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 1993 PG / Animated Superhero Directed by: Starring: |
- The Dark Knight fights to save Gotham City from its deadliest enemy
Summary Capsule
- A new vigilante in town is slaying mobsters, with Batman taking the blame… and he's not happy. But when an old love interest reenters Bruce Wayne's life, will there even still BE a Batman?
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Drew's Rating: The reason Batman Begins is only the best live action Batman movie…
Drew's Review: Many of you reading this may remember the Batman cartoon that aired on Fox back in the 90's; some of you probably recall it fondly as a pretty cool show that you used to enjoy watching. What you may or may not know is that in many (nerd) circles, the show is considered THE definitive Batman, the most iconic representation of the character… well, ever. And as a (nerd) guy whose read one hell of a lot of Batman stories over the years, I have to agree — the show's producers did an outstanding job of weeding through the character's 55-odd years of publication, showing neither slavish devotion nor complete disregard for the comic book source material. Instead they simply kept all the stuff that worked (while adding quite a bit to it) and junked the rest, exactly the right approach to take.
If asked to pinpoint the #1 thing that makes Phantasm work, I'd say it's that it doesn't tone itself down in order to be a traditional "kids' movie." The producers realized, quite rightly, that the best Batman stories are at their core tragedies, and to downplay that in favor of happy endings or snappy quips is to rob the story of its power… so they don't. And make no mistake, this is dark stuff. In how many cartoons will you find the protagonist on his knees at his parents' tombstone amidst a raging thunderstorm, wracked with guilt, literally begging to be freed of the vow he made… to be allowed a simple chance at happiness? This ain't Scooby-Doo, kids -- this is Batman done right. Even the scenery plays along — a flashback shows Bruce and Andrea enjoying themselves at Gotham's shiny, ultra-modern World's Fair; while in the present, a confrontation between Batman, the Joker, and the Phantasm also occurs there… but at a Fair long-since abandoned and dilapidated beyond repair, as if to reflect the darkness that has irreversibly overtaken Bruce Wayne himself.
Of course, there are plenty of other elements that combine to make a truly great Batman story, and all of them are in full abundance in Phantasm. Batman himself, not an actor in ill-fitting tights spouting cheesy lines at slumming guest stars, but a brooding, gothic figure of justice. A love interest, quirky and intelligent, not to mention unpredictable enough to keep Bruce Wayne on his toes. Alfred, serving as not only an impeccably-mannered British butler but also a surrogate father when necessary. Batman on the wrong side of the law, battling police officers with Jim Gordon his only ally. A genuine, honest-to-God mystery, complete with secret revelations, misdirection, and actual detective work on the part of Batman. And last but not least the Joker, large as life and twice as manic, tossing out quips and merrily cackling his way through wholesale mayhem. And if you're thinking to yourself, "Hey, most of those things were in Batman Begins, too… huh, but not the Schumacher movies"… well, you're absolutely right, pilgrim. How about that?
As for the technical elements, the animation is solid (if a bit dated) and flows smoothly, though the film unfortunately boasts some noticeable scratches and dust. The music is used wonderfully to evoke mood, but where things really shine is in the voice acting. The Batman animated series had one of the most talented vocal casts of any cartoon ever (rivaled only by The Simpsons), and that continues here. Viewers of Batman Begins might have noticed that Christian Bale uses a different voice as Bruce Wayne and Batman, but that tradition was begun by Kevin Conroy, in my mind THE definitive voice of Batman… accept no substitutes. In fact, his only potential rival is the inestimable Mark Hamill as the Joker. Yes, Hamill is and always will be best known as Luke Skywalker, and rightfully so; but his branching out into voice acting was not only a wise career move but a windfall for those who've thrilled to his chilling laughter as the Joker over the years, and his ability to switch from uproariously amused to coldly psychotic in a matter of seconds.
Throughout this review, I've compared Phantasm to Batman Begins several times, and for good reason: they contain many of the same thematic and storytelling elements. What gives Phantasm the slight edge in my mind is the versatility of animation over live action. No matter how big your budget, there are always going to be some things you just can't do in a live action movie, while animation (and comics for that matter) have no such restrictions. Combine that with spectacular acting and a deep, emotional script and you've got required viewing for anyone with even the slightest interest in Batman. And if that doesn't include you, then get out; 'cause baby, we've got nothing to say to each other.
 The Joker's right - he DOES kind of look like the Ghost of Christmas Future
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- The Phantasm is never referred to by name throughout the movie.
- Two leads Batman investigates are O'Neil Funding Corporation and Adams Tool & Die. Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams became famous for reinventing Batman in the 60's, taking him away from his campy 50's adventures and back to his darker roots.
- For some reason I really love the headline "2nd mob boss slain: has Bats gone bats?"
- Unfettered by the TV show's network censors, Phantasm's producers made use of their freedom to show people actually dying. Likewise, in case you were wondering, yes — that is the Joker getting kneed in the balls and losing a tooth to one of Batman's kicks.
Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?
If you want to hear Tia Carrera singing "I Never Even Told You," but otherwise, no.
Unnecessary Background
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Phantasm was originally planned as a direct-to-video movie, but in mid-production Warner executives decided to release it to theaters. Unfortunately, this left the producers less than a year to adjust for a theatrical release, and the movie's marketing suffered accordingly. It ran for only a couple of weeks in most theaters and performed poorly at the box office, but was rediscovered when it hit video and became a rather profitable cult classic.
Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]
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The movie is loosely based on Year Two, a comic story in which the Reaper, a murderous vigilante from Gotham's past, returns to continue slaughtering criminals… but with the Batman now operating in Gotham and enforcing a strict "no killing" policy, a showdown seems in order. At the same time, Bruce Wayne's new love interest Rachel Caspian makes him consider retiring the cape and cowl for good. Also, several other elements of the film (notably Batman's battle with police and non-costumed first night of crimefighting) derive from Year One.
A rumored deleted scene supposedly shows the Joker escaping at the end to wreak havoc another day.
Dana Delany, the voice of Andrea Beaumont, would go on to play Lois Lane on Superman: The Animated Series. So if you were wondering whether Batman and Superman have ever dated the same woman… well, sort of, yeah.
Groovy Quotes
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Alfred: Such rot, sir! Why, you're the very model of sanity. Oh, by the way, I pressed your tights and put away your exploding gas balls.
Bimbo #1: Oh come on, Bruce, all alone in this big mansion… haven't you ever thought about marriage, even once?
Bimbo #2: Oh, never say the "M" word in front of Bruce… it makes him nervous!
Bimbo #3: What about the "I" word?
Bruce: The "I" word?
Bimbo #3: Engagement!
Andrea: It's been three days since we met and still no calls… I figured you must be dead or something.
Bruce: You expect every guy you meet to call you up?
Andrea: The ones that are smart enough to dial a phone.
[At his parents' gravesite]
Bruce: It doesn't mean I don't care anymore; I don't want to let you down, honest, but… but it just doesn't hurt so bad anymore. You can understand that, can't you? Look, I can give money to the city, they can hire more cops, let someone else take the risk… it's different now! Please… I need it to be different now! I know I made a promise, but I didn't see this coming; I didn't count on being happy. Please… tell me that it's okay.
Batman: You think you know everything about me, don't you?
Alfred: I diapered your bottom, I bloody well ought to, sir!
Joker: Oh Sal, why so formal? Mi casa nostra es su casa nostra!
Batman: You still following your dad's orders?
Andrea: The way I see it, the only one in this room controlled by his parents… is you.
Joker: Whoops! Guess the joke's on me — you're not Batman after all! Looks like there's a new face in Gotham, and soon his name will be all over town... to say nothing of his legs, and feet, and spleen, and head...
DVD Review
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The DVD was released years ago, so a theatrical trailer and the movie in full screen and widescreen are about all you're getting. If we're lucky, maybe someday they'll do a bells-and-whistles version.
Soundtrack Review
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Aside from the truly sublime Batman: The Animated Series theme song, there's plenty more great, atmospheric music featured throughout the movie. Meanwhile, Tia Carrera gives a very emotional rendition of "I Never Even Told You" over the film's closing credits. And those operatic voices that sing during the film's opening title sequence? Yeah, they're just chanting the design team's names backwards. Heh.
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This review page was last updated on 7.4.06
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