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35 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :- INTELLIGENT AND MATURE BATMAN CARTOON, 5 March 2002 Author: Big Movie Fan from England
Firstly, let me say that the 1992 Batman cartoon series was the best Batman cartoon series ever made. Just like the 1989 Batman movie it returned Batman to his dark roots and was a fantastic series.This was a great cartoon film. I haven't seen many great cartoon films but this was one. It has an interesting storyline, an interesting villain (The Phantasm), interesting subplot for Bruce Wayne and it's even got the psychotic Joker as well.The Phantasm is the most interesting cartoon villain in a long time and with the Joker in this movie as well it makes for an exciting movie. If you want an intelligent and thought provoking cartoon film then this is the one for you.
30 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :- An absolute classic, the best Batman movie so far, 1 January 2005 Author: thecosmicjester from Melbourne, Australia
Out of all the Batman films so far, including all the live action films, this one is still the only one to really explore the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman and examine what drove him to becoming Batman.It has a great story that flashes back to just before Bruce took up the mantle of the bat and the woman he was involved with at the time, then skips forward to an unknown assassin killing Gotham City's mobsters, and we see how the 2 story's meet. The writing is top-notch, in no-way predictable and the voice acting by Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker truly amazing and bone-chillingly scary.The only complaints is that the animation could have been better at some points, but that is because it was originally meant to be a straight to video release before Warner's saw what a masterpiece they had created, and also it should have run for a little bit longer, but oh well. If you haven't yet seen it i highly recommend it.
30 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :- If you liked the first two Batman movies this is a DEFINITE must see, 18 February 2002 Author: bsinc from Ljubljana, Slovenia
This is just one of the greatest animated movies of all time. No exaggeration. From the almost poetic opening sequence, accompanied by a great, great score till the very ending this movie will not disappoint. A dark story, darker than in Batman Returns, but also an excellent portrayal of Batman. The characters are nicely drawn (the female character is very attractive looking) and the voices are perfect. The origin of my favorite superhero has been overdone so many times and yet the filmmakers easily succeed to bring new insight and depth to the man that is the bat. I feel like I should write something more about it, there's definitely a lot of stuff I forgot since seeing it, but this was definitely an overlooked movie.8/10
20 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :- Best portrayal of the Dark Knight., 8 October 1998 Author: Joldax
Ever since Phantasm came to the theaters, I was hoping that WB would put another animated movie of that caliber on the big screen again. Phantasm is the essence of the true Batman. No bogus sidekicks, the Gotham PD hunting down Batman as if he were a threat, and a great interaction with Alfred. For any die hard Batman fan this is truly a must.
22 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :- The psychological, the subtle, and the emotional side of Bruce Wayne are all more deeply looked at in this fantastic animated movie, 14 May 2005 Author: DavidJohn Foster from Canada
Mask of the Phantasm is one the best Batmans movies ever conceived. It gives that dark brooding look of the batman TV show, throws in an amazing original score, excellent voice acting, and a storyline that encourages us to look at the Batman story in a more human and emotional way. We have well established bad guys instead of just having a guy escape from prison, we have strong inner-conflict dilemmas and very well drawn action scenes. The only downside is that it could have been longer, although the rather short (compared to most movies) length does a good job of not making the flow feel dull or boring.I highly suggest this movie.
18 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :- Aww yeah--one of the best., 29 October 1998 Author: Tug-3 from New York, NY
This movie is incredibly cool. It's the most accurate film portrayal of Batman yet. Not only is this movie well-animated, exciting, and tautly-plotted, it's also refreshingly understated. Unlike its live-action cohorts (more specifically, the Schumacher duo), "Phantasm" does not rely on splashy effects, ridiculous action sequences, and a hokey soundtrack to pull it through. As much as I love *Batman Returns,* I have to admit this is probably the best-written of the Batman films. And tell me you don't get chills down your spine the first time Bruce Wayne puts on that cowl. Awww yeah!!
19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- Along with Tim Burton's Batman Returns the best Batman movie to date., 27 May 2003 Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia
This is easily the best interpretation of Batman I have seen in animated form, and along with Tim Burton's sometimes unfairly maligned 'Batman Returns', the best Batman movie to date. There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about movie versions of Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns' and/or 'Batman: Year One' (the latter being an obvious inspiration for 'Mask Of The Phantasm'), I just hope that if either eventually get made they are as good as this. The popular 1960s campy TV series was an absolute hoot, but unfortunately has permanently coloured a lot of people's expectations of Batman, a character generally a lot darker and more twisted than most people expect. The animation in this movie is excellent, the script isn't a masterpiece but it's very good, and the actors involved include some great talents like Stacy Keach ('The Ninth Configuration'), 'Star Wars' Mark Hamill (as The Joker), John P. Ryan ('Runaway Train'), and Roger Corman legend Dick Miller ('A Bucket Of Blood'). I think most fans of Batman in any of his comic book incarnations over the years will enjoy this one a lot. It's first rate.
17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- The Greatest of all the animated Batman films!, 1 January 2003 Author: Pimpin` Critic 69 from Your Critic of Critics
Not only the best animated flick but one of the greatest Batman movies ever made!Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and Bruce W. Timm are without doubt the best creative team of any involved in a Batman film or/television show. In this first animated film based on the animated series, the creative team does both a prequel and a sequel to the show as it introduces the characters of Andrea and Phantasm. Which both have an enormous impact on Bruce Wayne's journey to becoming Batman. And the character of Andrea helps us understand Bruce Wayne a little better. And know him a little better before becoming Batman.Inspired by Frank Miller's "Year One" comic and Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, Burnett/Dini/Timm create a magnificent Batman movie and a great movie as well!4(****)out of 4(****)starsAN ANIMATED MASTERPIECE!!!!
17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- Measures up, 14 January 2000 Author: Op_Prime from Ardmore, PA
This movie measures up to the first two Batman movies and surpasses the last two in quality and story telling. The animation was fantastic. It was dark and mysterious, and that is way Batman should be done. Kevin Conroy's voice is perfect for Batman. Of course, when speaking of the voices for this movie, Mark Hamill can not be ignored. He gives a great performance as the menacing and hilarious Joker. My problem with this movie was the very short confrontation between Batman and the Phantasm. But the fight with the Joker makes up for it. This is a great Batman movie, even though this is animated and made for the kids.
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Brilliant Batman, 21 November 2000 Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse
But it's way too short. At only 76 minutes you begin to wonder why they bothered. The story is barely given a chance to be intriguing and it is told in a very confusing way with too many flashbacks and flashbacks that go into their own flashbacks. But it still retains that dark edge the 2 previous movies had and many visual thrills.This movie tells the tale of how Bruce Wayne became Batman in a little more depth than the live-action films and gives us the discovery of the Batcave in a slightly different way than that in Batman Forever. The Joker is as crazy as ever, the thugs and hoods are as nasty as they have always been and the identity of the Phantasm surprised me. Although much of Danny Elfman's theme is missing the music is still powerful and involving. The animation is very good and has many elaborate 'sets' and locations. The visual style still sticks to that of the comic book like glue and it all makes for a very exciting film. Even if it is a bit of a confusing one, especially for kids. But this animated incarnation of Batman is truly the best.
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