Batman: Mast of the Phantasm - Even Dana Delany's Voice is Hot
"
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (
1993) is a
Warner Bros. Animation film under the overall direction of
Eric Radomski and
Bruce W. Timm that follows the
DC Comics character Batman (
Kevin Conroy) as he romances Andrea Beaumont (
Dana Delany), fights an impersonator who is killing off crime bosses and putting him on the wrong side of the law, and clear his name once and for all. It was released theatrically, but did not do well there. A spin-off of "Batman: The Animated Series" (1992) on the Fox Network, it is considered a cult hit and a must for the collections of serious Batman fans.
A gangster, Chuckie Sol (
Dick Miller), is killed shortly after Batman bursts into a meeting he was attending in Gotham City. Councilman Arthur Reeves (
Hart Bochner), a friend of Bruce Wayne, claims that Batman killed the man and that he needs to be stopped.
Meanwhile, we see a flashback of Bruce Wayne meeting Andrea Beaumont (
Dana Delany), and eventually he proposes marriage. She seems receptive, but then abruptly leaves town with her father Carl, ending her engagement. In despair at losing his love, Wayne decides to dedicate his life to fighting crime.
The mysterious Batman impersonator kills another crook, Buzz Bronski (
John P. Ryan). Wayne finds out that Beaumont has returned to Gotham City, but is disturbed to find out that her father may be involved with organized crime. The impersonator tries to kill another mob boss, Salvatore Valestra (
Abe Vigoda), but The Joker (
Mark Hamill) beats him to the man, who is found dead. The police want to arrest Batman, but Andrea picks him up in her car and they spend the night at Wayne's mansion.
Andrea says she and her dad were hiding out from the mob, which is why she left so abruptly. Reeves, it turns out, was on the mob payroll and told the crime syndicate where Beaumont's father was hiding.
The mysterious Batman impersonator finds the Joker at his hideout and removes the costume - it turns out to be Andrea, who turned into the Phantasm to avenge her father's death: the Joker was a hitman for Valestra who killed Carl Beaumont. Batman arrives, and a struggle ensues. Andrea then grabs the Joker and vanishes with him.
This is one of the few Batman films to explore Bruce Wayne's past. Rather than having an easy ride to becoming the playboy of Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne suffered through great sorrow with Andrea. He is revealed to have deep emotional scars from his younger life that drove him to fighting crime.
Many fans think that the 1992 Batman series (also starring Conroy) was the best Batman treatment ever. This film carries on that tradition. Andrea is drawn to be very attractive, and the turmoil between her and Batman is a lot truer to real life than many comic book romances. Dana Delany does a great job making her seem seductive, but conflicted. Batman's interactions with her and the others (such as Alfred, voiced by
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) turn him into a real character and not just a stereotypical character who happens to be a crime-fighter.
Of the five Batman movies, this is the best. The
animation is superb, dark and mysterious, with very direct lines and sharp, jagged edges. There almost is a film noir feel to many of the scenes, many of which come across as very heartfelt and dramatically satisfying.
Shirley Walker's soundtrack is appropriately spooky. If the film has any problem, it is that it is too short at 76 minutes. We don't get a good idea what the other gangsters that the Phantasm was killing had to do with Carl's death. When you have something this good, you naturally want more and more.
As you would expect, the actors voicing the villains have a lot of fun. Mark Hamill really hams it up as the Joker, and the extremely violent climactic struggle at the end of the film is worthy of a feature film.
Out of all the animated Batman productions, this is the best and most rewarding. You won't forget this one after you see it, and will probably want to watch it again.
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