Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1993 Directed by Bruce W. Timm
Synopsis
The Dark Knight fights to save Gotham city from its deadliest enemy.
An old flame of Bruce Wayne's strolls into town, re-heating up the romance between the two. At the same time, a mass murderer with an axe for one hand begins systematically eliminating Gotham's crime bosses. Due to the person's dark appearance, he is mistaken for Batman. Now on the run, Batman must solve the mystery and deal with the roman and deal with the romance between him and Andrea Beaumont.
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Much more entertaining and mature than anything Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher could put together. The big problem with Burton and Schumacher's films is the bad balancing of a Batman action story and a Bruce Wayne drama, and that's something that Mask of the Phantasm balances perfectly. I really like it, and that's coming from someone who largely dislikes animated films. Maybe this is a turning point for me.
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Thought I'd never seen it before but apparently I have! What I thought was a story to a few episodes of the cartoon was actually this films story. Oops.
It's the first (only?) theatrically released DC animation, back in the early 90s, as a tie-in to the massively successful cartoon series.
The story is part origin story, part mystery/thriller, and part crazy Joker story. Each aspect is built on fantastically well to come together and produce a cartoon that is essentially very gritty and dark in many respects.
However, it's not all heavy. There is a lighter, more hopeful Bruce Wayne that features. Forget that he's a man in love, torn by his heart and his "career", he is still…
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Better than Bat-films 3 and 4. MOTP is a spin off of the mega popular (and brilliant) Batman: The Animated series. This feature length animation tells the origin story of Bruce Wayne into Batman for the first time. It also combines Noir, Action and Drama to give it a completly dark edge. Killer script, great voicework, the animated series was the reason i got up on a satruday when i was a kid.
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One of the best Batman films ever. 'Nuff said.
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One of the best Batman stories told on film. I'd go as far as to say it's the best right next to Under The Red Hood and Tim Burton's Batman (I'd put The Dark Knight in there, but it's less of a Batman story and more of a crime story). If you loved Batman The Animated Series, you'll probably love this too.
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The best movie adaptation of the Batman mythos to date.
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An animation classic in our midst.
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I grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series and in my opinion it's always been the best representation of the Dark Knight, it was dark and Gothic, mostly taking place at night and it was full of mystery, it will always be one of the greatest animated TV series there's ever been.
Mask of the Phantasm if directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, during the popularity of Tim Burton's live-action Batman films and with the Animated Series still ongoing, they released a feature-length animated film.The mob bosses of Gotham City become targeted by a new vigilante in town called the Phantasm, to make things worst an old love interest of Bruce Wayne's rolls into town, Andrea Beaumont.
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The best movie adaptation of the Batman mythos to date.
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This film, perhaps the greatest Batman adaptation, is criminally underwatched. For a generation that grew up with Bruce Timm's animated DC universe, Kevin Conroy is THE definitive Batman against which all other actors are judged. He brings the perfect balance between Bruch Wayne and Batman, his voice modulation subtle and avoiding veering into parody as Christian Bale's does, and this balance serves this plot, a very personal Bruce Wayne story, quite well. Dana Delaney also gives a wonderful performance as Bruce's love interest, Andrea.
The real star here is the style though. Timm's Gotham is gothic and operatic, and he never fails to use a film noir sensability to great effect in portraying the tragic space of Gotham and of…
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The Batman. Who he is, how he came to be.
I know what you're asking yourself. "Do I really need to experience Batman's origin AGAIN? Kid goes to theatre with parents to watch Zorro. Parents get gunned down. Kid grows up and becomes the Bat. What else do I need to know?" Normally I'd say you're preaching to the choir, but let's not judge a movie by its synopsis. This is only HALF an origin film.
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Stylish and admirably respectful of the source material, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm succeeds where many of the live-action Batman adaptations have failed.
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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm may not have the depth of Christopher Nolan’s work, but I would happily watch it again. It’s a fun romp with fun, familiar characters, and the Phantasm makes for an entertaining antagonist even if it isn’t too hard to figure out just who is behind the mask. Read full review.
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Greg's Comic Book & Graphic Novel Challenge
Movie #5
First all I don't think I am going to get through as many of these comic films as I first planned.
Anyway this one was somewhere in the middle. Was good at the start lost its way in the middle and became some what enjoyable towards the end.
Not bad but a decent enough viewing
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Pretty standard animated Batman movie. Overall I quite enjoyed it, interesting villain, really good use of the Joker too.
The flashbacks got a little tiresome after a while although they are needed to piece the film together towards the end.
Not my favourite of the animated Batman movies but still good.