Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Review

(Not being a comic otaku, I will still strive to connect this to the comics as best I can. Batman is one of my favorite comic book anti heroes and I will pay respect to him as best I can in this review of a film adaptation)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a film made in the early 90s depicting an original idea without much reference to comic canon (if at all). Inspired by the success of Batman: The Animated Series, the film was a collaboration of the show’s writers. It portrays a darker version of Batman, yet still relates it to the series itself. This was one of my favorite films as a kid and for good reason. The plot flows well, the themes are excellent, the atmosphere is decidedly like the comics (dark, seedy, earthy) and characterizations are spot on, especially Mark Hamill as the Joker, continuing his role from the animated series. This is everything that made the
Batman animated series great compressed into a feature length film. Onto synopsis.

We pan onto Gotham City and zoom in on illegal money laundering going on in a fancy conference room with one Chuckie Sol. Batman kicks ass, but Chuckie manages to escape in the confusion. He gets jumped by another dark figure who seeks to kill him. He runs from the Phantasm (as it’s called) and failing to run it over, he crashes through the side of the parking lot building, slamming into the building across from it. And Batman just happens to be there, people assuming he did it. Batman gets a shard of glass with evidence on it and leaves the crime scene. Arthur Reeves, the councilman of Gotham, accuses Batman of being unstable and dangerous to the city in the aftermath of Chuckie Sol’s death. Meanwhile Bruce is investigating the substance on the glass, noting it is a complex chemical polymer (which is never elaborated on in more detail, sadly). Meanwhile, a woman riding a plane is speaking to Mr. Reeves about their upcoming date, indicating both in the conversation and her behavior that she previously dated Bruce Wayne. At a fancy party at Bruce’s mansion, he is conversing with many women and one expresses her fury at being scorned by him, splashing him with wine. Bruce then slips away from the party and mulls about the past while looking at a picture of his dead parents. The memory relates to Andrea Beaumont (the same woman from the plane), who we find meets up with Bruce as they both are at the graveyard speaking to dead relatives and they click instantly. Bruce tries his hand at crime fighting and manages to stop the criminals, almost getting squashed by a truck in the process. His ninja antics almost make you laugh out loud though, wearing a ski mask to boot. Andrea meets with Bruce the next day as he’s practicing jujutsu and their chemistry predictably ignites flames as they make out on the lawn, Alfred nearly dropping the lemonade he was bringing to them. We heard about Bruce’s desire to fight crime and truly strike fear in his enemies as well, indicating that this flashback is long before he was Batman. We return to the present and the scene shifts from Bruce’s party to Buzz Bronsky bringing flowers to Chuckie Sol’s grave and getting “whacked” by the Phantasm, who manages to dodge a shovel handle thrown at it through its smoke “powers” and crushes Buzz with a statue near an open grave. Buzz’s men see Batman afterwards, again reinforcing the confusion we get between Batman and the Phantasm. We see one Salvatore Valestra, an asthmatic or something, shocked to discover Buzz is dead. Arthur Reeves is shocked that Commissioner Gordon won’t believe that Batman killed Buzz Bronsky, suggesting to the others that they seek out Batman on their own. Meanwhile Batman stumbles on Andrea who suspects Batman might be Bruce. Batman spies on Arthur and Andrea’s date and then flashbacks to a date he had with Andrea at the Gotham World Fair, depicting a future with planes and other scientific advances (in a Jetsons sort of way). Afterwards, Bruce agrees to meet Andrea’s father, and unfortunately also meets the younger Salvatore Valestra, no doubt threatening Andrea’s father in some way. Bruce then tries to save a guy getting robbed, but eventually gets his butt kicked and the robbers escape. Afterwards that night, Bruce ignores Andrea’s phone call, no doubt concerned for him, because he’s still trying to make the choice between committing to Andrea and fighting crime as his yet undetermined alias. Bruce pleads to his parents that he wants to be happy even if he is unable to keep his promise to avenge their deaths. Andrea meets up with him and the two conclude that perhaps his parents sent her to make him happy. Back in the present, Salvatore Valestra brings Arthur Reeves into his car, convening on Batman’s potential threat to him, Arthur abruptly leaving. Batman begins to link Chuckie Sol and Buzz Bronsky’s deaths to their other partner, Valestra. Seeking out information on him, Bruce flashbacks to Andrea telling him she might be going to Europe, Bruce trying to convince her to stay by proposing to her. Bats fly out a hole below them as Bruce discovers the fear struck by bats, inspiring his identity no doubt. Andrea is brought home by Bruce and we shift to him exploring the cave. He is given a letter attached to his ring by Alfred from Andrea, who abruptly cuts off their engagement. Bruce is then further driven to take on his Batman identity in a scene where even Alfred is shocked by Bruce’s Batman costume at first. Back in the present (again), Bruce takes a picture for evidence and we shift to the ruins of the Gotham World Fair, where Valestra meets the Joker of all people, who decides through his own twisted logic to take out Batman to indirectly protect Valestra, though we get a hint that Joker kills Valestra so he doesn’t seem like he’s defending an old friend (or because he’s crazy, who knows?). Andrea is brought home from dinner by Reeves and then she meets Batman who tells her he thinks her father is involved with the other mobsters killed. Before leaving, he’s dealt a low blow by Andrea who suggests she isn’t ruled by her parents, indicating the scene at the graveyard before. Meanwhile, the Phantasm seeks out Valestra, discovering he is dead (by the Joker), and the Joker tries to kill the Phantasm with a bomb. Batman chases the Phantasm and after a fight, Batman is left to be pursued by the police. He manages to escape, getting injured in the chase and general chaos of police shooting where there are inflammable materials around, and is saved by Andrea, driving him away. She reveals that she had figured him out as Batman and then reveals that her dad was pressured by Valestra into giving him the money he owed him, forcing Andrea and her father to run through Europe to avoid them. She suggests that her father might be the man in the costume killing them. She says she’s ruined his life again, Bruce not agreeing as they make out again and make Alfred awkward yet again. The next morning, they discuss the future and Andrea leaves, promising to meet Bruce that night. Bruce mulls on whether he can be happy with Andrea as well as pursuing his Batman identity, suddenly having a hunch that reveals that one of Valestra’s other thugs was the Joker. Joker comes to Reeves’ office, revealing Arthur knew of Valestra and was friends with Joker previously. Arthur is then attacked by Joker, being driven insane by his drugging. Batman interrogates the raving Reeves, revealing that he helped Beaumont and was dependent on his money, selling Andrea’s father out to Valestra to get more funds for his election campaign. Batman seeks out Andrea, but is attacked by Joker sending a plane of the future with a bomb attached. We find out (through another flashback) that Andrea’s father was found and killed by the mob as she walks through the World Fair ruins. Joker converses with a robot “wife” in the World Fair exhibits and is attacked by the Phantasm, whom Joker deduces is Andrea Beaumont, which is revealed to be true. Joker fights her off and runs away, Andrea following and almost being chopped up by a giant fan, but for Batman saving her. Batman reveals he had been suspicious that she was the Phantasm, arguing that her quest is insane. But Andrea notes that Batman is also seeking vengeance, so he cannot say he is more just than her. She leaves him after they reach an impasse and Batman follows the Joker. After a fight in a miniature city which Batman manages to emerge victorious in over the planes of the future, Joker reveals he has wired the tunnels below the World Fair with explosives which are set to go off soon. Batman manages to stop Joker’s attempt to jetpack away. Joker is taken by Andrea to places unknown while Batman manages to escape the ruins as they explode all around him. Afterwards, Bruce reflects on how Andrea was down a dark path to revenge, Alfred suggesting that she was probably long gone before he realized it. Bruce finds the locket of Andrea’s, realizing she has finally left him for good. Elsewhere on a boat, Andrea is approached by a guy, who she blows off, finally consigned to her fate to be alone. Batman then is shown swinging into Gotham to begin his fight for crime anew.

Batman is presented well in conformity to comics, moreso the animated series, since this was a spinoff of that. Andrea Beaumont, as far as original characters go, is excellent, a romantic interest and a good foil for Bruce as well as an opponent as the film progresses. Arthur Reeves serves as part of the love triangle that exists between himself, Bruce and Andrea. His involvement with Andrea, Batman and the Valestra crime group all links together in creating conflicts and explaining loose ends that are left otherwise unanswered. The crime lords are minor characters, the true villain being the Joker, who is spot on as well, Mark Hamill’s voice truly defining the character as he becomes the real opponent. Alfred is minor, but does have the usual banter with Bruce on his many issues, romantic or otherwise, being his closest confidante.

The main theme of the entire film is the two types of tragedy bred between Andrea and Bruce. Bruce’s backstory is not explained to the viewer, but the connection is able to be drawn of Bruce’s loss of his parents, Andrea’s loss of her own father driving her into deeper darkness than he. One reflects that Bruce was orphaned much younger, so his thought was able to be mediated by Alfred’s influence, focusing on justice and not vengeance. Whereas Andrea, who was orphaned as young adult, was already so set in her ways that the idea of forgiveness or justice without revenge is meaningless to her. In this way, the theme of their romance is all the more tragic since they would’ve otherwise been happy together. But Bruce’s desire to keep his promise to his parents divides him against becoming committed to anyone too closely in a very giri/ninjou kind of way (giri and ninjou the Japanese expressions for duty and human feelings, a classic conflict in film). And Andrea, who was otherwise willing to go through with it, is then pushed into a situation where she is so desperate that her only conclusion is that since Valestra’s men ruined her chances for happiness with Bruce that they must die. The complacency and later cowardice of Andrea’s father could be said to be how he fell, though Reeves’ revelation that he ratted him out only makes us see the tragedy again with people you trusted betraying you for profit.

All in all, there is little I can object to in this film. It’s sufficiently basic for a kid to appreciate it, though gets into more adult themes and complexities of relationships so that an adult can also get something from it. The voice actors portray the characters’ range of emotions and once again, I have to emphasize Mark Hamill’s role as the Joker, which he will reprise in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker as well (look forward to that review). A definite 5 out of 5, with a 70-90% recommendation due to it being a bit darker than parents might be used to with Batman animated films, not to mention a bit of liberal usage of flashbacks. Until next time, Namaste and Aloha.