Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Film Review

"Vengeance Blackens the Soul, Bruce..."

As stated in many film reviews that have come before, if there's one specific franchise or certain televised show that epitomised my own up-bringing in the 90's, it would that of Batman; more specifically, the Batman Animated Series. In amalgamating the infamous and unique Dark Deco animation style along with the alluring writing and expressive yet meaningful characterisation that has captured the imagination of audiences young and old, it's hard to find another super-heroic animated show, other than the Batman Animated Series, that effortlessly provides a wide-range of different episodes that offers a mixture of comedy and tragedy. The very fact that from its inception in the early 90's up to this moment in time where devoted audiences are still discussing in praising the said show on its 25th year anniversary, shows just how much Bruce Timm and Eric Radmoski's show has become one of the staple versions of the caped-crusader; along with Adam West's beloved Batman series of the 60's and Christopher Nolan's stand-out and successful Dark Knight film trilogy. However, aside the more noticeable interpretations of this character that audiences have come to affiliate themselves with, if there's one Batman specific film that has never been praised by the masses and has instead developed a rather cult following by audiences and fans alike, it's that of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, an animated neo-noir superhero mystery feature which intricately and maturely explores the muddled psychological confines of an ever-popular fictional presence.

Batman, the costumed crime-fighter who prowls the night-skies of Gotham City, soon finds there's another vigilante killing off some of the towns prominent mob leaders in eerie clothing; vanishing and reappearing like a ghost and eyewitnesses insisting it's the caped-crusader himself. Hunted wherever he goes by the Gotham Police Department, Batman must solve the mystery of this 'Phantasm' figure to stop the killing and regain his reputation. Meanwhile, old wounds are re-opened as Andrea Beaumont, an old and serious love acquaintance of Bruce Wayne, returns to the city. With her arrival, memories of the past are now preying on Bruce's mind; memories of a time before Batman where Bruce was drawn between happiness and the promise he made to his parents. While these recollection of past events scar his ever-concerned mind, both Batman and Bruce Wayne know that these haunting memories are the key to solving the mystery of the Phantasm...

In echoing Christopher Nolan's contextual aspects seen in Batman Begins, what's evident to notice straight-away from perceiving Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is how much it obliges in recalling past recollections of Bruce Wayne's younger life and how he went on to put on the mask and cowl. Presented in a non-linear narrative structure, jumping between the different time-frames of the present, where Batman is trying to solve the mystery of the Phantasm, and the flashbacks of the past where we discover a young Bruce Wayne meeting and falling in love with Andrea Beaumont, Mask of the Phantasm purposefully displays an original Batman story that is structurally complex and delves deep into the confined psychological mind-set of the main protagonist. While it can be seen in this day-and-age as a film that strikes similarities with the already mentioned Batman Begins and how both films adamantly go from one time-line to another to establish particular aspects of an event or character, in many ways, The Mask of the Phantasm steers away from the norm and exhibits a super-heroic parable that effluents great emotional depth. Unlike many lauded live-action Batman-centric full-length features which all have relatively followed the same formulaic structure of the villain, who has a lot more characterisation and emotional depth than the hero himself, trying to destroy or take control of Gotham City while Batman, as he does, tries to stop them with his fighting and deductive skills, what's different to notice of Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski's animated feature-length is how, through the use of the character of Andrea Beaumont, we're presented with rather subdued and subtle Batman tale that explores Bruce Wayne's past in a different light. Introduced in a beautiful yet mysteriously classical Hollywood fashion, which aligns well with the rather 1950's film noir backdrop that this film and the mentioned animated series employs, Beaumont, created specifically for this film, is a construct that's designed to give us a different insight into Bruce Wayne's past before he became Batman. Rather than detailing the death of Bruce Wayne's parents as many films, old and new, have told countless times in various different ways, we're presented with a series of wretched flashbacks that not only outlines the genuine nature of Andrea and Bruce's romantic relationship and how real it seems when they talk with each other about loss of loved-one or about what the future holds, but how it unravels even more of the psychological confines of the protagonist. Since we know that Bruce, upon the death of his parents, made a dedicated vow to provide justice and stop crime, as exemplified in one of the more bolder scenes in the film where Bruce, in the pouring rain, pleads to his parents by saying, "I know I made a promise...", the inclusion of Beaumont is an imperative contextual device that thoroughly provides a refreshing take on who Bruce Wayne really is. While it's arguable to state that Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy of films were inclined to show what Batman represents, it's fair to say that Mask of the Phantasm makes it pertinent to explore who both Bruce Wayne and Batman actually are, which isn't something that many live-action re-retelling's have never done. It most certainly adds a new layer to something that we already know of Bruce Wayne and how he became Batman. Even after the death of his parents, Bruce had a new chance to live a happy life, but when that chance was taken away, he made a conscious decision to turn back into the darkness and become the famed caped-crusader. This is best shown in the last flashback scene where we're presented with a younger Bruce who, upon reading a note discovering  that Andrea has gone away, decides to put on the mask for the first time which leaves Alfred the Butler in disbelief saying, "My God!" It's this specific reaction that Alfred gives off which signifies just how much desire Bruce has for vengeance and retribution to consume his life. It's masterful animated story-telling at it's finest and for Timm, Radmoski and the rest of the screenplay team behind the animated series episodes to comprise an origin story in Mask of the Phantasm that provides a different yet psychological outlook on the character of Bruce Wayne in small amount of time, just under eighty minutes, is unprecedented for an animation and should be praised. 

Aside the slightly darker impulses which provide a refreshing insight into the character of Bruce Wayne, the Mask of the Phantasm wouldn't be much of a Batman film if it didn't include a little bit action and intrigue. In receiving $6 million for the production by Warner Bros. it's clear to see where and how the film-makers used this funding; not only in the opening title credit sequence which features a flight through an entirely computer-generated Gotham City, but also in a moment in which we see Joker and Batman fighting amongst themselves at high-speed dodging through the hacked-away environment that they're in. While the quality of the animation presentation may not suffice in comparison to the drawn animations that are seen in this day and age, it has to be said that the 'Dark deco' animation style, a specific film-making practise established by the creators of the Batman Animated Series which involves the the dark backdrops shown to be painted on black paper, works in full-effect and visually stimulates our gaze as though we're watching an old fashioned comic emerging to life. As arguable as the animation doesn't compare to other highly-produced drawn animations from the likes of Disney and Studio Ghibli, the Dark deco assimilates accordingly with the character of Batman and what he has to face and is welcoming to re-visit perceive considering how badly animated recent DC animated films have come to fruition; especially that of the comic-adaptation of The Killing Joke. If there's one film that deserves to have a Blu-ray release, it's definitely this animated full-length feature. Especially, when not only does the film question uphold specific and expressive artistry that seamlessly coincides with the bold and dark nature of Batman, but how Mask of the Phantasm also provides a soundtrack which certainly rivals that of Tim Burton's Batman. In every key moment, whether it be the opening title sequence,which upholds a main title score that is personally my favourite theme of Batman, or the moment in which Bruce puts on the mask and cowl for the first time, the score that Shirley Walker composes for this film is massively understated and is surprising how not a lot of talk goes into the soundtrack of this film. 

As much as the voice-performances of some of the secondary characters of Mask of the Phantasm, particularly that of Hart Bochner who's rather bland voice-enactment of character Arthur Reeves sounds one-dimensional and under-utilised compared to the rest of the cast, what is comforting to notice, having re-watched the said feature, are the roles that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill provide in playing the definitive Batman and Joker. In reviewing separate Batman animated titles before, what's prevalent to observe within these animated features are the voice-contributions that both Hamill and Conroy deliver for their respective characters and being that they've both been playing the same role ever since the inception of the Batman Animated Series in the early 90's, just shows how much their performances are adored and how natural it is to hear both them speak. Even if another actor re-interprets one of these characters in their own way, Conroy and Hamill's enactments will always be the definitive voices of Batman and Joker. Similar to how he went into voicing Bruce Wayne in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, what's distinguishable recognise particularly with Conroy's voice-interpretation of Bruce Wayne/Batman is how he accordingly yet subtly adapts his speaking voice to the role that he's playing. Whether it's the younger Bruce or older Batman he's portraying, Conroy has a habit of subtly changing his voice correspondingly with what ever Bruce or Batman we're seeing and that's something that isn't normally executed by a normal voice-actor. Much of the same can be said of Hamill as well, since he brings forth an enthusiastic yet menacing bravado as the Joker that no one will ever be able to out-match. While he's only on-screen for a rough twenty minutes, there's never a moment where we see the Joker that is unfulfilling. Each time he makes his presence known, whether it's for a comical gesture or through a menacing laugh, Joker role as a supporting character is impeccable; especially when he's mysteriously connected to the narrative's key events, of which I won't spoil for those who want to watch this film. Notwithstanding the effective voice-portrayals that Conroy and Hamill enact for their own parts, Dana Delany's contribution in playing Andrea Beaumont also doesn't feel out of place. In providing strong dialogue pieces in various situations that her character faces, you almost sympathise with the role that she's playing; more so than any other romantic female character portrayal that has been shown in many live-action Batman features.

Although audiences and fans alike look towards Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy of films as the definitive piece of artistic work that best represents who and what Batman embodies, you can't take anything away from what Bruce Timm and Eric Radmoski have conjured with Mask of the Phantasm since they were not only able to provide an original Batman tale that provides a refreshing depth and character analysis of the character of Bruce Wayne, but they also managed to compact tragedy, romance and mystery within a seventy-six minute time-frame that keeps you glued to the screen; regardless if you have never watched the animated series beforehand. While the film in question upholds a short running time, every moment depicted in this feature is never wasted. The film imbues meaning, that of which not a lot of other live-action Batman films have ever utilised. The very fact that people, twenty years on from its release, are still mentioning this film in such high-regard as one of the better singular depictions of Batman, is a testament to how great this animated feature truly is...

On that note, it's time for me to end this week's film review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest retro film review of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and I hope you've all enjoyed the read! 😉 If anyone has an opinion on either my review or on the film itself, please feel free to drop a comment down below. For next week, I'll be doing an anime review of My Hero Academia: Season 1, a show that embarks in presenting a simplistic yet inviting shōnen story-line. As always everyone, thank you once again for reading this week's Blog Post and I'll be back next week! Have a nice start to the week! Adieu! 😁✌👊🦇

8/10 - Alex Rabbitte