Batman: Mask of the Phantasm marks one of the first times we have ever seen the backstory of Batman on the big screen. Of course we have seen his parents getting shot in the first Tim Burton film, but Mask of the Phantasm takes this concept to a whole new level. The film explains as to why, how, and when Bruce Wayne donned the Batman mask for the first time, Wayne searching for who he really is and trying to live a normal life, developing a relationship with a woman named Andrea Beaumont, who becomes much more of a solid character as the film progresses. When Andrea leaves Bruce, soon after Burce engages to her, Batman believes that he has lost his only chance of having a normal life and continues his plans of becoming a crime fighter, becoming the Caped Crusader for the first time. And when he becomes the Caped Crusader for the first time, you are really shocked and pleased at the same time, for you feel kinda bad for Bruce and wish you could help him, however, you are glad you finally know the truth, the truth of why Batman is Batman and why he wants to defend the city from crime and treachery. It's something that goes back to the early days of the comics, the days when Batman was new, and you see his training, his ambition, his quest to defend people from suffering the same fate of his parents as well as why he wishes to take on the form of a Bat. Of course Batman's backstory has been altered drastically throughout the years, each version of the Black Savior of Gotham doing something different and fresh for a new set of eyes. And this version of Batman's backstory is certainly different from the others, though quite satisfying, for it gave us the backstory we wished and prayed for when we watched The Animated Series on our television set. Bruce Wayne wants to be a normal person, move on from the events of that one tragic night, although it is a hard, rocky journey without reward, and you can really feel his pain, relate to him in a sense.
Now let's talk about the villains. Mark Hamill's Joker. Do I even need to go into any detail? He has solidified himself has one of the best interpretations of the character, coming out funny and cooky, yet terrifying and sadistic at the same time. And what's Mark Hamill's Joker without his sinister yet funny Joker laugh. The Joker does laugh a lot in this film, particularly in the action scenes and the scenes where he is associating with another person, although Mark Hamill's Joker is at his finest in his film. Some of the things he does in this film, as I said before, can "freak you out", make you just as sick to your stomach as when the Joker shoves a guy's head onto a pencil in The Dark Knight. For example, there is a scene where he makes a guy laugh himself to the point where he has to be taken to a hospital where he is pinned to a table by the doctors. The Joker's hideout is also kinda creepy, it's somewhat of a amusement park attraction that Bruce and Andrea visit earlier in the film, and the Joker does some pretty funny, yet demented things with the animatronic dummies present in the attraction. And I do love Batman's final confrontation with the Joker, the Joker taunting Batman as he always does during their fights. But then, our next villain, which I'll simply call the Phantom, takes on the Joker, the two disappearing in a cloud of thick smoke. The Phantom, as we see throughout the film, causes trouble by killing of gangsters and tracking down some of Gotham's most scheeming crimelords. And the Phantom has quite a few great scenes with Batman, who it often frames for the mass murders of the gangsters and fights in a few brief action sequences.Later, as the film reaches it's climax, we find out that the Phantom is in fact Andrea, who is tracking down the criminal who are responsible for her father' s death. When I first saw the film, I was very surprised at that revelation, and I'm sure a lot of were surprised as well, for we never expected such a bulky villain like the Phantom to be a girl. But the whole thing works flawlessly, for Andrea was a very well developed character by the point when she reveals herself to be the Phantom and we can see her pain and quest for vengeance against those who ruined her life, Batman telling her to let go of her hatred and move on as he has. And in the end, Batman and Andrea the Phantom get even with one another, going their seperate ways in the journey to find where they belong. And that my friends isn't something seen a lot in super hero films, for heroes and villains often end up hating one another or wanting to kill one another's loved ones.
The animation of the film is what you would expect from Batman: The Animated Series, fit with that shady, black colored scenary, along with some highly fitting 3-D elements as well. It is through this stellar animation that we really see the hard work and dedication put into it, each animated scene complimenting the story and making it more vivid, more in depth. The animated series is also known for this art, and it can really make things fun to look at, particularly in the background and in action scenes where the heroes and villains and moving around a lot or causing a lot of motion. And animation isn't an easy process, let me tell you, for one single scene can take up to 100 drawings to create, each drawing making the animation fluent, consistent. The shadowy, gritty take on some of the scenes is really stunning, some of the scenes very reminiscent to some of the scenes from the show as well as the show's opening, which were obviously inspired by the Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940s. One of my favorite scenes from the entire film is the scene where Batman is sitting in the shadowy depths of his Bat fortress, clutching his Batman mask as he prepares to put it upon his face for the first time. That alone symbolizes Batman, his internal conflict and the ghastly decisions he must make throughout his journey. He probably still has doubts as to if he wants to become Batman or not by that point, but he makes the prudent decision one way or the other, realizing that even know he may run into many struggles donning the ego of Batman, he can still help people, defend the city, prevent the deaths of many people and make sure those who wish to spread death throughout the city are brought to justice. It's a pivotal element in a superhero's character arc, for what would a superhero be without a backstory that explains how and why he became the superhero in the first place? And Batman has one of the most vivid, most highly developed backstories that truly makes him different from other heroes like Superman and Spider-Man.
I really like the designs of Batman, the Joker and even the Phantom in this film. Batman and the Joker look similar to the way they did in the animated show, with a few minor changes here and there, and the cartoony, yet fitting build on the characters makes them fun to look at, fun to analyze and compare to their comic book interpretations. The design of the Phantom is very appropriate for the character, looking somewhat like a Grim Reaper or hooded menace bend on revenge. Like I said before, that really can trick you into thinking there is a guy under there, when in fact it is a girl, doing her best to hide her true form and hide within the shadows. The Phantom is surely one of my favorite villains out of the DC animated universe, for she is surely unique and has many trademarks that makes her the oddball out of all the other villains we have seen throughout Static Shock, Superman: The Animated Series and the Justice League. And the fact that ever character blends in with their surroundings flawlessly makes me like them even more, for the way a character looks in a certain enviroment can have a pivotal impact on how we look at the picture's entirety, the way the picture sticks out in our minds. The voice actors also compliment on the animation profoundly, the voices of each character fitting for the character's personality and trademarks. I really like Kevin Conroy as the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman, for he can add an edge to the character in ways no one else can. Dana Delany is also quite good as the voice of Andrea and she may very well sound familiar to some of you DC animated universe gurus. That's because Delany also voices Lois Lane on Superman: The Animated Series, another one of my all time favorites and another grand slam in 90s animated television series. The other voices actors are also at their finest, even Sal Tessio himself, Abe Vigoda voices the character of Velestra, a character perfectly mirroring Vigoda's role of Tessio in the first Godfather film. Hey, at least he's not voicing a talking penguin!
I highly recommend this film to any Batman fanatic, and I'm sure just about all Batman fanatics have seen this film and the awesome animated series it was based upon. Just about everything in this film fits Batman like a hat on a cat's head, making Batman a character that touches us rather than an average run of the mill hero. In just about all interpretations of Batman, even the campy, bat burger eating Adam West Batman, we can see the character's struggle and ambition to take action, go an extra mile to put an end to any horrid crimes or goings on in Gotham City, making sure the city remains safe and secure for the people who live in it. And Batman can be a little intimidating at times, but, hey, it's Batman, and Batman's gotta go a little "bat crazy" in order to get information from his enemies. But this is certainly one of the those films where we feel for him, and hope that he makes the right choices in his crime fighting career, making decisions that will not only benefit himself, but the other people he defends, the people he loves and cares for. The animation is intriguing and down right dazzling to look at, distinguishing it from all other Batman adaptations with it's animated appropriate style and depth. And the voice actors really know what they are doing, putting a tremendous amount of effort into the characters they are bringing life too and making them as realistic as they can. And the music, the music in all of it's high pitched glory is fitting in such a edgy world, a world far different than our world in many ways and if I were to some up the classy, yet timeless music that still sounds great to this very day in one word, it would be very, well, "Danny Elfmanish", although I am aware that Elfman did work on some of the scores for Batman: The Animated Series.
So how do you wrap up such a powerful animated flick. With a powerful animated ending, an ending that somewhat parallels the ending of Tim Burton's first Batman film. No Batman film is complete without a shot of Batman standing on the top of a building and looking out at the Bat Signal, you know what I talking about, don't you? With crime building up once again in Gotham, Batman flies out into the distance, ready to take on whatever it is that terrorizes the city. And that scene alone solidifies this film for me, makes it a masterpiece, for it embodies all that Batman is known for and makes it much, much better to observe, to love and share with family and friends. I know I love what this film has going for it and it is one of the many reasons why Batman is one of my all time favorites. The film shows that Batman is different, and that superheroes CAN be taken seriously, no matter what their powers are or what goofy costumes they put upon their bodies. This film proves that these heroes can be just as character driven and motivated as the citizens of reality and that you are not a lifetime away from fulfilling something groundbreaking, something that will change the world and the lives of others. And Batman has changed the world, changed the lives of others, all because he believed in himself and what he could accomplish, something clearly displayed within this masterpiece of a blockbuster.
Its one of my great search and I am very happy that I have found this great materialistic post. Batman is the best character in the Comic world.
ReplyDeleteWatch TV Shows Online