Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

For years, I’ve heard how this is the best Batman movie, over 1989, over Begins, over Dark Knight. And I know I’m gonna get Batman fans real angry, but no, it’s not. It’s not bad, and it has a ton of style, but the story and presentation has some undeniable flaws. I’m not a fan of the flashbacks. Yes, they fill in the blanks of the relationships and the plot points. But they’re so frequent and so long, for me, it broke the pacing of the movie. I found it hard to be invested in the main story when it constantly kept getting interrupted for backstory. Tell the story in chronological order, or find a way to reveal the backstory without slamming on the brakes of the main narrative. These constant breaks, coupled with the abbreviated runtime, don’t allow for much time spent with the new characters or the titular villain, and a couple plot threads get left dangling to boot. Also, the whole “the cops think Batman is a murderer” plot is old and tired and never believable, because it goes against Batman’s core principle. Hell, the movie even mentions it, but then just ignores it. But by far the thing which bugged me the most is that the titular villain — who has a cool design and abilities that aren’t really elaborated on — takes a huge backseat about halfway through so Joker can be the main bad guy. Mark Hamill’s great as Joker, but crowbarring him into the movie robs the Phantasm of importance. They become a chess piece between Joker and Batman, and … ugh. It just felt so unnecessary. Because what’s good about the movie is really good. I love the art style, and the voice acting is outstanding. Everybody is on point here. I love how Andrea Beaumont plays a role in Batman’s origin and, despite this being the only continuity where she does, it feels natural. I love the design of the Phantasm. I love that Gotham being a dirty hellhole isn’t important to the plot. I love how Batman’s typical struggle with his dual identity is approached from a new angle here. I love a lot of this movie, really, I do. It’s fun. It’s a hell of a lot better than Forever or & Robin, or anything since the DCEU became a thing. I just wish it didn’t HAVE to include Joker again, and that the story could’ve been told with a more natural flow. I was leery of the hype, and while it didn’t live up to it, I didn’t expect it to miss the mark in quite this way.