Batman: La máscara del fantasma

Out of all the Batman films so far, including all the live action films, this one is still the only one to really explore the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman and examine what drove him to becoming Batman.

It has a great story that flashes back to just before Bruce took up the mantle of the bat and the woman he was involved with at the time, then skips forward to an unknown assassin killing Gotham City's mobsters, and we see how the 2 story's meet. The writing is top-notch, in no-way predictable and the voice acting by Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker truly amazing and bone-chillingly scary.

The only complaints is that the animation could have been better at some points, but that is because it was originally meant to be a straight to video release before Warner's saw what a masterpiece they had created, and also it should have run for a little bit longer, but oh well. If you haven't yet seen it i highly recommend it.

Ever since Phantasm came to the theaters, I was hoping that WB would put another animated movie of that caliber on the big screen again. Phantasm is the essence of the true Batman. No bogus sidekicks, the Gotham PD hunting down Batman as if he were a threat, and a great interaction with Alfred. For any die hard Batman fan this is truly a must.

This is easily the best interpretation of Batman I have seen in animated form, and along with Tim Burton's sometimes unfairly maligned 'Batman Returns', the best Batman movie to date. There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about movie versions of Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns' and/or 'Batman: Year One' (the latter being an obvious inspiration for 'Mask Of The Phantasm'), I just hope that if either eventually get made they are as good as this. The popular 1960s campy TV series was an absolute hoot, but unfortunately has permanently coloured a lot of people's expectations of Batman, a character generally a lot darker and more twisted than most people expect. The animation in this movie is excellent, the script isn't a masterpiece but it's very good, and the actors involved include some great talents like Stacy Keach ('The Ninth Configuration'), 'Star Wars' Mark Hamill (as The Joker), John P. Ryan ('Runaway Train'), and Roger Corman legend Dick Miller ('A Bucket Of Blood'). I think most fans of Batman in any of his comic book incarnations over the years will enjoy this one a lot. It's first rate.

Based on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' is pure Awesomeness! A very fun ride, that's packed with twists & sharp action-sequences.

'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' Synopsis: Batman is wrongly implicated in a series of murders of mob bosses actually done by a new vigilante assassin.

'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' works from start to end. The main plot is extraordinary, offering an all twist in the caped crusader's legend, while the romantic-track, though slightly lethargic, has moments of emotions. And the Action-Sequences are sharp. In fact, the Animation is just top-class!

Alan Burnett, Paul Dinim, Martin Pasko & Michael Reaves's Screenplay is excellent. Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm's Direction is of high-standard. Vocal-Performances are sure to mesmerize. Kevin Conroy as Batman, gives the legend a voice with sheer restrain. Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumont, is a delight. Hart Bochner as City Councilman Arthur Reeves, is deliciously despicable. Stacy Keach as Carl Beaumont, doesn't lack conviction. Mark Hamill as Joker, however, steals the show. What a frighteningly stunning performance!

On the whole, 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' is a massive winner!

Superhero fans of my generation had tons of great cartoons to watch while we we're growing up, and Batman: The Animated Series was right up there among the best. It combined action with a cool art style and serious plots that made the show just as appealing to adults as it was to kids. Mask of the Phantasm is a side-story of that amazing show, so it's no surprise that I still love it all these years later.

Phantasm works so well because it pairs the usual themes of the show with an extremely bittersweet love story and tons of the detective elements that are always present in Batman's best tales. Equal time is spent with the present day mystery of the Phantasm, and Bruce's early experiments with vigilante justice.

It's great to see Bruce Wayne get equal focus in the story, and in many ways the scenes with him out of costume are the most interesting and pivotal to the story. The Joker plays a crucial part in the plot, and a woman is introduced who had a powerful influence on Bruce's decision to become Batman. What more could the true Batman fan ask for? Mask of the Phantasm is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as The Dark Knight and Batman Returns. There's a classic story within its animated trappings.