Batman At 80: The Story Behind Mask Of The Phantasm | SYFY WIRE

[@davidfenn522]

Best Batman Movie most people have never seen and it's their loss

[@Danbo22987]

I feel like the same thing will be said of Spider-Verse. God I hate animation bias.

[@biggiejerseysTV]

David Fenn I just saw it last year or the year before for the first time and well I must say I’m like what took me so long, lol.

[@ezj8262]

True, but it's mostly sad that we don't see this kind of quality anymore. if you've seen Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) and The Killing Joke, you will catch what I mean. Filmmakers aren't respecting the stories and characters anymore... it's just about pushing something out and making a buck. Bethesda's Skyrim (quality) and now we have Fallout 76 (worst ever). The Star Wars disasters. Mass Effect game failure. Star Trek Discovery, Snyder's DC films -- it's the age of pushing out cheapened products, while also trying to milk people for as much as they can get out of them.

[@stueygriffith4671]

@biggs949597 s big GRUNGE cantoo, I'm guessing.....

[@Ok-eg8dg]

@biggs949597 s better than TDK? Dark knight returns? I haven't seen it so...

[@mechajay3358]

Mask if the Phantasm is criminally underrated. It should've gotten more attention when it first came out.

[@mitchellskene8176]

It's become a cult classic over the years, don't know if I'd exactly call it underrated today, I certainly can say it was upon release.

[@markwullenschneider195]

Nah, like TMNT These films made a generation! This film is for us! Not our parents;)

[@Riftimmortal]

A fantastic movie with excellent performances from Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy and Dana Delany. Music sounds like an epic opera and animation is just gorgeous. I would argue that this is the definitive batman for an entire generation. Without spoiling too much and those that have seen it will remember this. Lightning, rain and maddening cackling - a hospital, a victim and unnatural laughter - those scenes will stick with me forever.

[@FrederickLopez]

Mask of The Phantasm is one of the best Batman films ever made. I love it! I still remember first seeing the trailer on the Free Willy VHS.

[@alejandromolinac]

Me too!!!!!

[@bj1761]

I second that. It is even better than Dark Knight.

[@pibbinator2430]

Goddamn I forgot about that. That’s a nostalgia wave right there

[@Robert-zx2ir]

Frederick Lopez Same here. I use to watch that trailer all the time of the Free Willy video myself.

[@snarkykryptonite4768]

me too

[@professorcomics2736]

"Nice view." "Yes, it is". "I'm sorry, did you want to be alone ?" "I am." Such a great movie and I totally agree that the score is unforgettable.

[@TheACcam]

When I took English 2 in college our teacher had us watch MotP in order to write an essay on it's symbolism. I'll never forget this young woman sitting next to me, no comic knowledge, whispering to herself "That's so sad!" when Bruce breaks down at the grave. The movie is a masterpiece.

[@funnypicturescomics]

Unfortunately "Mask of The Phantasm" is just one of those movies that fell thru the cracks. I remember not even being able to find a theater that was showing it...(and I was a HUUUGE fan of the series). This film deserves a re-release. It deserves so much more. Much more.

[@user-si9fx4xb6v]

I remember wanting to badly see Mask Of The Phantasm on the big screen back in 1993. Sadly it never came to the movie theatre in my town. However, I did watch it on VHS and later DVD many times. Defiantly a great Batman story, I hope that I can see it on the big screen some day. Fathom Events brought it back to select cinemas for one night, in October 2018 and sadly it was not shown at the cinema near me.

[@RBMS13]

@@user-si9fx4xb6v I actually got to see it when Fathom Events brought it back last year. It's easily my favorite theatrical experience. Seeing that movie on the big screen and hearing that score in the theater was just incredible.

[@LATVERIAN1]

Live-action or animation; "Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm" is, and always will be, the GREATEST Batman film ever made! p.s. I took my daughter to see it, in the theaters, back in 1993, and I've loved the film ever since.

[@douglassnyder9206]

Along with Disney's The Lion King, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is among my Top 5 favorite animated movies. My favorite moments from this DC animated movie are when Bruce Wayne puts on the cape & cowl for the very first time, Batman being chased by the police, his confrontation with the Joker at that amusement park as well as the Joker's infamous laugh when explosions are everywhere, & the final moments of the movie.

[@VMui-hz4yk]

I will still remember me presenting this to my class on movie day when I was in 3rd grade. We watched it for about 30 min and then the teacher and all the students said they hated it. My teacher turned it off and gave me back the VHS tape. We ended up watching The Rocketeer instead. Still scarred from that. I still love this movie and the soundtrack. Oh, well.

[@phantom1539]

THAT'S CRAZY ! ! ! What was wrong with those people ? !?!

[@kendallrivers1119]

I understand small kids but your teacher sounds like an idiot lol

[@eduardoarmenta9232]

An era of animation was inspired by that series..... So glad I lived to see it.

[@AvatarTheLastPodcasters]

The one thing I love more as I get older is the score and soundtrack. I remember being confused kid when the credits roll and it's like a 90's love song. Now I understand and love "I Never Even Told You".

[@batmanbeyond1939]

Such a good movie. Doesn’t dumb it down for new Batman fans. It hits you with all points. Especially with Batman Year One and it’s a story of love. It’s so good. If you have never seen before, go to the DC universe app and watch it as many times as you can. I can’t stop raving about it. Plus, it’s voiced by the best Batman, Kevin Conroy. Can’t beat that.

[@thestarkknightreturns]

I saw this movie on VHS three years after it came out. Had about 5 or 6 years. I was mesmerized. It was my first Batman movie. Quite an introduction. I got a DVD copy a couple of years ago and rewatched it. It still holds up.

[@gonzalozazueta582]

The best retrospective video on batman mask of the phantasm on KZbin

[@AvatarTheLastPodcasters]

Batman pleading to his parents for happiness in Phantasm is number 3 on my top 10 list of Batman Moments of All Time.

[@bookee518]

Good list.

[@sethklumb8686]

That and the part where Alfred sees him as Batman for the first time are excellent

[@themadtitan7603]

@@sethklumb8686 Ikr?! Chills.

[@Rony-L]

The music alone...

[@themadtitan7603]

Still the best Batman movie ever made imo (yes, better than TDK) It's unfournate that no live-action movie understood the character in the same in-depth way that this movie did.

[@traaaaaavis]

I enjoyed the show as a kid in the 90s and didn't realize just how high the quality was until I looked back on it. Love this movie too but never even heard about it until years later. The blurays of both are excellent

[@outsideredge]

I saw this in theatres when it came out. Yes, it was a sparsely attended matinee. I remember the graveyard scene, and the final desperate fight with the Joker. It does explore why he's Batman, beyond the loss of his parents, and the price he pays for wearing the mask.

[@hiltwo]

I am so jealous of people who have seen this movie in theatres :) I don't think it was in theatres in the Netherlands, I heard a kid on the playground talk about it. So even though I didn't see it in a theatre, I am to this day thankful for having seen it on video back in the day. Phantasm is one of my favorite characters, also had the toy figure back then. Loved the movie then, love it even more as an adult.

[@Harri927]

That’s an amazing video. Batman Mask Of The Phantasm is my favorite animated movie of all time.

[@beatlesfansam]

Great review! This is my all-time favorite Batman movie. I like it on multiple levels, including how it delves into a romantic relationship in a way that none of the other Batman movies (animated or live-action) has. The Andrea Beaumont/Phantasm character is fantastic. I have watched it several times (first on TV, then on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray), and seeing it on the big screen for the first time last year (25th anniversary showing) was a special treat. The score by Shirley Walker was more prominent, and the opening theme with its choral chanting as they took us through Gotham City set the tone for the overall experience.

[@Thespeedrap]

Good movie but I still like Batman 89 and Batman Returns as my favorites.

[@stephenlawson4973]

I actually saw this in theater. The best batman movie.

[@baronnickvonsick139]

Though animated and I was on a winter vacation when it originally came out, it’s like the classic 82’ flicks the Thing or Blade Runner in the movie came out in a tough release spot. Fantastic movie still today, I know no surprise there

[@matthieucote2272]

15:49 I was waiting the whole time for you to mention the late great Shirley Walker, RIP, amazing film composer.

[@twothirdsanexplosive]

As a kid this is one of the movies I got my dad to drop me and friend off to watch by ourselves. One of the few movie theater experiences as a kid I remember. Also I need to find that Phantasm poster!!!

[@2timothy23]

I actually went to the theater to see this movie; it was good but there was hardly anyone in the theater. Many people didn't know it was even out. That was sad because it is perhaps the best Batman movie, particularly as it pertains to Bruce Wayne.

[@Chalor.]

When mentioning that the movie focuses on Bruce as opposed to their dark knight persona..just gotta point out that Bruce is the persona. Batman is their true identity. That's the thing that really makes the character so compelling to me. He has to put on a mask to be himself. A successful sociopathic superhero with one or two mental illnesses.

[@Iroquois2688]

The Greatest Batman Movie Ever Made™

[@davida6146]

To this day, there isn’t much stories written about Bruce Wayne’s breaking point to become Batman.... so this will always be the best until more movies begins focusing on the Bruce Wayne character because it’s kind of an untouched area atm

[@brianknapp6215]

Awesome review! Saw the movie with my best friend (and about 5-6 other people) when it was first released. Still one of the most beautifully drawn animated movies ever, imo. The story is wonderfully told and the music is top-notch (still have the soundtrack on CD). It definitely deserves a re-release, but it stands alone as the best thing Warner Bros Animation ever produced.

[@zachlennon2948]

DC needs to go back to this type of Batman for their films. Not that blowing guys up and branding them nonsense.

[@davelightsaber1621]

This, Under The Red Hood, & batman beyond: Return of the Joker were The Best Animated batman movies 🙌🏽💯 .

[@goofydood]

Agreed, it really is the best Batman story of all time

[@sethklumb8686]

I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed and in love I would be if I walked into a girls house and saw Mask of the Phantasm/TAS stuff on the walls 😍

[@Chalor.]

I have to say, the musical score was *amazing* ..especially the intro.

[@kennedykyalo7206]

The greatest animated movie of all time

[@mlcash9]

I saw this movie on my Christmas vacation in 1993 and i loved this movie and and it changed forever the way I would look at animated movies as story pushers. Still my favorite Batman movie of all time

[@JerryMeehanJr]

Love how the brought her back during the justice league episode with the batman beyond tie in

[@funnypicturescomics]

Would absolutely LOVE to see this on the big screen!!!!!!

[@PimpDragon108]

Had the fortune of seeing it in a theater for the one week it ran in theaters! It was amazing to see on that scale!

[@MiguelRodriguez-fm1il]

I am so jelly of your batman wall. Really awesome,i absolutely love the posters. Mask of the phantasm is definately one of the best.

[@krono5el]

Saw it opening night at a 7pm with pops in chicago, so there were a few night time showings. A knight i will never forget : D

[@slasher0630]

I still have the picture of me at age 3 with my mom next to the poster after we saw the movie. It was my 1st time in a movie theater. This is how u tell stories

[@cruizerdave]

What set it apart was the Burton films were being made at the time. While those huge, massively expensive films didn’t really understand the character, Phantasm got it. It was just a very earnest take on the material.

[@tomdrake3787]

The intro alone got me hyped as a kid. The show made me a Batman fan for life.

[@davidart0128]

LOVE Batman: Mask of the Phantasm! In my opinion- THE BEST Batman film of all! You have the origin of the character of Bruce Wayne becoming his alternate persona, the life that could have been, and a some-what origin of the Joker before he became "The Joker". The music is AMAZING! Animation is AMAZING! Storyline: Top Notch! In all honesty- this is what WB and DC needs to take their cue from for their live-action films.

[@rickshawjr73]

Very grateful to have been able to see it in theater when it was released over Christmas break. Loved the BTAS all the way to JLU. Even happier to have this movie along with Batman & Mr Freeze Subzero on Laserdisc.

[@mcurran6505]

A childhood favourite based on my favourite childhood series. 🦇

[@aaronanglea]

This was the last movie i ever saw with my brother

[@Jbat43]

Awesome! I remember seeing this in the theatre, back in 1993.

[@jgatzby4263]

Agreed - if ever there was a case of an animation-to-live action film adaptation, this movie should be 1st on that list. Use the same script and shot-for-shot live action.

[@wesstewart2677]

In my opinion. Μask Of The Phantasm, Sub-Zero, and Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker are my Animated Batman trilogy

[@Thecoolguy463]

Such a great film. Very deep story and it’s amazing once you see how it came about.

[@geekimusprime]

I stopped this video a couple minutes in to rewatch the movie. Still good. Return of the Joker is great too.

[@NickTeran17]

I just saw this last november on the big screen. So cool to see it after a while. I love this movie, especially the score and the emotion.

[@Chalor.]

Awesome! You have the same Starry Night Batman shirt as me. I've gotten *soooo* many compliments with wearing that shirt.

[@GenX_Catholic]

No acknowledgement of Batman Year Two and the Reaper?

[@LearningAboutComics]

Why would they reference the comics? Not like they've ever mattered.

[@cha5]

ThatComicGeek Except that comic arc was the inspiration for this movie. I mean if there’s going to be a mention of The Dark Knight Returns animated film wouldn’t it make sense for there to be some little mention of the name Frank Miller maybe? Although honestly Batman Year 2 the comic was never as enjoyable as Mask of the Phantasm, to me at least.😏

[@MAMoreno]

I'm fond of Mike Barr's Year Two, and MOTP certainly owes it a major debt. That said, I think MOTP benefited from being able to reflect on the more dated elements of Barr's story and to retool it accordingly. (Barr was a little too fond of the contrived storytelling that was common in the early Bronze Age at DC. Cf. Year Two's use of Joe Chill with Batman #208's Mrs. Chilton storyline.) I'd argue that it did the same thing--to a lesser degree, of course--with Frank Miller's Year One. The young Bruce Wayne of MOTP is far more likable than the rather cold and one-track character offered by Miller.

[@davidrobertson2686]

Yeah dude no one ever mentions the reaper

[@erinlocascio2163]

Hey friend! I would have loved to included some comic references for this but wanted to keep it focused on the film, but solid point that Batman year two and the reaper was an influence point for this.

[@40doggreid]

I was 17 yrs old when this movie came out, I didn't think much about seeing it in the Theatres but I LOVED the Animated Series, didn't miss a episode. So I waited for the movie to come out on rent and it was very good, I definitely noticed that it was More mature than the Series and was a great movie. I'll never forget it.. :-)

[@dennis300cr]

Had to rewatch the movie to recall it being so long ago and loved it all over again. Just a remark on that (WOW) amount of makeup you use I mean (WOW) its just alot....WOW

[@iwantsifegold]

I think Mask of the Phantasm is the movie that solidified the millennials love for Batman, is my favorite Batman movie and I wouldn't change it for the world.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

It is one of the best ever Batman films. I loved the series and films like Worlds Finest, Sub Zero, all are greats. *BUT* this is without doubt the creme de la creme is Mask Of The Phantasm.

[@Collector422]

Thank you for this video i love the t shirt and the set up

[@Ruvik2025]

To me, i love the tv series and this is STILL my favorite Batman movies ever made with best quality, great villain, and i still give it big 👍🏻. The animation will never get old as its done well and i still pick this as being #1 animated movie ever made despite how many have been. Thousand times better than Nolan trilogy or series or others.

[@Chandasouk]

Whew, SyFy with some dope content. Don't know who got all these great people together but thank you!

[@biggiejerseysTV]

It’s easily one of my favorite Batman films, and probably my second favorite Batman film. I must say that I had never seen it until the Blu Ray was released.

[@jinpei05]

I was only one of four people at my screening that December. Felt great to see it on the big screen with all the legroom I wanted and hardly any audience noise.

[@leshokkills]

Still my favorites Batman movie of all time, real or animated.

[@dominiquepowell3158]

Such an great film and I never get tired of watching it!

[@sethklumb8686]

I was 5 when it came out and also saw it in the theater opening day. I heard about it when my dad was watching TV one night and a preview played. I still remember the shot of the Phantasm climbing up the ladder from an explosion, it looked so cool and it was! I remember begging my parents for the Jet Pack Joker action figure 😂

[@Radiohead801]

Good job on this video! Love BTAS.

[@mxbravo3108]

What a great show. It still is the quintessential Batman incarnation for me, as it is for many fans. It inspired me to do a reimagination tribute to Afflecks Batman as a birthday treat.

[@samsaraslight8377]

The movie Nolan should have brought to live action, such a shame his franchise never surpassed the basics.

[@QueLindoFilms]

Total masterpiece and my all time favorite Batman film.

[@tornadochaser2457]

Wonderful film and video on it!

[@Jdawgwatchr56]

Loved this movie since I was 4 years old and still love it to this day.

[@mrbrowman]

saw this one on vhs as well, watched maybe 5-6 times throughout my childhood and in many ways introduced me to darker tones from the reaper storyline and the creepy joker part of the movie.

[@PolarisCastillo]

This was such a fantastic retrospective video. Really wish Bruce Timm was a part of it too.

[@justinpayne4734]

Best Batman movie ever. Nuff Said. 🦇💙💙🖤🖤

[@nathancruz9172]

4:49 This is my favorite Batman animated movie of all time.

[@smcfirefly]

Mask of the Phantasm is not only my favourite Batman movie, it is my favourite movie ever!

[@betamax-v2v]

Kevin Conroy is my Batman.

[@thegloomining1955]

Still my favorite Batman movie.

[@damaniqphillip2756]

Love this movie

[@Chalor.]

4:00 - Hey, it's Charlie from Joker's Favor

[@mariom6368]

Please re release in theaters ASAP!!!

[@DiegoGuzman-nf4im]

thankyou for this

[@tomahawk238]

Like many masterpieces it was almost too ahead of its time

[@bj1761]

I think the should re-release on the big screen, so it can make the money it deserves.

[@DeLaCruzProductionz]

I remember owning a copy of the vhs for years and never realizing it had a copy of the movie comic in the sleeve

[@darkwolf9253]

I actually saw it in theaters when it opened... There was hardly anyone else in the theater.

[@thedefinitive6296]

This is the best Batman movie. Couldn't agree more

[@JerseyNYC83]

Didn’t she do Lois Lane’s voice in the Superman animated series also?

[@LunaticLK47]

The movie is what secured Dana’s role as Lois.

[@insomniactheater8165]

I remember watching this christmas morning

[@hindsightpov4218]

I have this on DVD. I wish I saw it in theaters.

[@martzs13]

I literally shed a tear when i saw the writers.

[@antoniotafoya9433]

Great movie i seen it on the big screen it was a great time to be 13 yrs old

[@popeqtlm637]

loved that movie , still good

[@christopherquinn1018]

I would have told Andrea Beaumont I would quit being Batman but kept being Batman.

[@MrHEC381991]

Mark Hamill and Paul Dini talk about it on Kevin Smith's podcast but alas they've been taken down for some reason....