“Please! I need it to be different now. I know I made a promise, but I didn’t see this coming. I didn’t count on being happy.“
Bruce Wayne
Easily dismissed as tie-in to capitalize on the popularity of the animated series, Mask of the Phantasm is instead a stunning deep dive into grief and how you can either use it for good, or let it consume you.
Batman’s investigation into the Phantasm – killer of several mob bosses – weaves between flashbacks of a younger Bruce, with an interesting sidestep into the origin of another famous character too. The mysteries aren’t particularly deep, but what makes it special is how the story is told, and the astounding quality of the voice cast.
As a kid I thought about BTAS and Phantasm superficially. They looked cool, from the best looking grapple gun there is to the sleek vehicles. As an adult I appreciate how Conroy, Hamill, and the rest of the cast bring pathos to their character’s situations. They treat the material seriously, and deeply understand how to bring the best to their portrayals. These voices are considered definitive for good reason. There’s plenty of bombast – I dread to think how many suits Alfred needs to make and repair – with Batman even scaring the Joker at one point. But it always boils down to emotion. Everything makes sense.
You can’t underestimate how much having a good understanding of the character helps. Batman has loved and lost more than any one person should, but he keeps going. It’s not about the suit or the wonderful toys. Apart from the Batwing there’s actually very little in the way of gadgets. The cloth suit (with some excellent cape shoulder shrugging) adds a levels of danger to proceedings. It’s all down to smarts, agility, and sheer bloody mindedness.
Is this the best Batman film? In terms of doing justice to both Bruce and Batman, it’s at least on par with Batman Begins in my eyes. Weirdly I think it might be too short, and I’d have liked some explanation on how the Phantasm does what they do.
Mask of the Phantasm is an amazing film. A near perfect encapsulation of what makes Batman Batman and a highpoint in the The Dark Knight’s history.
I met Kevin Conroy in 2018, where he stunned me by remembering the tweet I’d sent him the week before. A thoughtful man who fundamentally understood both the character he portrayed and the fans who adored them both. He will always be Batman, and though we only met briefly, I’ll miss him greatly.
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