Only in the demented and ignorant mind of writers like Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns), or David S. Goyer (Batman v Superman) is Batman like this. This decrepit, bitter old man is not Bruce Wayne.
3873031 But it gave us Mad Stan... unless you're not into that sort of thing, in which case I can see where you're coming from
3874077 What? I was fine with Mad Stan.
And Inque and Blight and Shriek and Mindbender and the Jokerz.
I'm fine with pretty much every aspect of Batman Beyond except Bruce...and the fact that Terry is Bruce's clone-son...and that Barbara and Bruce had an affair...
3874153 Oh. The way you said it earlier made it seem like you weren't overly fond of it. Sorry about that
3874326 Well, its just that Bruce is such a major element of Batman Beyond that he infects the rest of the show.
As good as some elements are, the show bends over backwards to validate Bruce's sociopathy and disregard for others, and suffers greatly because of it