Mask Of The Phantasm is a direct spinoff from the 1990's animated television show and alike the show was extremely well recieved. Though set in modern day it has that 1940's look and feel that made the Tim Burton films so memorable.Here we have the caped crusader tackling the Joker, gangsters & a mysterious new vigilante. And you know how it works, vigilantes are only okay if its Batman if it's not then he has to take them down because reasons.Sadly I don't see the appeal, though I don't consider Mask Of The Phantasm to be bad I don't understand why so many hold it in such high esteem.Hamill & Conroy stand out as usual as outstanding voice actors, the animation is on point but the story simply did nothing to grab me.Passable stuff, but underwhelming for me.The Good:Mark HamillKevin ConroyThe Bad:Messy plotThings I Learnt From This Movie:Phantasm looks awesomePhantasm is incredibly incompetentIt's so sad that Hamill will never play a live action Joker

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.

Superhero fans of my generation had tons of great cartoons to watch while we we're growing up, and Batman: The Animated Series was right up there among the best. It combined action with a cool art style and serious plots that made the show just as appealing to adults as it was to kids. Mask of the Phantasm is a side-story of that amazing show, so it's no surprise that I still love it all these years later.Phantasm works so well because it pairs the usual themes of the show with an extremely bittersweet love story and tons of the detective elements that are always present in Batman's best tales. Equal time is spent with the present day mystery of the Phantasm, and Bruce's early experiments with vigilante justice. It's great to see Bruce Wayne get equal focus in the story, and in many ways the scenes with him out of costume are the most interesting and pivotal to the story. The Joker plays a crucial part in the plot, and a woman is introduced who had a powerful influence on Bruce's decision to become Batman. What more could the true Batman fan ask for? Mask of the Phantasm is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as The Dark Knight and Batman Returns. There's a classic story within its animated trappings.