Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Dirs. Eric Radomski + Bruce Timm

MotP was the first film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS). The excellent voice acting, dramatic noir lighting, stylistic art deco designs, and Shirley Walker music all help elevate the work beyond a typical PG rated animation of the era.

Bruce isn't just an angry orphan fighting against a world that he feels took something irreplaceable from him, he's a flawed dark avenger, suffering emotional conflicts as he weighs the lure of a normal, loving relationship against an earnest vow to protect others from the pain he weathers. He's fully aware of why he does what he does, but finds reasons to justify it. I can relate to that. I'm sure we all can. (Except for the dressing in tights part?)

There's been dozens of Batman films since its release, but MotP is still the best that I've seen.

Don't be put off by the CGI opening that takes you thorough a sprawling Gotham skyline. There's an occasional use of CGI throughout the rest of the film, but mostly it's traditional hand-drawn animation, and is all the better for it.

The emotional twists and turns in the story are supported by a number of flashbacks that, among other things, tell the story of Bruce's first few forays into night-time vigilantism. There's also various happenings at a graveyard, which is a highly symbolic setting, in itself. Besides the danger level, the use of light and shadow in the darkened times is tremendously effective.

Speaking of graveyard scenes, the one in which a lone figure stands in the rain, pouring his heart out, admitting to inner feelings that can no longer be denied is a definite high point. Even if you feel you know all there is to know about the speaker, it can still astound, in part because of how it manages to be devotedly subtle and glaringly powerful in equal measure.

A word on the AR: both 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 versions of the film exist. Personally, the 1.78:1 feels too tightly cropped for my liking, especially during action scenes, and I'd argue that it changes the composition in a negative way when the tops of heads get pushed out of frame too often. The full screen version is my preference. The caveat in that framing is that a small portion of the image is lost on either side. Weirdly, it's not a simple case of a full screen image having been matted for cinema release. (A 1.66:1 would be interesting to see.) Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any good quality full screen images to illustrate this post, which is why there isn't any.

NOTE: if you live in the UK, be aware that the most recent Blu-ray edition, released in 2018, as featured HERE, contains a widescreen version only. I don't know if that's true for other regions.

'Dang it, Warner Brothers! I need more headroom!'

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