The Best Batman Film No One Saw

by Ewan Paterson

1. The Legacy Of The Phantasm

Warner Bros.

No matter the immediate fate of the Phantasm (which was disappointing and tragic in equal respects), the film has since been reappraised as one of the true greats of the genre, and even possibly the greatest Batman film too.

Kevin Conroy was masterful as Bruce Wayne, providing the voice to the hero that would endear himself to an entire generation; Mark Hamill was (as always) sensational as the Joker, and the talents of Dana Delaney, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Bob Hastings all helped elevate the production too. They brought to life a renowned cast of characters in a way no one else really did, and it's a testament to their talents that BTAS (and by extension MOTP too), continues to influence further adaptations of Batman's world.

Following on from Phantasm came stellar animated efforts in Subzero (a tale featuring Mister Freeze), Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (a spin-off of the Batman Beyond TV show), and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (a film made in the New Batman Adventures style), but even outside the DC Animated Universe, Warner Bros. Animation have continued to dominate the superhero genre. Mature adaptations of storylines like The Dark Knight Returns, Year One and Under the Hood owe their existence to the efforts of Timm, Dini, Radomski, Burnett and all the rest, and Mask of the Phantasm - while still a box-office disappointment - was intrinsic to that progression as well.

Elsewhere, the film's influence can be found in the comics - where a Phantasm Beyond storyline took place a few years back - and in video games too, where Batman: Arkham Origins alluded to the presence of Andrea Beaumont with a series of scattered postcards littered throughout the Batcave. And while those references are fine and dandy, the film's biggest accomplishment has been in captivating new audiences 25 years on from its 1993 premier.

It might not be live action, or be particularly long, but Mask of the Phantasm is Batman at his best: bold, brave, and gothic as hell. Don't leave your cave without it.

What do you think of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm? Is it really the best Batman film of all time? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.