Review of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) by Alex R — 16 Nov 2011

If you love the live-action batman movies but have never bothered with the animated ones because you think they will be too childish then think again. batman mask of the phantasm is probably better than even batman begins and is truly a stunning epic, despite it being animated.

You would think this takes away much of the gritty feel and makes it a less dark batman experience, more for the children.

It is not. batman mask of the phantasm can be dark, creepy and violent. no one gets killed in the tv show, but they certainly do here.

When people get punched, blood spills out, teeth come out, its not toned down very much considering the movie is a spin off from the childrens show. the story is interesting and intruiging, and kept me wanting to find out more. all of the action is nicely done and very engaging.

Everything about this movie is immersive.

The phantasm is a truly chilling villain and he is behind most of the deaths in the movie. the joker is included here too, but he is introduced in a very interesting way and im glad that it wasnt just a gimmick to get another villain into the mix.

There are alot of flashbacks in the movie. its not annoying at all. its interesting to find out about batmans past, and tells alot of his journey about how he became the batman and such.

Voice acting is top notch. kevin conroy IS batman and he will always be. mark hamill is the standout and he IS the joker. both of these voices are absolutely perfect they are the original batman voices and no one can do it better. in the end, batman mask of the phantasm is a very mature animation, which the older ones can probably enjoy more than the kids. batman doesnt get much better than this, if your looking for a batman movie then this is the one to pick.