1989 saw Batman's popularity reach a massive peak with the release of the Tim Burton theatrical adaptation. Bat-mania was near unstoppable at the time, with the film breaking box office records for the time, and even being the first VHS to get a release only around six months after its release. Remember when waiting for a movie to make it to video would take over a year? Now we complain if it takes three or four months. Regardless, it was a great time to be a Bat-fan.
And that would prove even more true when on September 5th, 1992, Batman: the Animated Series would debut on Fox Kids. Created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, this take on the caped crusader stayed true to the darker and more action packed tones of the comics, which made it feel a lot more than just another kids superhero cartoon. It was a cartoon that could entertain kids, but was perfect for adults and longtime bat-fans.
Honestly, when you look at most 90's cartoons, very few even hold up slightly. In the case of Batman TAS, it holds up superbly. From beautiful art depicting Gotham City in a world that mixes a modern society with a 1940's gritty film noir style world, to amazing orchestral scores, and the most important to all animated adaptations, the voice acting, headed by Kevin Conroy who has pretty much become the quintessential Batman voice.
In late 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm would hit theaters. It would sadly only make about five million at the box office. Though that blame comes mostly from poor advertising of the film, and the fact that it was released smack dab in the middle of December, right before Christmas. Though I'd also argue the lack of box office success came from people who thought they were just getting an extended episode of the TV show. Which I guess is true, but that shouldn't discount the quality of the movie within. And this is definitely top quality.
The plot goes as follows, gangsters in Gotham City are being killed off by a mysterious vigilante known as the Phantasm. However, this causes the blame for the deaths to be shifted to Batman. It appears this so called "angel of death" has a history with the gangsters it's killing. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne receives a blast from his past when Andrea Beaumont, the woman he loved, returns to Gotham for the first time in ten years. This gives us a lot of back story on how Bruce almost had a chance at happiness, and how he almost gave up the vow to his parents.
These flashbacks also show us a lot of what birthed the Batman character. From the origin of the Batmobile and the Batcave, to some of Bruce's first fights as a vigilante. Which makes this movie a lot more important to the mythos of the series, and not just another throwaway movie based on a cartoon where the consequences involved within hold no bearing on the world like so many others do.
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In the present, if it's bad enough that the police are after Batman, and the Phantasm is offing gangsters, things get even more deadly when the Joker gets involved. You'd think that the Joker was just added to the film in hopes of drawing audiences to a familiar face and giving him no importance to the back story being given, but no. As the film progresses, you learn that Joker is just as important to the past as he is the present. Mark Hamill once again portrays the clown prince of crime, and once again proves why he is the greatest representation of this classic character. He can be silly, snarky, and downright frightening, just like how the Joker should be.
On an animation standpoint, it's about the same quality as the TV show, which is definitely not a knock at the quality in any way. Considering the show was always one of the best animated for its time, it looks even better in a theatrical format. There is a bit of CGI in the opening, but even that doesn't look dated or bad, especially for 1993.
If you haven't seen Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, or haven't in a long time, it's definitely worth checking out. It's one of the deeper representations of Batman on the big screen ever, and gives a lot more weight into Bruce Wayne's decision to honor his parents and become the Batman. It's chock full of action, never feels like it goes too slow, and never feels like it tries to insult the audience. Even the revelation of the Phantasm, which isn't too hard to guess by the time the revelation is made, still works for this great mystery. The voice acting is great, the animation is great, it has a great orchestral soundtrack, it's the perfect Batman story, and the perfect batman film. Perfect for day one of the 12 days of Reviews.