The all-time best Batman movie is turning the big 3-0 in 2023 (and on December 25th, to be precise)!
To commemorate the occasion, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is releasing Batman: Mask of the Phantasm in 4K Ultra HD starting today, September 12th.
To experience the movie in its best home video presentation yet, you can pick it up on digital 4K Ultra HD and/or 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray:
Which WB-released movie of the '90s that featured actor supreme Dick Miller in a supporting role and Batman is your favorite: Gremlins 2: The New Batch or Batman: Mask of the Phantasm?
Avoid all of those weirdos out there by dropping your thoughts on the movie (and its 4K presentation, of course ) down below!
Also: Be sure to check out these tip-top reads on DCUI:
The official adaptation of the movie:
Phantasm in more recent comics:
Batman: Year Two (a major influence on the movie) in single issues:
Mask of the Phantasm is still my favorite Batman movie. The one with some of the most mature themes and ideas, delightfully twisted scenes and moments, and an iconic climax.
Not to take anything away from Batman or The Dark Knight of course, but I think MOTP easily outdoes both of them for big screen Batman vs. Joker action…and Joker isn’t even the main villain in this one!
Joker: “If you don’t let go of me, we’ll both die!”
Batman: “Whatever it takes!”
Also:
Random guy (to Andrea): “I’m sorry. Would you like to be alone?”
Here is what I’ll say about the Tom King “Batman/Catwoman” series while still being relevant to the thread. I’m very much in favor of incorporating the Phantasm/Andrea in DC Comics proper. But due to the nature of the limited series, it couldn’t even accomplish that. And I felt the writing was very lackluster regarding her and her connection to Bruce.
I understand and kinda agree with the argument that Andrea/The Phantasm might be better off out of the comics universe and just exist in MOTP. But I would like to see one more full hearted try to bring her over too
One of the best Batman film I’ve ever watch, when I first saw this 30 years ago at the movie theater with my brother and with my late friend.
We all really enjoyed it.
Guess all the Joker scenes were my favorite, since he had so many great lines in a film, when looking at @Stoic_Jester avatar picture, I can tell it’s from the movie when the Joker said, “You can’t be too careful with all those weirdos around!”
I love the music, I even bought the cassette tape of the soundtrack.
There’s so many great films in 1993 that I enjoy and Mask Of The Phantasm is one of them.
Hey @Vroom or @HubCityQuestion, I have a question, does the comic artist see the movie first before or after the people see it, when making a movie comic adaptation? I’ve been wondering about that for years.
In the case of Mask of the Phantasm, Mike Parobeck had to have seen the movie before it was released in theaters to have drawn the comic book adaptation. The movie was released in December 1993, and the comic adaptation actually came out a month earlier, in November of that same year. This isn’t unheard of at all in comic book film adaptations in the 20th century, where the comic comes out slightly ahead of the film in order to build anticipation for the release. A famous example is Star Wars, which had novelizations and comic adaptations out before the movie itself. But it doesn’t really happen any more in the modern media landscape with our increased awareness and sensitivity to “story leaks.”
Hey! Yep, you nailed it – that’s exactly where my avatar’s from! I love that movie too, just picked up the Blu-ray. Joker’s lines are legendary. Sounds like you had a great time watching it back in the day.
I watched this on HBOmax a while back and I absolutely loved it. Many people say this is one of Kevin Conroy’s best performances and now that I’ve watched it, I can agree. It took what’s great about the Animated series and took it further with Batman/Bruce’s character in a way that isn’t explored often, or at least not during that time with a more kid friendly Batman. It can be enjoyed by Batman fans of all ages at any time.
But of course! I still remember it. My parents had to take a trip for the weekend and I was left with my Aunt Betsy. We went to the ol’ Blockbuster and I still remember she rented A Perfect World and Mask of The Phantasm for me. It was awesome! When I showed it to my older brother later on, he felt this was the Joker at his funniest.
I saw Mask of the Phantasm in theaters for the first time 5 years ago, for the 25th anniversary. It was an incredible experience. After that unforgettable scene where Bruce pleads at his parents’ grave to let him be happy, which is an all timer, my favorite is when Joker first appears. It’s such a delightful surprise.
That wasn’t the last time I watched Phantasm though. The last time was the weekend after we got the news that Kevin Conroy had passed. Some friends and I all got together to process our feelings by watching the film, easily Kevin’s greatest performance in his 30 years as Batman. It was cathartic for us all, and he’ll be remembered alongside Batman for all time.
“Can’t be too careful with all those weirdos out there.”
Are Surf Ninjas and/or Weekend at Bernie’s II among your '93 favs?
Be honest, now.
I saw the trailers for those two flunkies with what is likely my favorite '93 movie (from an entertainment perspective at least): Jurassic Park.
You know, a Jurassic Park/MOTP double-feature sounds like a corker of a good time.
What HCQ said.
To refer to another comic adaptation of a '90s Bat-flick, Denny O’Neil wrote the Batman Forever adaptation, which was based on an early edit of the movie.
That adaptation opens with Two-Face’s Arkham escape, since at the time of its writing, that scene was:
A. Still in the movie.
B. The movie’s opening scene.
It was followed by Bruce’s walk-through of the Electronics Division of Wayne Enterprises and then led to Bruce suiting up to take on Two-Face, not meet Chase (this explains when Bruce sees the Bat-signal from WE, you can overhear police sirens, because they’re in regards to Two-Face and his hostage grabs).
As we know, the Arkham escape was cut-out entirely (and can be seen in the deleted scenes on the Special Edition DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray editions of the movie, for any curious) and the Wayne Enterprises visit and Two-Face intro were then switched around for the finished movie’s opening.
The same applies to novels based on movies, as they too are written in-advance (and are more often based on a movie’s screenplay than anything else) and can sometimes feature things that differ from the finished movie.
Fun Fact: In the Batman Forever Official Movie Magazine, Denny O’Neil said that from what he had seen of Batman Forever via his set visits and the rough cut, that it was the best Batman movie.
High praise from someone who knew their Batman and then some.
It came out on Christmas Day 1993, so you very likely did.
The Blu-ray from 2017, or the 4K Blu-ray that dropped yesterday?
I’ve spot-checked the 4K edition and so far, it looks solid.
Not without a bit of softness here and there, but from what I’ve seen so far, its definitely a worthwhile pick-up (as if there was any doubt, right? ).
Unorthodox yes, but granular and geeky, all the same.
Same. After a quarter-century of watching it on VHS (hurray for the black clamshell case!), DVD (snap cases overstayed their welcome, but were still fun) and Blu-ray (hurray for HD and Warner Archive!), it was great to finally see the movie in the best way it can be seen: on the big screen.
As my BFF and I were exiting the auditorium (after the credits ended, of course), we saw a feller in a sweet Nightwing leather jacket.
It seems Dick Grayson attended the movie incognito (sort-of, but also not really) and then some.
So, that’s a yes on reading Batman Adventures #7, then?
) down below!
Ultra eyes-only 
).