Film Discussion of the Week: BATMAN Mask of the Phantasm

It's been some time since I saw this, but I remember that it was very underwhelming. I think it's on Netflix for those who want to watch it. 2/5 for me.

Why are our film tastes so different dude. Is there a single film we agree on?

I love the older Warner Bros Batman stuff. The animation in this flick gets the job done but is otherwise nothing special imo. That said, I think other aspects of the art like the designs and backgrounds are great and make up it.

I enjoyed Mask of the Phantasm and story-wise I think it was very good (if a bit confusing at times). But as comic book animation, it's lackluster. Neither the animation nor the art direction are stand out or even merely good by comic book animation standards, but since movement is not important in this genre of animation, my main problem with Phantasm is the art direction, specifically the character designs, as well as the overall lack of detail.


Example:

here is Bruce Timm's design of Robin: art.cafimg.com/images/Category_3539/subcat_35723/thumbs/rbook18.jpg

By comparison, here is the same character drawn years earlier by veteran (and legendary) comic book artist Alex Toth: www.tothfans.com/gallery.php?row=4&s=56iyh9gcq41mdqoxnzet&a=15mlg5wkexb3wfy61ugmr21092014163427


Notice the difference in refinement? Even without any inking, Toth's design is so much more refined that it seems near anatomically-perfect by comparison, with no jagged edges to speak of. Not to mention Toth's design is more detailed, with more work being put into the ears, mouth, nose, and just about every other part of the character.

Keep in mind that Toth himself was also heavily involved in the animation scene throughout his career, being the brain behind Space Ghost as well as many other high-profile animated series of the 60s and 70s.

I guess my point is that Batman TAS's art direction was streamlined to the point where it was not comic book animation, just cartooning. With that said, as a cartoon it's not bad, but the serious nature of Phantasm's plot definitely deserves a more challenging visual style, especially considering that Batman originated as a comic book.

I suppose you could argue that compared to super hero animated shows today, like Teen Titans Go!, Batman TAS was artistically impressive. Well, true enough I suppose, but if anything that's more a comment on the sad state of television animation rather than an argument for Batman TAS actually being artistically worthy of the franchise's legacy.

But like I said, I really did enjoy the storytelling of Phantasm, especially compared to the garbage that was Joel Schumaker's Batman movies. So as a result my feelings towards the film as a whole are very mixed; 3/5 for me.

Yeah those are fantastic alright.

I think I'll readjust my score to a 3/5. I just remember that there are a few cool parts, but the Phantasm itself isn't cool.