Though 'Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)' does feel suitably cinematic, it is still very much an extension of 'Batman: The Animated Series (1992)', taking place after the first season and having tangible consequences for the show as a whole. It is never so to the detriment of the narrative, however, rather the opposite. The feature builds upon the solid - and usually universally known - foundations of its source-material to craft a story all of its own, ultimately becoming both a superb stand-alone and a solid supplement, too. It's really a character-driven mystery at its heart and I will say that the enigma that fuels the piece is particularly well-handled, played to perfection at every moment. We learn just enough to keep us guessing but never enough so that the eventual reveal is too obvious (or, indeed, a cheat). It intertwines initially slightly slow and, wrongfully, unnecessary-seeming flashbacks into its plot, which cleverly filter the bat's backstory through relevant characters so that they strongly connect to the current-day narrative in more ways than one. The flick provides a strong emotional connection to every sequence, including a real sense of pain in the punch-ups and some real stakes overall, because the protagonist, sans mask, is given a lot more time and development than he usually is in his animated outings. This means that we care not only about the Dark Knight catching the crook but also about Bruce Wayne maybe finally finding some semblance of personal happiness, too. It's a brilliant balance and one key in the feature's success. It is one of the best Batman outings to come to our screens, big or small, and is a consistently enjoyable, engaging experience. It's entertaining, exciting and intriguing, an intelligent tale that takes itself seriously and makes you care about its characters. The animation and voice-work are both top-notch, too, and I'd say that this easily sits among the best of the Bat's big-screen adventures. 8/10

This screen adaptation of the Cape Crusader is far from good, let alone great. The screenplay is average at best. The direction has mediocrity written all over it. We have seen better stories of Batman than this overvalued piece. Despite being good on paper, the pace hardly picks up until the third act. The revelation of Phantasm, in the end, is not as shocking as it should be due to its tactless handling of the narrative. The predictability of the story is another off-putting thing about it.The portrayal of the Batman is gawky. He has been transformed into a desperate romantic guy from being the world's greatest detective, and that really feels offensive. While some people argue that it portrays the more human side of Batman. OK, well then how about making a romantic movie with James Bond and a family movie with Deadpool. Come on man! seriously... These guys are what they are cuz we love them doing what they do best. Not everyone can digest Indiana Jones into a family drama just because it shows his human side. Similarly, Batman is all about what he does. He is the greatest detective and tactician of the world. And he adores what he does, so do we. If not then what's the difference between Batman and other vigilantes? While It is an interesting character study, it surely isn't the best portrayal of Batman on screen.Voice cast is good. Mark Hamill is good as Joker. Andrea's character was ruined by a defective scripting. The character needed some more time to breath and hence feels one-dimensional.All in all, a strictly average affair...5 out of 10

Here was a "cartoon" that was written for adults. It could be viewed by older kids, but it had great depths for the adults who took any time with it. Each episode (or couple of episodes) acts as its own mini-movie. The structuring of the story in each one is just so well executed. As well, the animation (for its time) was quite good, and still holds up well enough today. Another difference from other animation, is that the color palette is quite dark- which, again, only makes it more interesting. All of the great villains are here (and others you may not have heard of), but they get a very serious and, at times, philosophical explication. One of my favorite things about the series, is that every episode has its own orchestral score- meaning, the music that you hear is tailored to fit the exact moment you are watching. Shirley Walker manages to come up with so many sub-themes and variations on the main theme- and works them in so well with the happenings on screen. For those of you that have seen the series and remember it fondly, you might be interested to know that a box-set of the first 28 episodes was recently released- you can get it just about anywhere.

When I read the reviews for Batman animated films I have to remember that they are written by people who watch Batman animated films. I don't mean any disrespect, is just that without that bit of context all commentary appears as deluded and mad. The best Batman movie? Well written? Great animation? No, none of the above, unless you count the standard for Batman animation.I always try to grade movies based on their genre. Sure, a 10 star horror is not as good as a 10 star historical drama, but if I were to delve any deeper, say: rate a movie based on other transvestite vampire dramedies I've seen, I would get nowhere. That is why I refuse to compare this with other Batman animated films and instead judge it as a movie. And it is plain silly.It has several major flaws: it reinvents Batman (no more origin stories, puh-lease!), it does the "Batman didn't want to be Batman if he had a chance to be happy" and it brings in the Joker, again, for no good reason. But the worse thing: again with the idea that anyone can just put on a cap and uniform and become a superhero or supervillain.You know who does that and everybody makes fun of them? Policemen. And they are many and are well equipped. You know what really makes Batman a hero? Money. And every Batman movie just drives that point again and again: Batman is good, so it's OK to use company money for his little side game, but coming from the gutter and gaining that same power through violence and tough choices is bad.My conclusion: not even the best animated Batman I've seen. I could feel no empathy towards any of the characters, which is bad, since the plot required me to. The animation was almost bad, as well. Worst of all, the moral of the story doesn't even make sense.