Batman V Superman: Ranking Every Movie From Worst To Best

6. Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm

There's been all manner of cartoon movies featuring Son of Krypton and Bat of Gotham in various forms and canonicities, but only one of them has had a proper theatrical release. That's Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm, and it's as good as you'd expect from a film jumping off from the landmark Batman: The Animated Series. You know the drill; looks great (even if it is a puffed up TV movie), is well written and boasts an incomparable voice cast. And, going back into Batman's origins without just doing a beat-for-beat retread of the basic story, it's an intriguing introduction to the stellar cartoon world. The only real downside is the mystery about who's behind that mask, which is a problem Batman stories have faced in all forms; when introducing a villain with a mysterious identity, due to the size and distinction of Batman's Rogue's Gallery it's either going to be the one major new character introduced (Hush) or a pre-existing character in a new form (Arkham Knight). In Phantasm it's the former, and the twist is patently obvious from very early on. Thankfully there's enough to the very-Gotham crime story elsewhere to make it interesting elsewhere.