Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

MOVIE
VIDEO
AUDIO
EXTRAS
OVERALL

One Disc/Double Sided
Anamorphic 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio and 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
English & French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
English & French
Theatrical Trailer
76 Minutes
Keep Case

MOVIE
Rated PG for mild cartoon violence with a little bit of blood.

I remember the first Batman movie I saw, way back when in 1989; how excited I was, how it was that godawful Batman: The Movie with Adam West and Burt Ward due to one of my mother's many ratings embargos whereby I wasn't old enough to see the real one, being only ten. So my first filmic experience with the Dark Knight involved Adam West in tights hanging from a helicopter with a shark on his leg, spraying aerosol "shark repellent." As I shiver and try to rid my mind of that, I'll move on. I did get to see the REAL 1989 Batman film shortly thereafter, as I'd already seen it during the day, so it wasn't hard to convince my mother that any damage had already been done and she should just let me watch it again. It was a family viewing experience then. Along with my seven year old brother. Sigh.
So, Burton's Batman was followed in rapid succession by his equally dreary and dark and fun Batman Returns. Then Burton left, taking Michael Keaton and the dark Gotham City with him, paving the way for Joel "I've just been skating by on borrowed time and talent" Schumacher, fluorescent lights and two other Batmans (Val Kilmer & George Clooney) who then proceeded to do everything in his power to DRIVE THIS FRANCHISE INTO THE GROUND. But let me backtrack a bit. With Batman's resurgence in popularity due to first, Frank Miller's brilliant (it's not a comic book!) Graphic Novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns which proved that viewers would be able to buy a darker and more serious Batman, and then the mind blowing success of Burton's Batman, an animated series was created, keeping with a slightly lighter tone than the film, revitalizing other characters of Gotham. So, the year after Batman Returns came out, we got Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. No, it's not a bizarre crossover film tie in with Don Coscarelli's Phantasm series; it's a bigger budget version of the animated series.
In it, Bruce Wayne (voiced by Kevin Conroy) deals with a relationship with Andrea Beaumont (voiced by Dana Delany) he lost because he became The Bat. At the same time that he's having this crisis of faith, prominent businessmen, family men, you might say, are being killed off one by one by a mysterious specter called Phantasm. (One of the mobsters was voiced by Abe Vigoda, providing me with strange flashbacks from TV's Fish) The Phantasm's more than slight resemblance to Batman has caused the police force and government of Gotham, much to Commissioner Gordon's chagrin, to crack down and try to capture Batman. When the Phantasm gets closer and closer to finishing his job, The Joker (voiced delightfully by Mark Hamill) comes out of hiding, thinking that he might be next.
If only they still made Batman movies like this, and Burton's two films. Instead what do we get? Fetishist fluorescent garbage. But Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is not only as good as Burton's Batman, but even better than his follow-up. The story is rich and complex and Batman broods the way Batman should, not the way Val Kilmer did. The voice work is tremendous, with kudos going to Mark Hamill, no longer the whiney ("I was going to Tachi station to pick up some power converters") little boy he once was, his voice has dulled and deepened into a gravelly rasp that is just perfect for the Joker.
While the animation still looks slightly Television, as opposed to more Disney fare, it is still great animation, highly stylized and fun to look at. It's Gotham as it always was in our minds, towering, with little sky visible and, while in the buildings, little street visible as well. The color scheme is great and the designs of the characters as well, though Bruce Wayne is a bit too hulking for those of us who liked the idea of wimpy Michael Keaton in that suit, allowing him to unleash The Bat within. Very enjoyable. Hopefully Batman VS Superman and Batman: Year One will follow this type of Batman instead of Joel "My Batsuit has nipples and a sculpted butt" Schumacher's.

VIDEO QUALITY
Both the original theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio and the pan and scan 1.33:1 ratio are presented on flipsides of the disc like most older Warner releases. While the blacks are rich and deep, which is good for such a dark film, the color is quite ramped up, giving the whole film an over saturated feel. To be sure, I tried it on another TV and player and still got the too red reds. This downgrades the star rating, but isn't bad enough to take away enjoyment of the film.

AUDIO QUALITY
The score fills the speakers in quite a good 2.0 audio mix. It's a shame that a 5.1 mix wasn't included as well because the range is in the film and it lent itself to fuller surrounds. However, that being said, the audio mix is rich, with dialogue nicely separated and explosions explosive.

EXTRAS
All that is provided in the way of extras besides "both Widescreen and full frame formats!" is a theatrical trailer that, while good, should be a standard DVD feature anyway. This leads me to cry foul when this and interactive menus are touted as extras.

CLOSING THOUGHTS
This is not a kiddie cartoon, and I know there are still some of us that feel that way about cartoons. This is Batman at his peak. I'd gladly put it up there with movies Batman and Batman Returns, and graphic novels Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: The Killing Joke as the absolute best the Batman universe has to offer. And the DVD, at a fairly low asking price, is one worth owning.