Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (4K Ultra HD)

11 years after the Blu ray format was launched, Batman: The Animated Series FINALLY makes it debut in high-definition format with this release of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), the first and only animated feature spin-off of the classic 1992-1995 Batman animated series. This is arguably the best that series ever looked AND for many fans it IS the best Batman film produced to date. It is certainly the finest animated/action/adventure theatrical spin-off of a MAJOR superhero, if not the most popular superhero in the world. I'll continue this review with a few negative notes. One, this Blu ray is VERY basic with a static menu (not a big deal, it means the disc loads faster!) and only the original theatrical trailer as an extra. Yep, after 24 years, WB has not deigned it practical or desirable (yet!) to do any sort of extras for this film despite its cult status. You think they would have gotten key production personnel to talk about the making of the film in a documentary or commentary track but it didn't happen. Also, there WAS a mini-featurette tie-in about the making of this film produced for HBO that aired around the time of the original theatrical release back in 1993 but that wasn't on the disc, either! My second pet peeve is aimed at the film itself. It is NOT an original story. This is an uncredited adaptation of a 4-part storyline, "Batman: Year Two," that was published in Detective Comics in 1987! Don't believe me, read the comic yourself and you'll see -- the major plotline of a grim-reaper antagonist, lost love, etc -- it's all there. They made some changes for the feature film but it is still basically "Batman: Year Two" in the main. This has never been acknowledged even though more recent animated films and TV series are doing a better job of crediting the original storyline writers and character creators. Now, back to the disc... The video quality is excellent, by far the best this film has looked on home video. The original film grain is evident but not overdone. It gives the film a nice, organic look that is lacking in digitally produced animation made for direct-to-video (which ironically was the original intent for the film until a studio executive saw the storyboards, liked them, and ordered the film be retooled for theatrical release). It looks like a THEATRICAL movie, not a sterile home video. The audio quality is serviceable but it's not extraordinary. I think it's basic stereo, not 5.1... Would have been nice to hear another language track had one been made for this film. My guess is that there are probably vocal audio tracks recorded in other languages considering the animated Batman TV series was redubbed in French, Spanish, and Japanese for sure! One of the best qualities of this film aside from the visual aesthetics is the symphonic soundtrack which is among the best of any Batman film. It's a rousing re-invention of the themes first heard in the 1989 Batman movie and reinvented and elaborated on in the later 1992-1995 Batman animated series. This film has a beautiful score and even an excellent throw-away pop song played over the end credits. The vocal performances in this film are excellent and never over the top. This is not campy Batman but it's also not the dreary, bleak, depressing mess that so many recent Batman projects have devolved into, either. (And it's WAY better than the recent Batman and Harley Quinn movie.) That's a credit to both the actors and the voice director who I believe was Andrea Romano who just announced her retirement. You'll hear not only Kevin Conroy and Dana Delany (in her first major animation voiceover prior to being cast as Lois Lane for Superman: The Animated Series) but also character actors Dick Miller, Abe Vigoda, and of course, Mark Hamill as The Joker. Stacy Keach voices the title villain, the Phantasm, who has one of the major plot twists of the film and one of the big departures from the original comic mini-series this film was based on. Today was the first time in a while I've seen the film... I was just checking out the Blu ray to see how well it was done. It's an A-1 high-definition remastering job and a credit to a film that has withstood the test of time 24 years later...

I think it's no secret among Batman fans that Mask of the Phantasm (and The Animated Series, in general) is one of the best yet also most under-appreciated films in the franchise. It's dark, serious, and stylish with a tight story told with great pacing. Even though it is often viewed as a "kids movie," it is most definitely not. In fact, I wouldn't even call it a "family film" (at least no more than Batman from 1989). If you're reading this, however, you probably know all that already, so let's get to this new Blu-ray release. What you get here is a very basic set. The disc contains two versions of the film (more on that in just a second), the option to turn English subtitles on or off, and the theatrical trailer. That's it, no bells and whistles at all, not even a scene selection screen! The two versions of the film are labeled in the Main Menu as the "Theatrical presentation" and the "Television presentation." The only difference between the two is that the Television presentation is in a 4:3 aspect ratio (the then normal ratio of a TV screen), while the Theatrical presentation zooms into the frame to fill a widescreen TV. It's sort of like a modern day version of those widescreen vs fullscreen DVDs you used to see, except in this case it's more like full screen vs tall screen. I highly recommend watching the film in the Television presentation, as that is how it was originally animated and meant to be viewed. Unfortunately the Blu-ray only points this out if you choose the Television format; if you choose the Theatrical it just plays the movie without warning you that the image is cropped and missing the full picture. As for the picture and audio quality, it's as good as I expected it to be. Remember that this is an animation from 1993 which wasn't even originally intended to be given a theatrical release, so the quality isn't going to be super sharp or clear. The soft look of the animation has always been the style of the show, and it is both respected here while also cleaned up enough to look great on a big modern HDTV, a definite improvement over the DVD version of the show that I have. The audio is a 2.0 mix, which some might find disappointing instead of a 5.1. Yet again though, this isn't the fault of the Blu-ray, it's just how the source material is. Channels aside, the audio is crisp and clear and sounds great through my home theater sound system. Over all, I highly recommend this Blu-ray release. It's the best that the film is ever going to look or sound, and definitely deserves a spot in any movie library, kid or adult alike.

They did a great job on it and like all older things forced or redone into HD that were originally made in SD, you will notice certain things about the video easier than you would in the SD version on an older TV set. They are not in abundance or bad at all, but you can't expect 100% digital perfection for an aged hand drawn animated release. Noise/Grain seem to kept in check with no strong DNR visible so details are not smudged out with DNR. I hate when that gets done to releases but its nice in this release. You may also notice certain scenes or frames are a bit softer than the rest which are crisp and sharp. This has always been there even in the DVD release, it's just much easier to notice in the sharper/cleaner HD conversion they did. This is not an issue that was introduced in the Blu-Ray release. Compared to the DVD, this looks much better. I am sure they could do somewhat better with more work and time put into it, but its not at all badly done and quite the improvement over the DVD. I'm not bothered at all by lack of special features like most people seem to be. I bought this for the movie itself! Special features are just bonuses I enjoy on occasion. My favorite feature out of everything and I wish I could see on more things is the fact that they give you both the Widescreen and the Fullscreen version of the movie. Not everyone likes to watch cropped off video that was cut off to force something into widescreen when it was not originally animated to be that way. By the same token, not everyone can stand the black bars on the sides because their OCD or being used to widescreen nowadays wont allow it. So getting both choices is AWESOME!! If you want the movie and you want it looking great that is also an improvement over the DVD release, this is a great purchase. If you only care about special features and 100% digital perfection, good luck waiting the rest of your life for it and miss out on a nice movie release due to OCD.

Amazing 4k blu ray but it doesn’t come with a digital code

Dope movie

This is, without a doubt, Kevin Conroy’s most beautiful portrayal of the Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne falls in love with a surprisingly likable Dana Delaney, and at one of the high points of the film, BEGS his dead parents to let him cast off his promise of Vengeance to be happy with her - a scene that many of the film’s assorted Directors and Producers say moved them to tears. The 35th Anniversary 4k Remastering is beautiful; the picture and colors are flawlessly crisp, and the sound really takes advantage of a properly-tuned subwoofer. There’s also a wonderful little memorial/homage to Kevin Conroy as this disc’s only Bonus Feature that is well worth watching. I’d give this 6 Stars if they’d let me. This is easily worth the price for any and all fans of Bat-Animation! (Also, Mark Hamill’s Joker’s relatively small appearance is, as always, flippin’ Awesome!)

I am a tremendous fan of this series and was waiting forever for this. I pre-ordered it and just put it in the blu-ray player. It looks amazing. Beautiful colors, clean picture, sounds great. Best it ever looked. My wife even made a comment at how great it looked in passing. It is my understanding that the technical complications in creating this soaked up the budget and didn't allow for any special features. I don't buy that. Surely all those DC Collectible figures based off the series that are always flying off the shelves would warrant putting in a little more into this for fans. Below are some things that they should have done. I hope when the actual series gets done they go the extra mile. The popularity of Harley Quinn alone should validate that for DC/Warners. 1) Box Art - Make the fans feel like they are getting something new. I would have used the Bruce Timm art that was on the comic adaptation (photo included). Fans would have flipped for that. Bruce Timm has legions of fans these days and all the dc animated movies always say "New from Bruce Timm" etc. already...why not put some Bruce Timm art on it? It would be equivalent to a stamp of approval for a re-release. The box art on the actual series dvd is bad and off model. Fans pay attention to that stuff. Definitely redo that art when you blu-ray the full series. 2) Commentary - It was a bad move to not put commentary on this. It couldn't have cost that much to do. Please please please do full commentary on ALL the episodes on the series blu-ray (not just the few that already exist). You should mix it up too. Not just Timm and Radomski, but some tracks should be like oh I don't know... Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin!! or Martin Pasko and Joe Lansdale!!! Switch it up every episode. The rarer and unique the commentary the better. 3) Bonus - Behind the scenes featurettes, making of, concept art, etc. There is no lack of resources for this stuff so put it on the movie (and series). Again, put in the extra dough for this WB! This show built DC Animation as far as I'm concerned. Again, the quality of the actual movie on the blu-ray is great. So four stars for a job well done, but brought it down a star for not going the extra mile. Hopefully a full series release will have more love put into it.

One of the greatest Batman films ever made. This is a story that is great for those who are not familiar with the character, but even better for long time die-hard fans. It has every element a Batman film should have: A dark noir tone, an engaging mystery, a tragic and gothic romance, and a more than satisfying villain. All the voice acting is spot on, especially the iconic work of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (but I believe that goes without saying). As for the quality, I'd say this is a pretty great Blu-ray conversion. The colors really pop, there is an immense amount of detail, and it still retains that beautiful grain that really makes you feel like you are watching a classic noir film. I do wish that there was an option to purchase the film with a digital download code, but that is a small nitpick in this otherwise glowing review. The product came in great condition and I can't recommend you buy it enough.

Amazing movie. A nice tribute to Kevin Conroy.

De mis películas favoritas de toda la serie animada de Batman. Contiene un hermoso tributo al difunto Kevin Conroy. Si eres fan de Batman, no de debe faltar está película.

Amazing movie period

Quick delivery, amazing for any fan

Excelente calidad de audio y video.