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Although the live-action Batman franchise faltered artistically after Tim Burton gave up control, the slack wastaken up by the Saturday morning cartoon show, whose creators are responsible for this feature film. Though a cartoon, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is less cartoonish than the popular '60s TV show (which spawned its own movie, Batman: The Movie). Mask of the Phantasm combines the noir of the original comic book, the violence and dark humor of the Dark Knight comic book revision, and Burton's two movies.

In Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, everyone's favorite schizophrenic billionaire crime fighter is investigating the murders of several prominent gangsters. Meanwhile, his ex-fiancée and her father are back in town. Through flashbacks, these two death-obsessed kids are shown falling in love (she lost her mother; he lost both parents--of course, they meet in a graveyard), until she leaves quickly and mysteriously. Along the way, there's a short course in the origins of the Batman costume and the origins of the Joker (voice of Star Wars' Mark Hamill!), a big fight with the smoke-enshrouded Phantasm character, who is suspected of killing the gangsters, and an even bigger fight with the Joker at the abandoned Gotham World's Fair grounds. Altogether, a good ride. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (127)

A great show, but a moderate movie.
I can still remember my surprise when I first saw the pilot episode of Batman: The Animated Series: "My God. . .where has this cartoon been?" I also remember the cartoon's film noir opening striking me as original and grabbing my attention even in its beginning few seconds. I think maybe not since Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends had a cartoon hooked a nation as hypnotically as this one did. The stories, the characters, the issues - who would have believed such a familiar character could recapture an audience that might have thought him mundane and a little too familiar by that point. But Batman managed to pull it off. Then there was the movie. Mask of the Phantasm. Amazing? Not really. Arguably impressive as it was, it did unfortunately lack the punch that certain episodes such as "Almost Got 'Im" and "Heart Of Ice" contained. I believe what disappointed most fans of this film was the focus on a love story rather than a movie of what we'd truly come to expect from Batman - action. I myself am a fan of the series. As for the movie, I know that while it's just one of those titles you "must have" in your collection, it isn't what someone who hasn't seen it would expect. Definitely a great movie for kids but fans will want to stick to the show.

The Best
this is batman the way he should. It is simply the best of all the baman films! I only wish that WB would release it on DVD.

My Favorite Movie of All Time
When I was younger, I used to brush off Batman: The Animated Series as stupid, and for little kids. Now at the age of seventeen, I see that I was gravely mistaken. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm would have to be my favorite movie of all time. How can I even begin to count all the things I love about it? It's gripping, exciting, witty, funny, sad... Needless to say, it's head over heals over any other Batman movie I've ever seen before. Unlike the live-action movies, it's not about appealing to the audience with predictable James Bond action sequences and famous actors. This movie truely does justice to the comic and to Bob Kane. Each character is portrayed perfectly, with wonderful animation and amazing voice acting. I absolutely love the dark deco art style as well. And the plot is one of the best I've seen. It really keeps you interested. I'd recommend this movie to anyone, Batman fan or not! Definately try this one out!

Very Good
I thought this movie was very well made, much better than the live-action movies in my opinion. If you like Batman or the animated series, you will love this. However, one remark about the person who said this was the first PG animated movie released theatrically. Sorry, though only one pops into my mind, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (though only one video release has kept its theatrical rating of PG) was rated PG. I do not know if it was the first or not, but that is what it was rated. Robotech the Movie did as well, but I think it was like only released in one theater =) No others stand out in my mind immediately though. Anyway, off the subject there, Batman: MOTP, go buy, watch, enjoy.

FLAWLESS PERFORMANCES.....AWE-INSPIRING ELEMENTS
This movie was one of the finest in the saga. If you enjoy suspense and drama, this is a must-see. The story of how Bruce met Andrea Beaumont and became Batman was very well thoughtout. I anticipate the writers will produce a sequel to this snappy ensamble. This film gives you an insight into Bruce Wayne as a lover and as a citizen. Unfortunately, I am not permitted to give away any of the movie, but there were two parts in this movie that had me thinking and, at one point, weeping. This movie is a classic in the making; you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Description

How can you avenge betrayal and murder? How can you fight for right in a world so steeped in evil? How can you protect those you love most from all that can do them harm? No man living - or dead - can tell you. But one trapped between both is struggling for an answer that can save the lives of his most beloved, or plunge the world into eternal darkness. The cloak and chains of Spawn explode from the comic book page onto the screen in a deadly tornado of untapped, unwrapped, merciless power. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From the mind of comic-book maestro Todd MacFarlane comes the second season of episodes of the animated Spawn. Highly stylized animation and provocative story lines make Spawn a sophisticated cartoon sometimes more appropriate for older audiences. Murder victim Al Simmons has returned from hell to earth as a "hellspawn," a soldier for the army of darkness sent to collect more souls for hell. The injustice of his death and his former life as a dedicated husband throws a wrench into hell's plan--Spawn remembers his human life and fights the inclination to do evil. Still, he is vengeful and he walks the line between killing for justice and just plain killing.

In these episodes, Spawn meets the man who assassinated him and becomes suspect of the organization that ordered him killed. Jason Wynn, the leader of the group, has plans to sell weapons of mass destruction stolen from the military. Spawn's former wife Wanda has since remarried Terry Fitzgerald, with whom Spawn must reconcile. Terry is hot on the trail of the missing arms, and Wynn and his assassins, including the highly trained Merrick, set out to kill Terry, Wanda, and their daughter Cyan. Spawn foils the plot while realizing the hard truth that Wanda has a new life. Spawn 2 is the slick and darkly realized animated adaptation of the popular comic book of the same name. It features the voice talents of Keith David (Spawn), who appeared in Dead Presidents, Denise Poirier (Merrick), and John Rafter Lee (Wynn), who also is the voice of Aeon Flux and Trevor Goodchild in the popular animated series Aeon Flux. --Shannon Gee ... Read more

Amazon.com

Taking a cue from the caped crusader's comic book rebirth in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, this 1992 animated series saved the TV Batman from a fate worse than camp and drew an unexpected audience for an afternoon cartoon: adults. The initial five episodes gathered here feature such supervillains as Man-bat, the Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy, but the deliciously demented Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) steals the show in his two appearances, especially in the twisted "Christmas with the Joke." Escaping Arkham Asylum in a rocket-powered Christmas tree, the clown prince of crime preempts a TV showing of It's a Wonderful Life with his own homicidal holiday treat. It's a solid start to a sleek, stylized, smartly written series that only improved with time. Ages 7 and up. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Description

Prowling the night in his quest to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, Batman pits brains, brawn and Bat-technology against arch-enemies including the fowl-tempered Penguin, the dangerously seductive Catwoman, sub-zero psycho Mr. Freeze and more. Watch the ultimate crime fighter in these four thrilling episodes from the animated series! ... Read more

Description

2 great titles on 1 DVD for the first time! 1st title: Adventures of Batman & Robin: Poison Ivy: Poison Ivy:A grade school teacher takes a night job working for rough nightclub owner.Beneath his tough exterior, though, her new boss is kind and very protective of her.2nd title: Adventures of Batman & Robin: The Penguin: Penguin, ever crafty takes on Batman in a battle for control of the free world! ... Read more

Description

2 great titles on 1 DVD for the first time. 1st title: The Adventures of Batman & Robin: An evil grin, sadistic wit and a mirthless, bone-chilling laugh are all trademarks of BATMAN'S greatest foe: THE JOKER! Though frequently confined to ARKHAM ASYLUM, the evil CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME keeps devising new ways to escape and bring misery to GOTHAM CITY.2nd title: Adventures of Batman & Robin: Fire & Ice: One wield the power of searing flame. The other attacks with the touch of winter itself. For BATMAN, a close encounter with two polar opposites, MAXIE ZEUS and MR. FREEZE, will plunge THE DARK KNIGHT into a life-or-death battle against FIRE AND ICE! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Batman rules
Look...Batman-The Animated Series is, by far, the best interpretation of the Dark Knight outside of the comic books themselves. That's why I rate this DVD 5 stars.
I have good news for all those who complain about the bare bones, 4 episodes per disc DVDs that the WB have been issuing so far.
It turns out that this summer, Warner Bros is finally gonna start releasing Batman- THe animated Series in complete season box sets. With special features galore. Rejoice.

What the Heck?
I am really getting miffed. I LOVE this show. It is exactly why I keep buying up these DVDs. I am basically wanting to collect every episode of these great series on DVD.

BUT, the repeat of the episode "Christmas with the Joker" really has me miffed. There are only a limited amount of these episodes on DVD and they are repeating episodes?

I am really frustrated because I want these episodes on DVD, but I truly am wasting my money on these half-a$$ products Warner Bros. is producing. Why is every other television series released in the correct manner?

BE WARNED
While I loved this show when it aired, the WB is really screwing things up. This DVD includes four episodes, however, if you bought Batman: The Legend Begins, you'll have bought the same episode twice (Christmas with the Joker)

Here are the episodes:
Christmas with the Joker
The Laughing Fish
Fire from Olympus
Deepr Freeze

Love the Bat, minor disapointment
I have loved the Animated Series of Batman, and I greatly anticipated getting more of the series on DVD. The only problem is that on this disc they have repeated a "Christmas with Joker" episode that was on "Batman the Legend Begins" DVD. If you are planning on ordering this DVD, I do recommend it for the other three episodes that are on the disc, but thought consumers should be forwarned of the episode duplication.

I also would like to add that it would be nice if the episodes were listed in the product descirption so there aren't surprises. ... Read more

Description

When global catastrophe strikes, the World's Greatest Super Heroes answer the call to join Justice League. Justice League works together as a team to overcome a dangerous array of intersteller invaders and world conquering megalomaniacs.Batman rules the night as Gotham City?s shadowy protector ? a crusading dark knight defending the innocent and striking fear into the hearts of evildoers.The legend of Batman begins in this thrilling collection of the first five landmark episodes of the award-winning Batman: The Animated Series. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Gotham City's dark angel of the night returns in episodes 6-9 of the hit 1992 animated series. Boldly drawn, austerely designed, and animated with fluid motion and dynamic action, these pre-Robin episodes are not necessarily the best the series has to offer (as producer Bruce Timm comments in his introductions, "we were still struggling to find our voice"), but watching the evolution is fascinating. The caped crusader is still treated as an urban myth by the Gotham City population and an outlaw by the police, which is used to its full dramatic potential in the disc highlight "P.O.V.," a Rashomon-styled episode in which three witness paint three very different perspectives of the mysterious Batman. The DVD also features a rematch with the Joker ("Be a Clown") and a short supplemental featurette on the voice cast. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Description

Collecting some of the best experimental animation in the world, thisstrange and delightfully perplexing assortment of 2D, 3D and mixed medium filmsrepresents the best in cool avant garde filmmaking. Absurd and comical characterswelcome you into unique environments created at some of the best film schools andindependent studios in the world. Presented by Film Roman, producer of The Simpsonsand King of the Hill, these extraordinary films include award-winners from some of themost prestigious animation film festivals and will take you on a surreal ride you'll neverforget! Films include "Diabolic Wife," "Mindless Bob," "What's on Your Mind," "Tea forTwo," "Eden," "God in the Machine," "Domingo," "Teddy," and many more! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Animation of the absurd
Film Roman, producer of the Simpson's and King of the Hill, and Image Entertainment presents us with a collection of bizarre and often humorous animated shorts in Level 13: Weird and Mysterious. It's an interesting collection, mostly comprised of works from film schools, but there are a few independent studio works thrown in to complete the mix.

There are about 21 animated shorts on this disc, with many various styles, ranging from very complex and polished to extremely crude and/or simple, but all have their own, distinct style and seem to display real effort from their respective creators. Drawings, computer generated art, painted figures, and more...I like the diversity, but I didn't necessarily care for all the shorts.

My favorite was Mindless Bob, created by Eric Radomski and Mark Mothersbaugh (yeah, one of the guys from Devo). It was funny, stupid, loopy, and had me laughing. A few other ones I really enjoyed were Tea for Two, a sort of Kafkaesque discussion between a man and a rabbit over tea seemingly spoken in Swedish with subtitles, Ringed Planet, a wonderfully drawn and very funny short that reminded me of those old Warner Brother cartoons from back in the day, and Deus Ex Machina, a very detailed short feature long on symbolism. The artwork in this last one is amazing in the amount of detail and the story tells quite a lot in a short amount of time.

Probably my least favorite one was the first, Beyond the Distortion. It's kind of funny as this one was probably the most polished and sleekest looking short on this disc. About two thirds of this computer generated short contains a machine that looks like it was modeled after a man using a Stairmaster exercise machine, except only the lower part of the body was shown. We see this figure multiply on itself, like when one looks in a mirror and there is a mirror behind that person. I'd say it's almost H.R. Geiger like, but only peripherally. The last third breaks off into a sort of skeleton figure of a giant, hollowed out woman in a silver lake surrounded by a barren landscape. The whole short didn't seem like much other than someone trying to show off his artistic computer generation skills, trying too hard to impress. And the music...imagine Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells played twice as fast and not as good, and that's what you get. Kind of annoying, to be sure.

Given that there are around 21 shorts on this disc, there will probably be something for everyone, if you are interested in original and unique animated short subjects. There is about an hour of material on here, but there are no special features. I would be more inclined to give this three and a half stars, as while I appreciated the diversity, some of the animation just wasn't suited to my tastes. There are two more discs in this series, Level 13.Net: Just for Laughs and Level 13.Net: The Dark Side, neither of which I've had an opportunity to see, but given the strength of this one, I would be willing to give them a try. ... Read more