Contains spoilers
Batman returns to movie screens, but this time he's doing so in pen and paint form. The feature has Bruce Wayne's alter ego being framed for grisly murders by another vigilante... this one called the Phantasm. The Phantasm has targeted mob bosses around Gotham, and the mob has begun searching for the killer, including Batman's nemesis, the Joker, voiced brilliantly as usual by Mark Hamill. Tying in with matters is Bruce encountering his lost love, Andrea, which causes him to reflect back on his events of his past with her, including his transformation into the guise of Batman. This is a very good animated feature, featuring strong animation, a great soundtrack, and an excellent voice cast. However, two of the reasons I enjoyed this film were things that the animated movie were able to get away with, things that Batman: The Animated Series, or Fox to be specific, wouldn't allow:
1. Characters die. There was never any death in TAS. Although this is also a good thing in ways, when one is discussing Batman, of all things, death is usually a common issue. No death can be good to hide from the really little kids, but can also cause a series to become extremely unrealistic and laughable(Cough, G I Joe, cough). Here, though, many of the mob bosses are killed by the Phantasm quite gruesomely, and the animated Joker is seen using his infamous, and quite lethal, Joker Venom effectively for the very first time. The fights are also quite violent, unlike in the animated show, we actually get to see Batman bleed, something that surprised when I first saw the film back during its theatrical release.
2. Batman doesn't always win. I'm sorry, but when I realized Batman: The Animated Series ALWAYS had Batman come out on top and save Gotham from whatever crime boss or sadistic villain he faced, I grew out of it and stopped watching. Here, however, he is humbled greatly. I actually compared this to an early episode of the TV series, "On Leather Wings," in which he is also framed and being chased by the police. On the episode he avoided the cops and was able to get away from them quite easily. Here, though, he had great difficulty trying to get away and almost wound up in police custody, even at one point being horribly wounded AND losing his mask.
So this is at last the good animated version of Batman fans were looking for. I suggest fans see this. Don't worry, it's accessible, even if you've never seen an episode of Batman: The Animated Series before in your life. Oh, and an interesting tidbit: Dana Delany, the voice of Andrea, also went on to do the voice of Lois Lane in the animated versions of Superman and Justice League.
Batman returns to movie screens, but this time he's doing so in pen and paint form. The feature has Bruce Wayne's alter ego being framed for grisly murders by another vigilante... this one called the Phantasm. The Phantasm has targeted mob bosses around Gotham, and the mob has begun searching for the killer, including Batman's nemesis, the Joker, voiced brilliantly as usual by Mark Hamill. Tying in with matters is Bruce encountering his lost love, Andrea, which causes him to reflect back on his events of his past with her, including his transformation into the guise of Batman. This is a very good animated feature, featuring strong animation, a great soundtrack, and an excellent voice cast. However, two of the reasons I enjoyed this film were things that the animated movie were able to get away with, things that Batman: The Animated Series, or Fox to be specific, wouldn't allow:
1. Characters die. There was never any death in TAS. Although this is also a good thing in ways, when one is discussing Batman, of all things, death is usually a common issue. No death can be good to hide from the really little kids, but can also cause a series to become extremely unrealistic and laughable(Cough, G I Joe, cough). Here, though, many of the mob bosses are killed by the Phantasm quite gruesomely, and the animated Joker is seen using his infamous, and quite lethal, Joker Venom effectively for the very first time. The fights are also quite violent, unlike in the animated show, we actually get to see Batman bleed, something that surprised when I first saw the film back during its theatrical release.
2. Batman doesn't always win. I'm sorry, but when I realized Batman: The Animated Series ALWAYS had Batman come out on top and save Gotham from whatever crime boss or sadistic villain he faced, I grew out of it and stopped watching. Here, however, he is humbled greatly. I actually compared this to an early episode of the TV series, "On Leather Wings," in which he is also framed and being chased by the police. On the episode he avoided the cops and was able to get away from them quite easily. Here, though, he had great difficulty trying to get away and almost wound up in police custody, even at one point being horribly wounded AND losing his mask.
So this is at last the good animated version of Batman fans were looking for. I suggest fans see this. Don't worry, it's accessible, even if you've never seen an episode of Batman: The Animated Series before in your life. Oh, and an interesting tidbit: Dana Delany, the voice of Andrea, also went on to do the voice of Lois Lane in the animated versions of Superman and Justice League.