As a huge fan of the Barsoom series, I have always thought that the stories, wold building, and characters would be best suited to animation rather than live action.

It’s truly a pity we didn’t get to have Ebert himself talk about this movie

I thought I remembered that they didn't like the film. I'm glad they did but I'm also very surprised that Gene Siskel really dissed Mark Hamill's Joker there. I mean Mark Hamill is almost always rated as THE BEST Joker.

I DON'T LIKE THIS JOKER'S VVVVVOICE!?!?!?!? How fucking DARE you! Good day sir! I said good DAY!!

How can you like Cesar Romero's Joker voice but not Hamill's???

1. Batman (1989) 2. The Dark Knight (2008) 3. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) 4. Batman Begins (2005) 5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) 1,151. Batman & Robin (1997)

Might still be the best Batman film ever.

Dead wrong about Joker's voice... Hamill has always nailed the Joker.

I remember seeing the imax version in cinemas and it was amazing after the death of heath ledger amazing by Christopher Nolan

Excellent S and E...good review

1:14 can’t believe they let this guy review movies

This was my favourite of all the Batman animated films. My second favourite is the dark knight returns

The Dark Knight is the greatest superhero movie of all-time

There's something kinda wholesome that Siskel was such a big fan of Jokers played by Jack etc that he couldn't see the brilliance of Mark, the iconic animated Joker He was a fanboy like so many of us

Ironically, Siskel's take on Mark Hamill's joker was more cancerous to a legitimate review than the one that did him in.

This review was the turning point that led to the Animated Pivot.

I'll watch this movie on 4k rather vhs lol

3:05

I can't help but wonder if the line about "copper colored skin" had something to do with it. This was the Forties, remember.

“I didn’t like this jokers voice “ said no one ever

Glad they both loved this one, but I still love Tim Burton version and this one.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is 30 years old One of my all-time favorite childhood flicks! this is the first solid entry in a long line of straight to video Batman films The animation matches the tv show looking like the 1940s artwork art style, it has spectacular and suspenseful action sequences, great sound design to make it massive, the voice acting is pretty spot-on, it's perfectly dark and brooding for the main character, and is way more mature than you'd think The Phantasm himself makes for a scary, intimidating and enigmatic new adversary It could be anybody as he moves in and out without leaving a trace The score by Shirley Walker is wonderfully epic mainly with the choir singing mixed in It's also a wonderful reinterpretation of the origin story so it's not just a silly animated movie for kids Plus the mystery is one for them to solve on their own simultaneously being more adult than actual grown up Batman movies Bruce Wayne is torn between becoming a vigilante for others and choosing a life of love and happiness but at the cost of making someone worry all the time Who knows what the future holds?, what will vengeance solve, it blackens the soul and some fall into that pit sadly nobody can save them, being more controlled by our parents is still a commonality whether we admit it or not Sadly the film itself was a box office disappointment despite the really good reviews, partially because it was in the shadow of the recent live action film by Burton then Joel Schumacher But the movie dove into the dark gothic tone the character was known for being that no matter how hard he tries his destiny will always come calling to him He always has to make the tough choices even if it involves heartbreak wearing his heart on his sleeve It's all about the hopefulness meets the dark reality that always looms over Still one individual in Bruce's past was vital in shaping who he becomes being an extension of his beginnings I'm happy this managed to gain a dedicated following among fans over the years with staying close to Batman's roots soothing the shattered psyche 'Mask of the Phantasm' is intense, adventurous, well-structured, and is a decent thriller despite being only 77 min long

I'm not a comic person at all, and yet I saw this movie in theatres and was absolutely spellbound.

I'm not a comic person at all, and yet I saw this movie in theatres and was absolutely spellbound.

Heath Ledger is such a giant loss. He had such an amazing future ahead of him. So sad.

Bro that is what jokers voice is exactly should be like totally hear his voice when reading comics.

The Joker’s Voice is Mark Hamill

Wow, I miss these guys so much! The way they talked about films (no matter the genre) always sparked my curiosity and I learned so much in the process

Gene Siskel has lot all credibility to me after those comments on Hamill’s Joker

Two thumbs up 👍👍for my favorite Batman movie Batman mask of the phantasm.

That's Hamill's beginnings as the Joker, he'd get better soon after.

How much budget did the director need to make this?

My older brother was clued into this film and took me to it when it was in theatres. A superb experience, a fine film. Agree with S&E, the production style is phenomenal. Disagree re: mark hamill of course! :D he's indispensable

I will never forget the hype around this movie. I saw the midnight premier and left thinking that it wasn't hyped up enough. Just an amazing movie.

hamill is literally the best version of the character what

Still to this day this movie is SICK AS FUK🤟💯🔥

Beats all the crap marvel put together

Best Batman-movie of the XX. century!

When Ebert died, they should have stopped running the show.

Siskel hatin' on the best Joker ever.... 🙄

Animation has taken over as best medium for telling a story in modern time. This movie and show were hella ahead of its time.

I wondered if they caught any episodes of the animated series when it ran on Fox in the early 1990s. I would watch that show routinely if I could. The Mask of the Phantasm would have been a week-long event at the start of a new season had it not been a theatrical release.

Siskel was wrong about Joker’s voice. Mark Hamill’s voice is the quintessential Joker voice.

👍👍

1936, So This had animated humans closer to real life a year before Disney's Snow White came out. If this had finsished, Clampett could have beaten Disney to the title of first non funny cartoon.

Batman Begins > The Dark Knight

Eh?

I love this review. Especially what roger says about animation.

I bet Siskel would've liked Tim Curry better as Joker, who was the original choice for the TV series.

I will forever admire Ebert and Siskel for being way ahead of the game in recognizing animation as an art and not "just for kids."