Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Just watched the review. And Siskel was right about the sound mechanics. I binged through TAS on DCUniverse then watched MOtP and the theme notes came through booming on the subwoofer compared to the series.

[Yukaphile]

Siskel and Ebert? Not a fan of them. I think they were hacks, tbh.

[FaxModem1]

I adore this film.

Personal anecdote time:
When I was enlisted, I showed this to a few of my buddies, who really enjoyed it. The big pull was that they were trying to figure out who the Phantasm was. They all thought it was the Councilman, due to the fact that he was rather buff looking, and had history with the mob. It was rather entertaining when the reveal happened and they found out who the Phantasm really was.

Now, there's a couple of things that are odd in this film. The Phantasm survives being shot at, and the sharp half of a broken shovel thrown at her like a javelin. These give her an almost supernatural quality. It's never really explained or revealed how she does this. My guess is just that she uses the smoke to duck out of the way and then reappear when she's out of danger, but it makes you wonder what was really happening on a rewatch.

The other is that the police's violent pursuit of Batman just kind of ends. I guess blowing up a building due to reckless fire and the City Councilman making waves about it dying from Joker gas killed any traction the city had with it. Especially the number of times Batman saves the city(and the world) afterward.

That said, the film's acting, storyline, visuals, and soundtrack all make this a beautiful film to watch.

[SabreMau]

I recall this movie also having a good reveal of who the mystery guest star is.



Come to think of it, the unmasking of Rat Fink was pretty good too.

[Wargriffin]

There really is only one DC animated movie that can rival Mask of the Phantasm...

and it almost serves as a secondary commentary on Batman




cause in the end for all of Bruce's efforts... He ultimately failed

[FaxModem1]

Turns out that chasing criminals in a bat costume rather than investing in the city's infrastructure and economy doesn't stop crime as much as you think it does, who knew?

[Jonathan101]

^ He does both.

The criminals of Gotham just really are THAT dangerous. I mean, Joker tried to NUKE Gotham in one episode.

[CharlesPhipps]

Turns out that chasing criminals in a bat costume rather than investing in the city's infrastructure and economy doesn't stop crime as much as you think it does, who knew?

That argument tends to fall apart when the Joker has nuclear weapons and other WMDs. The city is still standing so, Bat>Philanthropist.

Which Chuck mentions is why the story is so low stakes.

[MightyDavidson]

Turns out that chasing criminals in a bat costume rather than investing in the city's infrastructure and economy doesn't stop crime as much as you think it does, who knew?

That argument tends to fall apart when the Joker has nuclear weapons and other WMDs. The city is still standing so, Bat>Philanthropist.

Which Chuck mentions is why the story is so low stakes.

Plus, as has been mentioned before, Batman does invest in the city's infrastructure and economy. Also, at least in Batman: TAS, there's a sharp drop in the number of "Batman fights gangsters" stories in later seasons. His rogues gallery provide most of the threat to Gotham in those stories, suggesting that Batman has been rather successful at dealing with organized crime.

[Independent George]

If Bruce Wayne gave up Batman and put all his money into infrastructure and philanthropy, all he'd do is subsidize a bunch of mobsters while either bankrupting the company or corrupting it to maintain its operations. That's pretty much how organized crime works.