Batman: Mask of the Phantasm review

Originally published January 28, 1994, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1054

Many moons ago, the folks at Warners Animation decided that they were going to produce a straight-to-video movie version of the popular Batman: The Animated Series. And then, somewhere along the way, they must have figured: What the hëll. Let’s put a few bucks into it and release it theatrically.

Thus we have Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, a sort of mixed breed, mixed bag of a film.

Since it wasn’t originally intended for big screen, the money apparently wasn’t there from the outset to provide the sort of animation that would really have made it sing. However there are a few moments in the film—particularly the 3D-like opening shot of Gotham—that are so striking, they wind up having a tacked-on feeling. As if someone said, “Well, if we are going theatrical, we’d better stick something in to make it look more impressive than afternoon animated fare.”

Still, one feels almost cretinous leveling complaints towards any Batman endeavor with genuinely serious intentions. After all, it seems only yesterday that every comic fan was bracing himself for another orgy of Bat-camp with the announcement of a Batman movie featuring a director and star best known for Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, respectively.

And Batman’s previous animated incarnation was flat, lifeless Saturday morning stuff, voiced by—if I recall correctly—Adam West.

What we have, then, in Phantasm, is something that once upon a time would have seemed beyond imagining, and beyond hope: a serious, reasonable animated Batman adventure. So I suppose we’re spoiled. If something is garbage, then we know it’s garbage and ignore it, hoping it’ll go away. But when something strives to be really fabulous—and even attains that goal from time to time—then it becomes that much more upsetting in those places where it falls short.

The story: In a plot apparently influenced by the Year One and Year Two Batman limited series, a caped villain called Phantasm has hit Gotham and is knocking off criminal types. As always seems to happen in cases like this, the blame for said murders is promptly pinned on Batman (Kevin Conroy, accidentally referred to in this column as Kevin Conway some weeks back).

Considering how frequently Batman takes the fall for these kinds of things, it’s amazing that every criminal in Gotham City isn’t sporting a cape and cowl by this time.

Although Commissioner Gordon remains steadfast, no one else in the city seems to care that Batman’s never done anything like this before, or seems aware of just how easy such a frame would be to set up. Then again, maybe they just don’t like the guy and are looking for an excuse to nail him.

While Batman deals with this assault on a professional front, his personal life takes a direct hit when the former love of his life, Andrea Beaumont (named after voice director Andrea Romano, mostly because Kevin Conroy had a habit of vocally caressing her name in between takes during recording sessions) returns to Gotham.

The story of their past relationship (in which we learn that Andrea is the woman who almost diverted Bruce Wayne from his destiny of vengeance) unfolds in a series of lengthy flashbacks: a fairly gutsy move for a film nominally aimed at younger viewers, many of whom find simple linear storytelling to be a challenge. Indeed, two-and-a-half-year-old Ariel was prone to demanding the whereabouts of “Matman” during the flashbacks.

It pays off, however, for the film’s emotional underpinning, and most of the strongest moments, are in the backstory.

Indeed, one of the flashback sequences which depicts a torn Bruce Wayne at his parents’ graveside, begging for release from the emotional crippling that their death caused (“I didn’t count on being happy!” he wails to the tombstone) is easily the most gut-wrenching moment in Batman’s cinematic life.

Another sequence details Bruce’s first foray into crime fighting, clad in black and taking on four warehouse-robbing goons. Just when he thinks he’s triumphed, a fifth goon with a machine gun pops out of a truck and opens fire. Even Ariel understood the jeopardy: The moment the fifth guy showed up and began shooting at our hero, Ariel declared, “Oh fug!” and continued to proclaim “Fug fug fug!“, not quite having gotten the hang of words ending in “k” yet. (To accusing looks, I pointed out defensively that at least the child was using it in the proper context.)

We see a younger Alfred as well, clucking and even indulgent over Master Bruce’s “plan.” (Upon Bruce’s discovery of the bat-filled cave under the manor, one almost expects him to snap his fingers and say, “That’s it! Of course! I shall become… a cave! I’ll be Caveman!”)

And as emotionally wrenching as the aforementioned graveyard scene is, likewise you find yourself chilled with Alfred’s reaction upon the first time Bruce dons his batgarb. In a way that Michael Keaton never managed (and Adam West never attempted) you get a true feeling for the tragedy that enveloped this young man’s life, and the awesome power that his parents extend even beyond the grave, all summarized by Alfred’s stunned and whispered “My God.” (“Oh, fug” might also have been appropriate.)

Due to the power of the backstory (Dana Delany as Andrea is particularly effective; with a character as thinly delineated as she is—aside from sharing Bruce’s penchant for chatting with corpses, we never really have any idea what distinguishes her from the dozens of other young socialites Bruce encountered—Delany gives us someone whose voice alone we could fall in love with) the shortcomings of the main plot become that much more sharply drawn.

Batman hustles around the city, trying to track down the Phantasm while, at the same time, avoiding the cops. Rarely have we seen Batman so close to the end of his batrope, at one point hightailing down an alleyway, without his car, without his mask, and a ton of cops at his heels. Meantime, the Phantasm’s next likely target, Sal Valestra (Abe Vigoda)—thinking that it is, indeed, Batman who is out to get him—seeks to hire Batman’s arch enemy, the Joker (Mark Hamill) to protect him.

This is, of course, a loser move. The Joker, of all people? I could see hiring the Penguin to nail Batman, or Two-Face, or Poison Ivy. The Joker, on the other hand, is the most likely to turn on his employer. It’s like hiring Lorena Bobbitt to work a bris.

However, we should be happy; unencumbered by the strictures of the Fox network’s standards and practices office, this Joker is even more dangerous than the TV version. The Joker (and, likewise, the Phantasm) is lethal. And, sure, the Joker’s presence doesn’t make much story sense. But hearing Hamill’s high-decibel laughter cackling through the theater is enough to jolt any youngsters who might have dozed through that mushy romantic stuff.

Unfortunately, story sense is where Mask of the Phantasm takes its greatest lumps. It is truly ironic that, whereas the animated Batman is freed from the live-action shackles of a clunky suit and herky-jerky fight scenes, the film shares the same story deficiencies that burden the Burton efforts.

Here we have Batman, the world’s greatest detective. Ultimately, though, he solves nothing. He never really manages to stop the Phantasm, or the Joker, or even come close to doing so. He remains one step ahead of the cops (barely) and two steps behind the villains (constantly). Every key plot decision is taken out of his hands, starting with the flashbacks (he doesn’t give up Andrea to become Batman; she dumps him and spurs it on) through to the conclusion of the Batman/Phantasm/Joker storyline as Batman stands there, watches it unfold, and ultimately doesn’t do anything to bring about a resolution.

Considering how well the daily afternoon series hangs together, it is amazing that a story couldn’t be crafted for the film that makes Batman more of a participant. Sure, there have been animated episodes where Batman is merely a supporting character, or even almost non-existent (“Harley and Ivy” comes to mind.) Even in those, however, Batman figures into the conclusion somehow.

Even more bizarrely, Phantasm has the same gaping plot hole at its conclusion that Batman Returns had. Specifically, the film ends with the bat signal being shined against the clouds, but Batman is still wanted by the cops. Boy, I bet that’s a signal he’ll answer double quick, huh? (“What is it, Commissioner?” “Batman, you’re under arrest.” “Oh, dámņ. Forgot about that.”) It wouldn’t have been quite so bad if the Batman-chased-by-police stuff hadn’t been the film’s centerpiece action sequence. But it was, and the failure to resolve it is that much more noticeable.

Add to that the inconsistent animation. Some moments are edge-of-the-seat gripping, but others scream of cut-rate budgets. Particularly awful, for example, is a sequence at a party where party-goers are painted right into the background. It saves money on having to animate them. Swell. But watching an extended sequence where some guy in the background has one arm raised and his mouth open—and doesn’t budge the whole time—is like watching a soiree at a mannequin convention.

Ultimately, then, is it worth going to see? Depends. Based purely on the merits of the film and story, you can easily wait for it to come to video. That was its original intended venue anyway, and on the small screen many of the animation deficiencies won’t be as screamingly evident.

On the other hand, it’s certainly entertaining enough, as long as your child is old enough to understand the concept of flashbacks and won’t whine at you, “Where’s Batman?” every five minutes.

And should comic fans see it? Absolutely. Why? Because perhaps a successful box office performance might send a message to Warners that the support for such endeavors is there, and they might consider putting some more money into any future ventures. That way the grade of animation might be higher—and maybe they can even afford an ending that works.

(Peter David, writer of stuff, gives a belated “Most” award to all the Diamond retailers who attended Diamond’s 10th Annual conclave: The Most Full Of It Award. During the DC presentation, Image publisher Tony Lobito was introduced, and received a chorus of boos. He then announced the Batman/Spawn team-up—and was greeted with resounding and stony silence. And I leaned over to my guest and murmured, “Watch. They sit on their hands now, but I guarantee you when the thing’s solicited, they’ll order it through the roof. Top 5, if not Number One.” So now the solicits are out, with the project on both the front and back cover of Previews, and we will be most interested to see the outcome.)