Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 1993.
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm.
Featuring the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo and Mark Hamill.
SYNOPSIS:
Batman is wrongly implicated in a series of murders of mob bosses actually committed by a new vigilante assassin.
In all of Batman’s multimedia appearances outside the comics and blockbuster feature films in this modern age, none may be as significant as Batman: The Animated Series for its impact on Batman fandom as well as DC animation, launching the DC Animated Universe. Spinning out of that series was the tie-in feature film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm which not only celebrates its 30th anniversary later this year, but will make its way onto 4K HDR release tomorrow. As an integral piece of Batman iconography released on several different formats over the years, how does the 4K disc stack up for fans to buy whether they’ve owned the film before or not?
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm sees Batman investigating the appearance of a new villain in Gotham City who begins murdering several members of Gotham’s mafia. As Batman is falsely accused of the murders and hunted by the police and an ambitious councilman, his lost love returns to town drawing back memories of his origins as Batman that seemingly connect to this new vigilante, even gaining the attention of Batman’s archnemesis The Joker.
One of the hallmarks of Batman: The Animated Series was how dramatic and serious it was for a children’s cartoon show, setting itself apart from many others throughout the 1990s and even still to this day. Mask of the Phantasm dials it up to 11 as the story focuses on its characters and the events that shaped them, influenced more by pulpy film noir mysteries than typical superhero action. It is one of the strongest deconstructions of Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman in and out of comics, rivalled only by Batman Begins in its exploration into Bruce’s psyche. The film really captures the tragedy behind Bruce’s trauma in some very surprising and moving ways. One of its most memorable scenes is a young Bruce begging his parent’s grave to release him from his vow so he could live a normal and happy life with his girlfriend Andrea. The writing, animation and performance by the legendary Kevin Conroy in this sequence highlight how Mask of the Phantasm was pushing its boundaries to be more than a simple animated superhero adventure.
On the note of Conroy, who sadly passed away last year, very few can top him as the voice of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Conroy performed the role for nearly 30 years in a variety of media, from BTAS and the rest of the DCAU in Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League to video games with DCAU tie-ins, Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham trilogy or NetherRealm’s Injustice games to several direct-to-DVD animated films. He even made a live-action appearance as Bruce Wayne in The CW’s DC crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths. There was just no other Batman voice actor who loved and dedicated himself to the role quite like Conroy, a fact even later Batman voice actors have readily admitted, as he tapped into Batman’s darkness, tragedy and humanity through his sense of justice and compassion.
While the 4K disc is lacking in special features for the film’s anniversary it is apt the sole feature is ‘Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight’, a 25-minute mini-documentary on Kevin Conroy’s legacy as Batman with colleagues including legendary voice director Andrea Romano, Batman executive producer Michael Uslan, BTAS creators Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, DC writer and former DC Entertainment COO Geoff Johns and a few co-stars like Dana Delany and Michael Rosenbaum reminiscing on their time with Conroy and how beloved he is by themselves as well as fans.
The 4K transfer doesn’t appear quite as crisp as it could be, but it is still smooth and vibrant with the animation looking the best it ever has on home media. Much like the BTAS Blu-ray boxset, it really highlights how revolutionary the ‘Dark Deco’ art style was by using black paper instead of white and the impact in creating such an atmospheric film noir tone.
It is a shame the disc doesn’t come with a host of special features as the film deserves to have its journey reflected, from the idea of it being a direct-to-video film to becoming a theatrical release to the animation and recording processes. Delany talks a bit about working with Conroy in the same recording room and how they created the chemistry between Bruce and Andrea together, but a whole feature dedicated to the recording sessions would have been great to see given the caliber of talent in the film, especially when it comes to Mark Hamill’s Joker and how much more of a menacing presence he is here than in the show since the Mask of the Phantasm crew had fewer restrictions on what they could and could not do in the story.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is nothing short of fantastic and one of the best Batman films ever made, live-action included. Conroy, Delany and Hamill are all on fire and the story’s mystery with its deep dive into Bruce Wayne’s past, motivations and emotions not only emphasize the greatness of Batman’s character, but just how perfect Conroy was throughout his nearly 30 years playing Batman. The lack of bonus material on the disc is unfortunate, but it is made up with an insightful and moving look at Conroy’s legacy while the 4K transfer is very good. Whether you already own Mask of the Phantasm on another format or are new to it for the first time, it is well worth adding to your collection.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
