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Description
"Your angel of death awaits."

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with one of only a couple of animated Batman films to get a major theatrical release, and it features the Dark Knight solving a string of horrific murders by the hands of a murderous vigilante; Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Batman confronts a group of Gotham City crime bosses led by Chuckie Sol, who are intending to launder millions of counterfeit dollars in a casino. As Sol escapes to his car, a cloaked figure attacks him; Sol is killed when the figure causes him to drive out the side of a parking garage and crash into a neighboring building. Batman is seen immediately afterwards, and is blamed for killing Sol. Councilman Arthur Reeves publicly antagonizes Batman, vowing to have him arrested.
During a series of flashbacks, a young Bruce Wayne meets Andrea Beaumont while visiting his parents' grave, and they form a deep mutual attraction.
That night, in one of his first crime-fighting attempts, Bruce foils an armored car robbery, but is discouraged because the criminals did not fear him. Bruce proposes marriage to Andrea, who accepts. However, Andrea mysteriously leaves Gotham with her father, businessman Carl Beaumont, ending her engagement in a Dear John letter. Heartbroken, Bruce becomes Batman over the course of ten years.
The cloaked figure murders another gangster, Buzz Bronski, in the same cemetery Bruce met Andrea. Buzz's bodyguards see the same mysterious figure flee the scene and presume it is Batman. Batman investigates Bronski's death and wanders to his parents' tombstone, encountering Andrea. She is startled by Batman's appearance and deduces his identity.
Batman finds evidence linking Carl Beaumont with Sol, Bronski and a third gangster: Salvatore Valestra. He breaks into Valestra's home and finds a picture of Bronski, Valestra, Sol and Beaumont seated at a table. When he visits Andrea to get more answers she rebuffs him. Meanwhile, Valestra, believing Batman killed the others and will come for him, turns to Reeves, who rebuffs him, figuring he is a now an aged, powerless gangster. Valestra then contacts his former assassin for help, who turns out to be the Joker.
Who is the Phantasm, and will Batman be able to clear his name?

The story is very well written as it stays very loyal to the dark tone and heroic spirit of the series, but it also features a very well done Batman origin story during the flashbacks. On top of that, there is a well crafted detective story with Batman trying to piece together who the Phantasm is, which can be intriguing. Also, the action scenes are very solid and intense, there is some good humor thanks to the Joker, and there's some very compelling drama. Plus, this movie goes all out with it's PG rating by having the action scenes be more intense than usual, even going as far as showing some blood, and the fact that this movie has a body count. However, i will say that it is kinda obvious who the Phantasm is if you really delve into it even before the big reveal.
The action scenes have definetely been upped since this is a movie. Not only are they still very thrilling and fun, but they're much more intense and violent than usual such as the opening scene with Batman taking out the thugs which leads to the Phantasm chasing down Sol and killing him, Bruce's first attempts at fighting crime in one of the flashbacks, Batman vs. the Phantasm, Batman getting chased down by the police, and the big final battle between Batman, the Joker, and the Phantasm.
The drama is another component of the film that very solid, and it's primarily shown with Bruce and Andrea's romance and how it can be very turbulent, especially with the paths they've chosen.
There's also some much needed humor in the film, and it's thankfully very funny such as some of the witty banter and dialogue between the characters, and the Joker goofing around with some of the gags he pulls, and some of his lines.
The animation is just as amazing as it was in the series, and has even received a bit of an upgrade. The characters all still have their iconic designs and movements that are more fluid than normal, the backgrounds are incredibly well painted and detailed as well as having a larger scope to them, and there are some great effects like the Phantasm's smoke, and all the fire and explosions.
The characters are all just as well written and complex as they were in the show, and the new ones are great new additions.
Batman is still just as bad-ass and calculating as ever, and we do get a neat origin story for him of how Bruce became Batman and decided to go down this path. And during the flashbacks, we see Bruce going through some emotional trauma regarding wanting to have a happy life despite his parents being dead.
The rest of the characters from the show like Alfred, Jim, and Bullock are still very solid and likable characters as they are still very supportive to Bruce, and do play a good role in the plot.
The new characters featured in the film are also very solid and likable, and do play a key role in the story such as Bruce's long lost love Andrea, the gangsters being targeted like Chuckie Sol, Buzz Bronski, and Sal Valstera, and the antagonizing councilman Arthur Reeves who may have a couple of secrets of his own.
The Phantasm is a pretty solid antagonist as without saying who it is, they are very intimidating and can be very formidable. But when you realize who it is and their motives, they become more sympathetic and understandable. Also, they're pretty much a darker version of Batman.
While the Phantasm is technically the main antagonist, the Joker also appears as a secondary villain. And he's thankfully just as dangerous and funny as he ever was. He even plays a part in the mystery.
The voice acting is just as solid as it was in the show, and all the voice actors deliver amazing performances like Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred, Dana Delany as Andrea, Hart Bochner as Arthur, Stacy Keach as Carl and the masked Phantasm, Abe Vigoda as Sal, Dick Miller as Chuckie, John P. Ryan as Buzz, Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon, and Robert Costanzo as Bullock.
The music by Shirley Walker is absolutely phenomenal. Her work in the show was already great, but by having a larger chorus due to this being a movie, she was allowed to have the music be more grand and gothic. And it really pays off. The best musical moments are when Batman first puts on the mask in the final flashback, the opening credits, Batman and Joker's brutal battle with a fiery outcome, and the final scene where Batman goes into the night.

Overall, This is not only a great companion piece to the series, but it's also right up there among the best Batman movies along with the 1989 film, the Dark Knight trilogy, and "The Batman". This is a must watch for any Batman fan, whether you're familiar with the series or not.

Cast:
Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Mark Hamill as The Joker
Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumont
Hart Bochner as Arthur Reeves
Stacy Keach as Carl Beaumont, The Phantasm
Abe Vigoda as Sal "The Wheezer" Valestra
Dick Miller as Chuckie Sol
John P. Ryan as Buzz Bronski
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth
Bob Hastings as Commissioner James Gordon
Robert Costanzo as Detective Harvey Bullock
Arleen Sorkin as Mrs. Bambi

Crew:
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm
Screenplay by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves
Story by Alan Burnett
Produced by Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan
Music by Shirley Walker

Misc.
Based on "Batman: The Animated Series" created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Production company: Warner Bros. Animation
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date: December 25, 1993
Running time: 1 hour, 18 minutes

Description
"Your angel of death awaits."

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with one of only a couple of animated Batman films to get a major theatrical release, and it features the Dark Knight solving a string of horrific murders by the hands of a murderous vigilante; Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Batman confronts a group of Gotham City crime bosses led by Chuckie Sol, who are intending to launder millions of counterfeit dollars in a casino. As Sol escapes to his car, a cloaked figure attacks him; Sol is killed when the figure causes him to drive out the side of a parking garage and crash into a neighboring building. Batman is seen immediately afterwards, and is blamed for killing Sol. Councilman Arthur Reeves publicly antagonizes Batman, vowing to have him arrested.
During a series of flashbacks, a young Bruce Wayne meets Andrea Beaumont while visiting his parents' grave, and they form a deep mutual attraction.
That night, in one of his first crime-fighting attempts, Bruce foils an armored car robbery, but is discouraged because the criminals did not fear him. Bruce proposes marriage to Andrea, who accepts. However, Andrea mysteriously leaves Gotham with her father, businessman Carl Beaumont, ending her engagement in a Dear John letter. Heartbroken, Bruce becomes Batman over the course of ten years.
The cloaked figure murders another gangster, Buzz Bronski, in the same cemetery Bruce met Andrea. Buzz's bodyguards see the same mysterious figure flee the scene and presume it is Batman. Batman investigates Bronski's death and wanders to his parents' tombstone, encountering Andrea. She is startled by Batman's appearance and deduces his identity.
Batman finds evidence linking Carl Beaumont with Sol, Bronski and a third gangster: Salvatore Valestra. He breaks into Valestra's home and finds a picture of Bronski, Valestra, Sol and Beaumont seated at a table. When he visits Andrea to get more answers she rebuffs him. Meanwhile, Valestra, believing Batman killed the others and will come for him, turns to Reeves, who rebuffs him, figuring he is a now an aged, powerless gangster. Valestra then contacts his former assassin for help, who turns out to be the Joker.
Who is the Phantasm, and will Batman be able to clear his name?

The story is very well written as it stays very loyal to the dark tone and heroic spirit of the series, but it also features a very well done Batman origin story during the flashbacks. On top of that, there is a well crafted detective story with Batman trying to piece together who the Phantasm is, which can be intriguing. Also, the action scenes are very solid and intense, there is some good humor thanks to the Joker, and there's some very compelling drama. Plus, this movie goes all out with it's PG rating by having the action scenes be more intense than usual, even going as far as showing some blood, and the fact that this movie has a body count. However, i will say that it is kinda obvious who the Phantasm is if you really delve into it even before the big reveal.
The action scenes have definetely been upped since this is a movie. Not only are they still very thrilling and fun, but they're much more intense and violent than usual such as the opening scene with Batman taking out the thugs which leads to the Phantasm chasing down Sol and killing him, Bruce's first attempts at fighting crime in one of the flashbacks, Batman vs. the Phantasm, Batman getting chased down by the police, and the big final battle between Batman, the Joker, and the Phantasm.
The drama is another component of the film that very solid, and it's primarily shown with Bruce and Andrea's romance and how it can be very turbulent, especially with the paths they've chosen.
There's also some much needed humor in the film, and it's thankfully very funny such as some of the witty banter and dialogue between the characters, and the Joker goofing around with some of the gags he pulls, and some of his lines.
The animation is just as amazing as it was in the series, and has even received a bit of an upgrade. The characters all still have their iconic designs and movements that are more fluid than normal, the backgrounds are incredibly well painted and detailed as well as having a larger scope to them, and there are some great effects like the Phantasm's smoke, and all the fire and explosions.
The characters are all just as well written and complex as they were in the show, and the new ones are great new additions.
Batman is still just as bad-ass and calculating as ever, and we do get a neat origin story for him of how Bruce became Batman and decided to go down this path. And during the flashbacks, we see Bruce going through some emotional trauma regarding wanting to have a happy life despite his parents being dead.
The rest of the characters from the show like Alfred, Jim, and Bullock are still very solid and likable characters as they are still very supportive to Bruce, and do play a good role in the plot.
The new characters featured in the film are also very solid and likable, and do play a key role in the story such as Bruce's long lost love Andrea, the gangsters being targeted like Chuckie Sol, Buzz Bronski, and Sal Valstera, and the antagonizing councilman Arthur Reeves who may have a couple of secrets of his own.
The Phantasm is a pretty solid antagonist as without saying who it is, they are very intimidating and can be very formidable. But when you realize who it is and their motives, they become more sympathetic and understandable. Also, they're pretty much a darker version of Batman.
While the Phantasm is technically the main antagonist, the Joker also appears as a secondary villain. And he's thankfully just as dangerous and funny as he ever was. He even plays a part in the mystery.
The voice acting is just as solid as it was in the show, and all the voice actors deliver amazing performances like Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred, Dana Delany as Andrea, Hart Bochner as Arthur, Stacy Keach as Carl and the masked Phantasm, Abe Vigoda as Sal, Dick Miller as Chuckie, John P. Ryan as Buzz, Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon, and Robert Costanzo as Bullock.
The music by Shirley Walker is absolutely phenomenal. Her work in the show was already great, but by having a larger chorus due to this being a movie, she was allowed to have the music be more grand and gothic. And it really pays off. The best musical moments are when Batman first puts on the mask in the final flashback, the opening credits, Batman and Joker's brutal battle with a fiery outcome, and the final scene where Batman goes into the night.

Overall, This is not only a great companion piece to the series, but it's also right up there among the best Batman movies along with the 1989 film, the Dark Knight trilogy, and "The Batman". This is a must watch for any Batman fan, whether you're familiar with the series or not.

Cast:
Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Mark Hamill as The Joker
Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumont
Hart Bochner as Arthur Reeves
Stacy Keach as Carl Beaumont, The Phantasm
Abe Vigoda as Sal "The Wheezer" Valestra
Dick Miller as Chuckie Sol
John P. Ryan as Buzz Bronski
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth
Bob Hastings as Commissioner James Gordon
Robert Costanzo as Detective Harvey Bullock
Arleen Sorkin as Mrs. Bambi

Crew:
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm
Screenplay by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves
Story by Alan Burnett
Produced by Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan
Music by Shirley Walker

Misc.
Based on "Batman: The Animated Series" created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Production company: Warner Bros. Animation
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date: December 25, 1993
Running time: 1 hour, 18 minutes