Batman Mask of the Phantasm is one of the greatest Batman films of all time, with some even ranking it ahead of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. And what’s strange is that you never even hear about it. While, yes, it does have a huge cult following, many viewers who will be rushing out to theaters to watch Justice League this November have probably never seen it. So while the goal of this analysis is to pinpoint what made the film great, I also hope to shed some light on an often underrated picture.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was a cinematic continuation of Batman: The Animated Series and most of the same cast and crew from the tv show were involved in making the movie. Paul Dini’s original story was compelling and emotional, while still brief and to the point. Bruce Timm’s dark direction and recognizable art style was apparent. And most of all, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill’s now iconic voices brought the characters of Batman and Joker to life.

Now about the story– with a run time of only 76 minutes, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is short. Very short. But accustomed to writing scripts for 22-minute TV episodes, the creators of this film had no trouble fitting character, emotion, and action all in just over an hour. In fact, the movie uses flashbacks in some of the most organic ways I’ve seen, to efficiently tell the origin story of Batman, introduce a brand new villain, provide comedic relief through the Joker, and tell the mysterious tale of the Phantasm. With all this, there are only a couple scenes that get a little bogged down with heavy action, but for the most part the movie is paced just quick enough to never lose your attention.

This is also the best Batman origin story told on the big screen. Unlike other movies, this one doesn’t waste time by making us relive the moment when Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed. And I, for one, am thankful for that. It’s something we’ve already seen a thousand times, from a thousand different angles, and while obviously it’s an important part of what drives Bruce to become Batman, anyone going to see a Batman movie, at this point, should already know what happened, and if not, the writers could find more creative ways to reveal the information. But in general, that’s what makes Batman: Mask of the Phantasm great. It’s not pandering to a wider audience– it knows its fans. It doesn’t hold your hand retelling you the Bruce Wayne parents death story, but instead focuses on the psychological impact the deaths had on Bruce and the eternal vow he made to protect the city, on their behalf. It was so interesting to see Batman at a new low point in his life. More devastating to him than losing his parents is letting them down, and by flirting with the possibility of settling down with Andrea and being happy, in his mind he was doing just that. It’s this scene that shows just how emotionally scarred Bruce is, and like the villains he puts behind bars, his mental baggage probably warrants him a spot in Arkham Asylum himself. The image is heart-breaking. It shows Bruce is crazy, yes, but it’s not his fault. You feel for him, and you want him to win. All the while, you understand the control his parents have over him and their role in creating Batman… without ever seeing their death. In a world full of different iterations of Batman, this is one of the only ones that actually make you care for The Dark Knight by showing he is, in fact, human.

As mentioned before, the pace of the movie is great. There are only 2 scenes in the entire film that seem a little drawn out and bloated. The 2 action scenes shown go on for just a little bit longer than needed, but otherwise the movie fits together perfectly. It especially helps that the movie is so short. With little time to waste, the story barrels forward with every scene. One of my favorite parts of the film is how it deals with solving the mystery of the Phantasm and discovering the villain’s true identity. Just as we, the audience, figure it out, the characters in the movie figure it out too. There isn’t this awkward delay between when the viewers have enough info to crack the case, and when the other characters themselves find out, unlike some other straight thrillers. This leads to a satisfying discovery, and one that isn’t blown out of proportion. The movie is able to tell the story so effectively because it uses flashbacks that then intertwine with the events of the current day. Not only do we see the progression of characters, we also get to take a deeper look into Gotham as a setting, and how it’s changed over time. Following with the dark theme of the movie, we watch Gotham fall into the hands of the mob, and the ‘World of Tomorrow’ not only hasn’t been achieved, but the entire amusement park becomes an abandoned playground for The Joker. This further reinforces the need for Batman and with its own little side story, makes the entire city feel more alive.

Another part of Mask of the Phantasm’s charm is its ability to juggle multiple villains at once. This is basically a staple of all Batman films and while we’ve seen it not work in something like Batman Forever, we also saw how successful it was in The Dark Knight. It has to do with Batman needing a Yin to his Yang and it works especially well when the Yins have two entirely separate goals, like they do here, so much so that by the end of the film, they’re fighting each other!

The Joker in this movie is also fantastic. It’s hard to encapsulate all of what makes this character great, without diving into the rest of the DC Animated Universe– so I’ll say this: Mark Hamill brought his A-game to the table and like always smashed it out of the park with his portrayal of The Joker. What I love here is that The Joker is competent. And because he’s competent, he’s scary. He’s a real forced to be reckoned with, and his use of gadgets, toys, and weapons allows him to stand toe-to-toe with Batman and The Phantasm. Meanwhile, he’s cracking jokes and brightening the mood which is absolutely needed in an otherwise bleak, disheartening depiction of Batman. It proves that not everything in a superhero movie has to be the most serious, soulless, gritty experience ever. Hopefully Zach Snyder takes note.

Finally, the score in this movie is incredible. Watching interviews with the composer afterwards revealed how passionate she was about this project, and it shows. The main theme of Batman the Animated series is peppered throughout a dark and emotional ballad full of strings and swells. And the Phantasm’s main theme is chilling. Meanwhile, a darker version of Joker’s otherwise wacky themes music is heard throughout the movie too. The whole thing adds an extra vibe to the film that it otherwise would not have and the orchestra adds a sense of weight to the story.

Now here are some especially stand-out scenes: first is no doubt this cop scene, which pushes Batman to his limits as he’s forced to run away from the police or be shot on sight. Already weakened, the pursuit continues until Batman is within an inch of death and resorts to being saved by Andrea. The whole chase is intense, and you truly feel like Batman is going to get caught, even when, as the viewer, we know he somehow has to win in the end. Another brilliant scene is the interrogation scene between Batman and Councilman Reeves. Recently in film, the detective side of Batman has been glossed over. Here, Batman is on a personal vendetta and needs answers now. Unfortunately for him, the Councilman had just been infected with Joker’s laughing toxins, so even though Batman is supposed to be an intimidating presence, his victim can’t help but laugh at the sight of him. It’s an amazing trick and allows Joker to get inside Batman’s head. It also pokes fun at Batman’s gimmick and how at a low point in his life like now, he feels inadequate and ineffective– nothing more than a laughing stock. Finally, the Joker’s encounter with the Councilman is sensational. As I mentioned before, this Joker is competent and for the most part, knows exactly what he’s doing. He dominates this scenes and controls every aspect of the scenario until he gets exactly what he wants. Aside from that, the visuals are stunning, leaving us with some of the most iconic shots of the Joker ever. And to end it all off, we got to see Batman dawn the cape and cowl for the first time in his career. It’s a deathly sight that even Alfred is afraid of. This is a new Bruce Wayne. While his parents drove him to become the Bat, it was eventually the loss of Andrea’s love that turned him into The Dark Knight.