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This film is like an opener for the Batman animated series. It shows the beginning of Bruce Wayne's becoming of Batman - and also the Joker before he became the Joker! Plenty of action and great story.
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Much like Batman, the animated series, from the 90's, but in full length movie form. One interesting thing about the style of the animation, is that it resembles, the 30 and 40's time period, based upon the cars depicted in the film, the use of gangsters, the clothing and architecture, but televisions and computers are also available. Good action, animation, and Batman/Bruce Wayne characterization, as well.
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kevin conroy is the best batman voice ever. I watched this movie many times. i love it
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This is far superior to any recent Batman film (including Dark Knight). For some odd reason, Bruce Timm and the rest of the people behind the DCAU seem to almost get it right everytime. The animation is perfect, the voices are stellar and the stories are compelling and emotional. Like I said earlier, now that the hype over The Dark Knight has died down, I've went on to praise why the other Batman films are better. After Ledger died, I think that's what made the movie so big; an actor's last finished film role (but like I've stated earlier he did a terrific job, though honestly I went to see it due to my liking of the characters and had no idea who Ledger was or what he'd done before and was a little angered at why they didn't get a more seasoned actor to do the role). And also the film's story served more as a character study than what's been done before in the superhero genre (which again is terrific and different). This is done better because its a more personal story than any of the others. Some one frames Batman for the murder of several gangsters while at the same time his former lover comes back to the city (and I must say, she got a lot farther with him than Talia and Catwoman ever did). Even the Joker fits into all this and he's not even featured in most of it. I won't go into the details of the plot as it can be a bit confusing to explain. I did like the emotional struggle within Bruce when he was younger about either going along with the plan or settling down with Andrea. One of my favorite scenes is when he's at his parents grave, practically begging to let him move on. And then when he finally proposes to her, a flock of bats erupts out of the ground, insinuating the fact that he can never be in a real relationship. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles of Batman and Joker. Conroy gets to spend a little more time as Bruce and "shows" the emotion of a man torn between his duty and love. Hamill is the definitive voice of the Joker and the animated version is actually my favorite interpretation of the character. He's not totally insane and he's not the annoying clown figure of the 50s comics. He's an amalgam of both and though the character hardly features until half-way through, he steals every scene he's in. And that laugh is just creepy. If I was in a dark alley and I heard Hamill's laugh and Ledger's laugh, I'd probably be more scared of Hamill's. Dana Delany (who would later provide the voice of Lois Lane on Superman: TAS) also delivers an emotional performance as Andrea, who represents the path that Bruce can take if he ever crosses the line and just murders those he fights. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is my favorite incarnation of Alfred. His touching speech at the end towards his master is another favorite emotional scene. Musc wise, Shirley Walker (along with other series' regular composers) delivers a score that's emotional (mainly Bruce and Andrea), action scenes (Batman being chased by cops) and a little creepy (the Phantasm's theme, the Joker and whenever they use the organ). Even her main theme for Batman gets a cinematic upgrade, setting the ominus and forboding tone of the film. If only Warner Bros. had given Timm and Co. the two years an animated film needs, I'm sure this would've been a high-grossing film. Even Siskel and Ebert gave it a more positive review than Returns and Forever.
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I remember seeing previews on television for this movie a month before I turned three years old. I have a December birthday, and I wanted to go see it in theaters in honor of that; but Mom and Dad wouldn't take me. Now that I think about it, they probably didn't want to deal with the possibility of a frightened child in a theater; nonetheless, it rankled me at the time.
I don't remember how long it took me to finally see Phantasm; I think I was five, but the memory is fuzzy. I saw it on Cartoon Network, and it blew me away. I'm almost nineteen now, and my sister gave it to me on DVD in honor of graduating high school and getting into a good college.
I finally popped it in tonight, and it's just as powerful and heartbreaking as it was when I was five. I broke down completely at the end, when Bruce finds the locket, and I swear I never cry at movies, but then that scene came and I just started wailing. I cried all the way through the credits, and five minutes after that. I can't even describe what I felt, except that it was heartbreak and sadness and the knowledge that Bruce Wayne will never have a happily ever after. I haven't sobbed so hard in years.
So if there are any doubts about whether or not you should buy this movie, let those doubts be dispelled. This is a true masterpiece. The animation is beautiful, and the voice acting is spot on (fans of Superman: The Animated Series will hear a familiar voice). The story is very simple, but sometimes simple is best. It feels like you're right next to Batman the whole ride, feeling his loneliness and isolation as happiness keeps slipping through his fingers.
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