Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 95 (click to see context) from:
** Then Joker when [[spoiler:Andrea]] looms over him after his jetpack crash
to:
** Then Joker when [[spoiler:Andrea]] looms over him after his jetpack crashcrash.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Batman and Joker battling in the model city, giants among buildings harassed by aircraft, is very KingKong-esque.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Then Joker when [[spoiler:Andrea]] looms over him after his jetpack crash
--->'''Joker:''' Uh-oh.
--->'''Joker:''' Uh-oh.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TakingYouWithMe:
-->'''Joker:''' I'm your only chance to get out of here. Let me go or we'll ''both'' die!
-->'''Batman:''' Whatever it takes!
-->'''Joker:''' I'm your only chance to get out of here. Let me go or we'll ''both'' die!
-->'''Batman:''' Whatever it takes!
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TheVoiceless: That mob enforcer with the pointy nose. [[spoiler:Likely to obscure the fact that he's a pre-chemical dip Joker.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* HitFlash: For a hammer hitting a windshield, at that.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 2 (click to see context) from:
[[caption-width-right:320:And you thought ''TheJoker'' was scary...]]
to:
[[caption-width-right:320:And you thought ''TheJoker'' ''{{the Joker}}'' was scary...]]
Deleted line(s) 18 (click to see context) :
* AscendedExtra: Not in the film itself, but in the novelization, which ties up a dangling plot thread by giving some extra scenes to a character who's only in the film for less than a minute.
Added DiffLines:
* AscendedExtra: Not in the film itself, but in the novelization, which ties up a dangling plot thread by giving some extra scenes to a character who's only in the film for less than a minute.
* AsianAirhead: One of the girls vying for Bruce's attention at the party at the beginning of the movie.
-->'''AsianAirhead:''' What about the "I" word?\\
'''Bruce:''' "I" word?\\
'''Airhead:''' "Ingagement".
* AsianAirhead: One of the girls vying for Bruce's attention at the party at the beginning of the movie.
-->'''AsianAirhead:''' What about the "I" word?\\
'''Bruce:''' "I" word?\\
'''Airhead:''' "Ingagement".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Not the trope. Joker did not refuse to the job because his rules overode the money, he\'s just crazy and would have taken umbrage at any offer
Deleted line(s) 106,110 (click to see context) :
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Valestra offers the Joker a BriefcaseFullOfMoney to take out Batman. The response?
--> ''*yawn*'' "What do I look like, pest control?"
** However, this led Valestra do to something completely stupid:
-->'''Valestra:''' Don't be a fool! Once he gets me, how long before he gets you? You ''know'' what I'm talking about. You're hands are just as dirty as mine! Dirtier!
*** Well, really, the stupid part was hiring the Joker in the first place. The "don't be a fool!" thing likely didn't really irritate the Joker that much at all. [[spoiler: Lets be honest- he had probably decided to kill Sal the moment the old man showed up on his doorstep.]]
--> ''*yawn*'' "What do I look like, pest control?"
** However, this led Valestra do to something completely stupid:
-->'''Valestra:''' Don't be a fool! Once he gets me, how long before he gets you? You ''know'' what I'm talking about. You're hands are just as dirty as mine! Dirtier!
*** Well, really, the stupid part was hiring the Joker in the first place. The "don't be a fool!" thing likely didn't really irritate the Joker that much at all. [[spoiler: Lets be honest- he had probably decided to kill Sal the moment the old man showed up on his doorstep.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** Well, really, the stupid part was hiring the Joker in the first place. The "don't be a fool!" thing likely didn't really irritate the Joker that much at all. [[spoiler: Lets be honest- he had probably decided to kill Sal the moment the old man showed up on his doorstep.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that. But Andrea fell into that pit years ago. And no one, not even you, could have pulled her back.
to:
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that. But Andrea fell into that pit years ago. And no one, not even you, could have pulled her back.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that.
to:
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that. But Andrea fell into that pit years ago. And no one, not even you, could have pulled her back.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* AdaptationDistillation: Some elements of the story are loosely taken from ''BatmanYearTwo''. The flashback scene where Bruce goes after some crooks before cooking up his Batman persona is also a reference to Year One.
to:
* AdaptationDistillation: Some elements of the story are loosely taken from ''BatmanYearTwo''.''Batman: Year Two''. The flashback scene where Bruce goes after some crooks before cooking up his Batman persona is also a reference to Year One.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* [[spoiler:StarCrossedLovers: Bruce and Andrea.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm ([[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II and III]])
to:
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm ([[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II -- [[spoiler:The audience can understand how Andrea got started on her crusade, and III]])even feel sorry for her, but that doesn't make her right.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
You\'re one or the other, not both
Deleted line(s) 22 (click to see context) :
** Also, AntiHero ([[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type IV]]).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
** Also, AntiHero (Type IV).
to:
** Also, AntiHero (Type IV).([[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type IV]]).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm (Type II and III)
to:
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm (Type ([[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II and III)III]])
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm
to:
* AntiVillain: The PhantasmPhantasm (Type II and III)
** Also, AntiHero (Type IV).
** Also, AntiHero (Type IV).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 12,13 (click to see context) from:
While the film bombed at the box office (due to lack of promotion), it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success upon its home video release. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans thought of ''Mask of the Phantasm'' as the best Batman film ever made -- and even now, some fans ''still'' think that way.
to:
While the film bombed at the box office (due to lack of promotion), it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success upon its home video release. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy [[Film/TheDarkKnightSaga Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans thought of ''Mask of the Phantasm'' as the best Batman film ever made -- and even now, some fans ''still'' think that way.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Removing fridge logic (And how is this Fridge Logic anyway?)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Removing fridge logic (And how is this Fridge Logic anyway?)
Deleted line(s) 49 (click to see context) :
* FridgeLogic: Sal Valestra spends most of his scenes in various flashbacks smoking like a chimney. Present-day, he requires an oxygen tank...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* FridgeLogic: Sal Valestra spends most of his scenes in various flashbacks smoking like a chimney. Present-day, he requires an oxygen tank...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6,12 (click to see context) from:
''Mask of the Phantasm'' is TheMovie of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and the only {{DCAU}} feature to be released theatrically.
As Batman continues his war on Gotham City's underworld, he finds himself facing a foe who wants to take that war to a whole new level: The Phantasm, a mysterious masked figure who has been killing off Gotham's high-profile mob bosses one by one. Since The Phantasm has a similar appearance to Batman and targets criminals like Batman does, it's not long before The Caped Crusader is blamed for the killings, resulting in the police moving to arrest the vigilante.
The film also follows Bruce Wayne's past and present relationship with love interest Andrea Beaumont (who has her own ties to The Phantasm), as well as Bruce's first attempts at vigilantism before becoming The Batman.
The film was not successful at the box office upon release (due to lack of promotion), but it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success on video. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans considered it to be the best Batman film ever made (and some fans still do).
As Batman continues his war on Gotham City's underworld, he finds himself facing a foe who wants to take that war to a whole new level: The Phantasm, a mysterious masked figure who has been killing off Gotham's high-profile mob bosses one by one. Since The Phantasm has a similar appearance to Batman and targets criminals like Batman does, it's not long before The Caped Crusader is blamed for the killings, resulting in the police moving to arrest the vigilante.
The film also follows Bruce Wayne's past and present relationship with love interest Andrea Beaumont (who has her own ties to The Phantasm), as well as Bruce's first attempts at vigilantism before becoming The Batman.
The film was not successful at the box office upon release (due to lack of promotion), but it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success on video. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans considered it to be the best Batman film ever made (and some fans still do).
to:
Of the various films based on the {{DCAU}} (and DC's original animated films), ''Mask of the Phantasm'' is -- TheMovie of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and -- remains the only {{DCAU}} feature to be released theatrically.
have received a theatrical release.
As Batman continues his war on Gotham City's underworld, hefinds himself facing discovers a new foe who wants to take that war to a whole new level: The Phantasm, a mysterious masked figure who has been killing killed off several of Gotham's high-profile mob bosses one by one. Since bosses. The Phantasm has a similar appearance to Batman and targets criminals like Batman does, it's not long before which leads the police to blame The Caped Crusader is blamed for the killings, resulting in killings. As the police moving try to arrest the vigilante.
stop him, Batman tries to clear his name -- and tries to stop Phantasm before another murder happens.
The film also follows Bruce Wayne's past and present relationship with love interest Andrea Beaumont (who has her own ties to ThePhantasm), as well as Phantasm) and shows Bruce's first attempts at vigilantism before becoming The Batman.
The While the film was not successful bombed at the box office upon release (due to lack of promotion), but it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success on video. upon its home video release. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans considered it to be thought of ''Mask of the Phantasm'' as the best Batman film ever made (and -- and even now, some fans still do).''still'' think that way.
As Batman continues his war on Gotham City's underworld, he
The film also follows Bruce Wayne's past and present relationship with love interest Andrea Beaumont (who has her own ties to The
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
!!This film contains examples of the following tropes:
to:
!! ''Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' contains examples of the following
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 128 (click to see context) from:
to:
* {{Zeerust}}: The ''World Of The Future'' amusement park.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
That\'s not foreshadowing, that\'s subtle reveal
Deleted line(s) 41 (click to see context) :
* FoeYay: "I've seen the guy. He looks more like the Ghost of Christmas Future...nowhere near as cute as Bat-boy."
Deleted line(s) 46 (click to see context) :
*** Related to this, Arthur rides in Sal Valestra's limo. They seem to have some history together, but we don't learn about it until later on.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* MythologyGag: During a flashback, a bat was briefly seeing outside Bruce's window and flew away. However, Bruce didn't see it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** Related to this, Arthur rides in Sal Valestra's limo. They seem to have some history together, but we don't learn about it until later on.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 109 (click to see context) from:
** Bruce taking out a motorcyclist on foot is a direct reference to ''{{Akira}}''.
to:
** Bruce taking out a motorcyclist on foot is a direct reference to ''{{Akira}}''.''Manga/{{Akira}}''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 120,121 (click to see context) from:
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Andrea after becoming The Phantasm.]]
** Not to even speak of the aforementioned scene in which Bruce Wayne finally goes from well-meaning citizen to full-blown vigilante. No matter how you slice it, it's 100% badass...
** Not to even speak of the aforementioned scene in which Bruce Wayne finally goes from well-meaning citizen to full-blown vigilante. No matter how you slice it, it's 100% badass...
to:
* TookALevelInBadass: TookALevelInBadass:
** [[spoiler: Andrea after becoming The Phantasm.]]
**Not to even speak of the aforementioned scene in which Bruce Wayne finally goes going from well-meaning citizen to full-blown vigilante. No matter how you slice it, it's 100% badass...
** [[spoiler: Andrea after becoming The Phantasm.]]
**
Changed line(s) 125 (click to see context) from:
* YouCantFightFate: Bruce, of course.
to:
* YouCantFightFate: Bruce, of course.Bruce.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Phantasmpicsmaller.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:320:And you thought ''TheJoker'' was scary...]]
->''"Your angel of death awaits..."''
-->-- '''The Phantasm'''
''Mask of the Phantasm'' is TheMovie of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and the only {{DCAU}} feature to be released theatrically.
As Batman continues his war on Gotham City's underworld, he finds himself facing a foe who wants to take that war to a whole new level: The Phantasm, a mysterious masked figure who has been killing off Gotham's high-profile mob bosses one by one. Since The Phantasm has a similar appearance to Batman and targets criminals like Batman does, it's not long before The Caped Crusader is blamed for the killings, resulting in the police moving to arrest the vigilante.
The film also follows Bruce Wayne's past and present relationship with love interest Andrea Beaumont (who has her own ties to The Phantasm), as well as Bruce's first attempts at vigilantism before becoming The Batman.
The film was not successful at the box office upon release (due to lack of promotion), but it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success on video. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans considered it to be the best Batman film ever made (and some fans still do).
----
!!This film contains examples of the following tropes:
* AscendedExtra: Not in the film itself, but in the novelization, which ties up a dangling plot thread by giving some extra scenes to a character who's only in the film for less than a minute.
* AdaptationDistillation: Some elements of the story are loosely taken from ''BatmanYearTwo''. The flashback scene where Bruce goes after some crooks before cooking up his Batman persona is also a reference to Year One.
* AmusementParkOfDoom: The Joker turns the ''World Of The Future'' amusement park into his own abode. Being The Joker, he also fills it with plenty of traps and puts high explosives in every one of the tunnels underneath the park (of which there are 20 miles worth).
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm
* AwardBaitSong: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJxbQVnVe8 "I Never Even Told You", sung by Tia Carrere.]]
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Salvatore Valestra. It's essentially the most mob-bossiest mob boss name ever. ''Damn''.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Well, sort of. We get to see Bruce put on the cowl for the first time.
* BerserkButton: "Don't ''touch'' me, old man! [[MoodWhiplash I don't know where you've been!]]"
* BigDamnHeroes: Batman showing up in the Batwing to confront The Phantasm.
** And again when he shows up in the Batcycle at Joker's hideout.
* BigDamnMovie: Averted in that the scale of threat is relatively small compared to some of the episodes of the TV series. The one way the stakes are higher is that some characters explicitly die.
* BittersweetEnding: In the end, [[spoiler: Andrea disappears with the Joker in the explosions, but she leaves Bruce her locket, therefore letting him know she survived]].
* BloodlessCarnage: ''Averted'', particularly during the sequence where Batman is cornered by the cops at a construction site and nearly killed in an explosion, and in the climatic fight scene with the Joker, where both them end up torn and bloodied; at one point, Batman kicks the Joker in the face and ''knocks one of his teeth out''.
* [[spoiler:CastAsAMask: Stacey Keach plays The Phantasm, but not his secret identity. Deliberate misdirection since he also plays Andrea's father.]]
* ChasteHero: ''Averted''. It is quite strongly implied that Bruce and Andrea slept together.
* CombatPragmatist: The Joker during his brief fight with [[spoiler: Andrea]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: It's a widely held consensus that this is easily the most [[MaturityIsSeriousBusiness mature]] of the DCAU Batman adaptations. (And that's saying something!) It's only logical since the show had the same amount of finesse with handling adult issues but keeping it at a PG-rating, or at least trying to.
* TheDreaded: The Joker. Even the guy who [[PsychoForHire hires him]] wishes there was another way [[spoiler: and for good reason- Joker murders him off-screen.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:Sal Valestra hires the Joker as a hitman. The latter kills the former to use his corpse as bait for the hit.]]
* EvilLaugh: [[TheJoker Take a wild guess.]]
* {{Expy}}: The Phantasm is heavily inspired by the Reaper, a violent vigilante from ''Batman: Year Two''.
* FalseReassurance: Pretty obvious it's false, [[TheJoker considering the source]], but during the final battle:
-->'''Phantasm''': You're not smiling, Joker. I thought you found death amusing.
-->'''Joker''': Oh, me? You won't hear a giggle out of me. ''[he presses a hidden button and [[CrazyPrepared his robot "wife" laughs maniacally and attacks with a kitchen knife]]]''
* FemmeFatale: [[spoiler: Andrea.]]
* FilmNoir: This is probably the most noir-ish example of a Batman adaptation ever, even by The Animated Series' standards.
* FoeYay: "I've seen the guy. He looks more like the Ghost of Christmas Future...nowhere near as cute as Bat-boy."
* FootPopping
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Loads of it.
** Andrea telling Bruce that her father "doesn't matter anymore." [[spoiler:Bruce thinks this is because he was told Andrea's father is the Phantasm, but it is because Beaumont is already dead and Andrea herself is wearing the costume.]]
** Joker confronting Reeves in his office hints that they know a good deal about the Beaumonts. [[spoiler:Joker puts the pieces together about the Phantasm's identity in this scene and later tries to kill Andrea with a booby trap phone call (calling his intended target "toots" and "boopsie"). The reason he does not suspect Andrea's father is also foreshadowed in all of this - because Joker was the one to kill him all those years ago.]]
** Bruce's proposal to Andrea is interrupted by a swarm of bats erupting from the cave below them.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Dual examples in the spooky, unnamed Mafia Hitman who eventually becomes [[spoiler: TheJoker]] and [[spoiler: Andrea, who [[TookALevelInBadass takes a few levels in badass]] and becomes The Phantasm]].
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In classic ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fashion, this film manages to get away with a number of things such as alluding to Bruce having sex with Andrea, the Joker making sexual jokes at his robot wife, etc. The list goes on and on. ''Awesomely''.
* GroinAttack: [[spoiler: Andrea]] to the ''Joker'', no less.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler: Andrea]]. Alfred notes that when consoling Bruce.
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Andrea Beaumont. Bruce was actually prepared to marry her. Incidentally, a socialite who he previously dated, and then calls him out for not bothering to phone her near the beginning of the film, is also a redhead.
* HonorBeforeReason: Despite mounting pressure from all sides, Gordon remains firm in his support for Batman and refuses to partake in a manhunt for him.
-->'''Gordon''': He didn't do it! It's garbage, Councilman! [[ThouShaltNotKill The Batman does not kill]]. You want him, you get him! I'll have no part in it.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Batman confronted Andrea what she knows, but she claimed ignorance and wants him to leave. Before leaving, he spitefully asks her whether she's still following her dad's orders. She retorts that he's the only one in the room being controlled by his parents - she knows who he really is after seeing him near the tombstone of Bruce's parents. But as soon as he's gone, she collapses onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. [[spoiler:She probably said that so Batman/Bruce wouldn't interfere.]]
** Later in the movie, this exchange may qualify:
--->'''Batman:''' But, [[spoiler:Andy]], what will vengeance solve?
--->'''[[spoiler:Andrea]]:''' If anyone knows the answer to that, Bruce, it's you.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Andrea trying to justify her actions.
-->'''Andrea''': They took everything from me: [[YouKilledMyFather my father]], my life, you. I'm not saying it's right, or even sane, but it's all I've got left. So, either [[WithUsOrAgainstUs help me or get out of the way!]]
** [[spoiler:Arthur Reeves had his own reason for selling out Andrea and her father to the mob.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Arthur Reeves:''' (laughing hysterically due to Joker toxin) I was broke! Desperate! They said all they wanted was their money back!]]
* JerkAss: Arthur Reeves. And that's putting it ''mildly''. See LaserGuidedKarma.
* JokerImmunity
* KungFoley: Immediately following Bruce's first night trying his hand at this whole vigilante gig, we see him practicing Jujitsu in his front yard accompanied with full sound effects.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Arthur Reeves sold out Andrea and her father to the mob for refusing to fund his first election, thereby facilitating Andrea's father's death. As a result, the Joker initially suspects him of being the Phantasm (or hired him) to get rid of loose ends and confronts him. Though Joker quickly deduces that it's Andrea instead, he still doses Arthur with Joker toxin, leaving him hospitalized.]]
* LaughingMad: Joker constantly laughs throughout the film, but the most notable instance of Laughing Mad is [[spoiler:right when, shortly after being captured by Phantasm/Andrea Beaumont and Batman, and certainly going to die at the former's hand, the bombs across the abandoned future fair grounds explode and start demolishing the fairgrounds, making any chances of him dying even more likely, the Joker starts breaking down into uncontrollable laughter.]]
* LeftHanging: The Phantasm appears to have super strength, super speed, and smoke-related teleportation and makes it pretty clear in a couple instances that the last one is a bona fide superpower. The movie never explains how the Phantasm is able to do ''any'' of this.
* LovedINotHonorMore: Bruce refuses to do this. "It's gotta be one or the other, I can't have it both ways. I can't put myself on the line if there's someone waiting for me to come home."
* MonsterClown: TheJoker, who else?
* MoodWhiplash: A slight version occurs when Sal Valestra tries to convince the Joker to take out Batman. The Joker pokes fun at the old man and seems to ignore him the entire time. Then we find out he murdered the old guy and propped him up in a chair to lure The Phantasm into a trap.
-->'''Joker''': (to Sal) That's it! That's what I like to see! A ''[[GoOutWithASmile nice big smile]]''.
** In that whole scene he goes through some.
--> '''Joker''': (fuming mad) Don't '''touch''' me old man! (shoves Sal, then smiles, laughs and brushes him up) I dunno where you've been!
** Later on, when the Phantasm shows up to get Valestra but instead finds a camera set up by the Joker, this trope is fully reinstated:
-->'''Joker''': ''(on a speaker)'' Whoops! Looks like the joke's on me, you're not Batman at all. There's a new player in town and soon his name will be all over town...to say nothing of his face, [[CrossesTheLineTwice legs, spleen, and head!]] ''(bomb detonates)''
** When The Joker is meeting with [[spoiler: Arthur Reeves]], he goes from intimidating, to nonchalant, to full-on psychopathic in about 2 and a half-minutes.
* MyNameIsInigoMontoya YouKilledMyFather PrepareToDie: Yes, the movie has all three of these tropes in one. Turns out, [[spoiler: Andrea is The Phantasm, her father was killed by The Joker when he was still just a regular mob enforcer (she'd already killed all but one of the bosses who'd ordered the hit) and she attempts to kill him]].
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: The end credits song by Tia Carerre.
* NeverSayDie: Averted in the climax of the film: "Let me go or we'll ''both'' die!" "Whatever it takes!"
* NewOldFlame: Andrea Beaumont
* NotSoDifferent: The Phantasm thinks this of Batman and [[spoiler:herself]]. Alfred agrees, to a point.
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that.
* OhCrap: Bruce gets one when examining a group photo of Sal Valestra's old gang. One of the men looks familiar. With a red pen, he draws a grin and...
-->'''Batman:''' Oh, '''''no'''''!
** Arthur when he realizes Joker is in his office.
* OminousLatinChanting: Played with. The opening theme for the movie is a choral version of the main theme from the animated series. However, the language isn't Latin, or even a real language. WordOfGod is that the lyrics were the names of some of the film's producers written backwards.
* OnlyAModel
* PrecisionFStrike:
-->'''Batman''': You think you know everything about me, don't you?
-->'''Alfred''': I diapered your bottom, I '''bloody''' well ought to, [[WithDueRespect ''sir'']].
-->'''Batman:''' [[InsultBackfire Well, you're wrong!]]
** There's also Alfred's despairing utterance of "My ''God!'' the first time Bruce puts on the mask.
* PrettyInMink: A {{socialite}} wears a fur wrap while describing how Bruce dumped her. Probably just to add a dramatic flourish when she throws a drink at him and storms away.
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: An especially chilling example happens when we find out [[spoiler: what Joker does to Sal Valestra]].
* PsychoForHire: The Joker's first instance as one in the DCAU, though [[spoiler: he screws his employer over big time.]]
* RefusalOfTheCall: We see that Bruce ''tried'' to do this, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption but...]]
* RevengeBeforeReason: "I'm not saying it's right or even sane, but it's all I have left, so either help me or get out of the way!"
* RunningGag: Alfred walking in on Bruce and Andrea kissing.
* [[spoiler:SamusIsAGirl]]
* ScareChord: We get one of these about halfway through the film, although the moment was creepy enough without it.
-->'''Phantasm''': [[CatchPhrase Salvatore Valestra, your Angel of Death awaits...]] *''The Phantasm pulls the newspaper from Valestra's hands, revealing his corpse, his face contorted into a horrific [[GlasgowGrin rictus smile.]]''*
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Valestra offers the Joker a BriefcaseFullOfMoney to take out Batman. The response?
--> ''*yawn*'' "What do I look like, pest control?"
** However, this led Valestra do to something completely stupid:
-->'''Valestra:''' Don't be a fool! Once he gets me, how long before he gets you? You ''know'' what I'm talking about. You're hands are just as dirty as mine! Dirtier!
* SexyDiscretionShot: A rare one for the DCAU, but this movie got away with many mature themes.
* ShoutOut:
** Bruce taking out a motorcyclist on foot is a direct reference to ''{{Akira}}''.
** When Batman is washed down the sewer near the end of the movie, the sequence of shots is the same as Lupin being washed down an aqueduct in ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro''.
** Batman's escape from the police through a construction zone is similar to a scene with a condemned building in ''BatmanYearOne''.
** The end scene is almost identical to that of the 1989 ''Film/{{Batman}}'': Batman standing on a rooftop, looking at the Bat-signal. It's just that both are never fully in frame at one time.
* SleazyPolitician: Councilman Arthur Reeves starts out as a typical anti-Batman crusader (who is also friends with Bruce Wayne), and we later learn that he used to work for Andrea's father. When Carl and Andrea vanished with the money Carl embezzled, Arthur kept in touch with them [[spoiler:and later sold them out to the gangsters in order to finance his first election campaign.]]
* TheSpook: This is the only time we get a glimpse of the Joker before the clown appearance, and he is still appropriately mysterious and without a name. Even then, he only appears marginally less psychopathic than his current incarnation.
* SuitUpOfDestiny: When Batman first puts on the cowl. It is a moment so utterly awesome and epic that ''Alfred'' is shocked.
* TalkingToTheDead: Andrea to her mother, Bruce to his parents.
-->'''Andrea:''' So, tell me - with all that money and power, how come you always look like you want to jump off a cliff?
-->'''Bruce:''' Why should you care?
-->'''Andrea:''' I don't. Mother was asking.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Andrea after becoming The Phantasm.]]
** Not to even speak of the aforementioned scene in which Bruce Wayne finally goes from well-meaning citizen to full-blown vigilante. No matter how you slice it, it's 100% badass...
* TheUnfought: Batman and the Phantasm only meet once, and their tussle is over almost before it begins thanks to the police. Shame.
* WhamLine: Well, it's the voice more than the line itself - Although his involvement in the movie is not a secret now, TheJoker's appearance out of the blue halfway through the film had this effect initially:
--> '''Joker''': ''[walking out of the blackness]'' I ''hate'' that song!
* YouCantFightFate: Bruce, of course.
* [[YouLookFamiliar You Sound Familiar]]: Andrea is voiced by Dana Delaney, who later became more famous as the voice of Lois Lane in ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. In fact WordOfGod has stated that it was her stellar performance here that caused them to pursue her for the role of Lois in the first place. Bruce even had a brief relationship with Lois.
----
[[caption-width-right:320:And you thought ''TheJoker'' was scary...]]
->''"Your angel of death awaits..."''
-->-- '''The Phantasm'''
''Mask of the Phantasm'' is TheMovie of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and the only {{DCAU}} feature to be released theatrically.
As Batman continues his war on Gotham City's underworld, he finds himself facing a foe who wants to take that war to a whole new level: The Phantasm, a mysterious masked figure who has been killing off Gotham's high-profile mob bosses one by one. Since The Phantasm has a similar appearance to Batman and targets criminals like Batman does, it's not long before The Caped Crusader is blamed for the killings, resulting in the police moving to arrest the vigilante.
The film also follows Bruce Wayne's past and present relationship with love interest Andrea Beaumont (who has her own ties to The Phantasm), as well as Bruce's first attempts at vigilantism before becoming The Batman.
The film was not successful at the box office upon release (due to lack of promotion), but it gained massive critical acclaim and saw much greater success on video. Until [[DarkKnightTrilogy Christopher Nolan's Batman films]] came along, many fans considered it to be the best Batman film ever made (and some fans still do).
----
!!This film contains examples of the following tropes:
* AscendedExtra: Not in the film itself, but in the novelization, which ties up a dangling plot thread by giving some extra scenes to a character who's only in the film for less than a minute.
* AdaptationDistillation: Some elements of the story are loosely taken from ''BatmanYearTwo''. The flashback scene where Bruce goes after some crooks before cooking up his Batman persona is also a reference to Year One.
* AmusementParkOfDoom: The Joker turns the ''World Of The Future'' amusement park into his own abode. Being The Joker, he also fills it with plenty of traps and puts high explosives in every one of the tunnels underneath the park (of which there are 20 miles worth).
* AntiVillain: The Phantasm
* AwardBaitSong: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJxbQVnVe8 "I Never Even Told You", sung by Tia Carrere.]]
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Salvatore Valestra. It's essentially the most mob-bossiest mob boss name ever. ''Damn''.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Well, sort of. We get to see Bruce put on the cowl for the first time.
* BerserkButton: "Don't ''touch'' me, old man! [[MoodWhiplash I don't know where you've been!]]"
* BigDamnHeroes: Batman showing up in the Batwing to confront The Phantasm.
** And again when he shows up in the Batcycle at Joker's hideout.
* BigDamnMovie: Averted in that the scale of threat is relatively small compared to some of the episodes of the TV series. The one way the stakes are higher is that some characters explicitly die.
* BittersweetEnding: In the end, [[spoiler: Andrea disappears with the Joker in the explosions, but she leaves Bruce her locket, therefore letting him know she survived]].
* BloodlessCarnage: ''Averted'', particularly during the sequence where Batman is cornered by the cops at a construction site and nearly killed in an explosion, and in the climatic fight scene with the Joker, where both them end up torn and bloodied; at one point, Batman kicks the Joker in the face and ''knocks one of his teeth out''.
* [[spoiler:CastAsAMask: Stacey Keach plays The Phantasm, but not his secret identity. Deliberate misdirection since he also plays Andrea's father.]]
* ChasteHero: ''Averted''. It is quite strongly implied that Bruce and Andrea slept together.
* CombatPragmatist: The Joker during his brief fight with [[spoiler: Andrea]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: It's a widely held consensus that this is easily the most [[MaturityIsSeriousBusiness mature]] of the DCAU Batman adaptations. (And that's saying something!) It's only logical since the show had the same amount of finesse with handling adult issues but keeping it at a PG-rating, or at least trying to.
* TheDreaded: The Joker. Even the guy who [[PsychoForHire hires him]] wishes there was another way [[spoiler: and for good reason- Joker murders him off-screen.]]
* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:Sal Valestra hires the Joker as a hitman. The latter kills the former to use his corpse as bait for the hit.]]
* EvilLaugh: [[TheJoker Take a wild guess.]]
* {{Expy}}: The Phantasm is heavily inspired by the Reaper, a violent vigilante from ''Batman: Year Two''.
* FalseReassurance: Pretty obvious it's false, [[TheJoker considering the source]], but during the final battle:
-->'''Phantasm''': You're not smiling, Joker. I thought you found death amusing.
-->'''Joker''': Oh, me? You won't hear a giggle out of me. ''[he presses a hidden button and [[CrazyPrepared his robot "wife" laughs maniacally and attacks with a kitchen knife]]]''
* FemmeFatale: [[spoiler: Andrea.]]
* FilmNoir: This is probably the most noir-ish example of a Batman adaptation ever, even by The Animated Series' standards.
* FoeYay: "I've seen the guy. He looks more like the Ghost of Christmas Future...nowhere near as cute as Bat-boy."
* FootPopping
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Loads of it.
** Andrea telling Bruce that her father "doesn't matter anymore." [[spoiler:Bruce thinks this is because he was told Andrea's father is the Phantasm, but it is because Beaumont is already dead and Andrea herself is wearing the costume.]]
** Joker confronting Reeves in his office hints that they know a good deal about the Beaumonts. [[spoiler:Joker puts the pieces together about the Phantasm's identity in this scene and later tries to kill Andrea with a booby trap phone call (calling his intended target "toots" and "boopsie"). The reason he does not suspect Andrea's father is also foreshadowed in all of this - because Joker was the one to kill him all those years ago.]]
** Bruce's proposal to Andrea is interrupted by a swarm of bats erupting from the cave below them.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Dual examples in the spooky, unnamed Mafia Hitman who eventually becomes [[spoiler: TheJoker]] and [[spoiler: Andrea, who [[TookALevelInBadass takes a few levels in badass]] and becomes The Phantasm]].
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In classic ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fashion, this film manages to get away with a number of things such as alluding to Bruce having sex with Andrea, the Joker making sexual jokes at his robot wife, etc. The list goes on and on. ''Awesomely''.
* GroinAttack: [[spoiler: Andrea]] to the ''Joker'', no less.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler: Andrea]]. Alfred notes that when consoling Bruce.
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Andrea Beaumont. Bruce was actually prepared to marry her. Incidentally, a socialite who he previously dated, and then calls him out for not bothering to phone her near the beginning of the film, is also a redhead.
* HonorBeforeReason: Despite mounting pressure from all sides, Gordon remains firm in his support for Batman and refuses to partake in a manhunt for him.
-->'''Gordon''': He didn't do it! It's garbage, Councilman! [[ThouShaltNotKill The Batman does not kill]]. You want him, you get him! I'll have no part in it.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Batman confronted Andrea what she knows, but she claimed ignorance and wants him to leave. Before leaving, he spitefully asks her whether she's still following her dad's orders. She retorts that he's the only one in the room being controlled by his parents - she knows who he really is after seeing him near the tombstone of Bruce's parents. But as soon as he's gone, she collapses onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. [[spoiler:She probably said that so Batman/Bruce wouldn't interfere.]]
** Later in the movie, this exchange may qualify:
--->'''Batman:''' But, [[spoiler:Andy]], what will vengeance solve?
--->'''[[spoiler:Andrea]]:''' If anyone knows the answer to that, Bruce, it's you.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Andrea trying to justify her actions.
-->'''Andrea''': They took everything from me: [[YouKilledMyFather my father]], my life, you. I'm not saying it's right, or even sane, but it's all I've got left. So, either [[WithUsOrAgainstUs help me or get out of the way!]]
** [[spoiler:Arthur Reeves had his own reason for selling out Andrea and her father to the mob.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Arthur Reeves:''' (laughing hysterically due to Joker toxin) I was broke! Desperate! They said all they wanted was their money back!]]
* JerkAss: Arthur Reeves. And that's putting it ''mildly''. See LaserGuidedKarma.
* JokerImmunity
* KungFoley: Immediately following Bruce's first night trying his hand at this whole vigilante gig, we see him practicing Jujitsu in his front yard accompanied with full sound effects.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: Arthur Reeves sold out Andrea and her father to the mob for refusing to fund his first election, thereby facilitating Andrea's father's death. As a result, the Joker initially suspects him of being the Phantasm (or hired him) to get rid of loose ends and confronts him. Though Joker quickly deduces that it's Andrea instead, he still doses Arthur with Joker toxin, leaving him hospitalized.]]
* LaughingMad: Joker constantly laughs throughout the film, but the most notable instance of Laughing Mad is [[spoiler:right when, shortly after being captured by Phantasm/Andrea Beaumont and Batman, and certainly going to die at the former's hand, the bombs across the abandoned future fair grounds explode and start demolishing the fairgrounds, making any chances of him dying even more likely, the Joker starts breaking down into uncontrollable laughter.]]
* LeftHanging: The Phantasm appears to have super strength, super speed, and smoke-related teleportation and makes it pretty clear in a couple instances that the last one is a bona fide superpower. The movie never explains how the Phantasm is able to do ''any'' of this.
* LovedINotHonorMore: Bruce refuses to do this. "It's gotta be one or the other, I can't have it both ways. I can't put myself on the line if there's someone waiting for me to come home."
* MonsterClown: TheJoker, who else?
* MoodWhiplash: A slight version occurs when Sal Valestra tries to convince the Joker to take out Batman. The Joker pokes fun at the old man and seems to ignore him the entire time. Then we find out he murdered the old guy and propped him up in a chair to lure The Phantasm into a trap.
-->'''Joker''': (to Sal) That's it! That's what I like to see! A ''[[GoOutWithASmile nice big smile]]''.
** In that whole scene he goes through some.
--> '''Joker''': (fuming mad) Don't '''touch''' me old man! (shoves Sal, then smiles, laughs and brushes him up) I dunno where you've been!
** Later on, when the Phantasm shows up to get Valestra but instead finds a camera set up by the Joker, this trope is fully reinstated:
-->'''Joker''': ''(on a speaker)'' Whoops! Looks like the joke's on me, you're not Batman at all. There's a new player in town and soon his name will be all over town...to say nothing of his face, [[CrossesTheLineTwice legs, spleen, and head!]] ''(bomb detonates)''
** When The Joker is meeting with [[spoiler: Arthur Reeves]], he goes from intimidating, to nonchalant, to full-on psychopathic in about 2 and a half-minutes.
* MyNameIsInigoMontoya YouKilledMyFather PrepareToDie: Yes, the movie has all three of these tropes in one. Turns out, [[spoiler: Andrea is The Phantasm, her father was killed by The Joker when he was still just a regular mob enforcer (she'd already killed all but one of the bosses who'd ordered the hit) and she attempts to kill him]].
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: The end credits song by Tia Carerre.
* NeverSayDie: Averted in the climax of the film: "Let me go or we'll ''both'' die!" "Whatever it takes!"
* NewOldFlame: Andrea Beaumont
* NotSoDifferent: The Phantasm thinks this of Batman and [[spoiler:herself]]. Alfred agrees, to a point.
-->'''Alfred:''' Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that.
* OhCrap: Bruce gets one when examining a group photo of Sal Valestra's old gang. One of the men looks familiar. With a red pen, he draws a grin and...
-->'''Batman:''' Oh, '''''no'''''!
** Arthur when he realizes Joker is in his office.
* OminousLatinChanting: Played with. The opening theme for the movie is a choral version of the main theme from the animated series. However, the language isn't Latin, or even a real language. WordOfGod is that the lyrics were the names of some of the film's producers written backwards.
* OnlyAModel
* PrecisionFStrike:
-->'''Batman''': You think you know everything about me, don't you?
-->'''Alfred''': I diapered your bottom, I '''bloody''' well ought to, [[WithDueRespect ''sir'']].
-->'''Batman:''' [[InsultBackfire Well, you're wrong!]]
** There's also Alfred's despairing utterance of "My ''God!'' the first time Bruce puts on the mask.
* PrettyInMink: A {{socialite}} wears a fur wrap while describing how Bruce dumped her. Probably just to add a dramatic flourish when she throws a drink at him and storms away.
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: An especially chilling example happens when we find out [[spoiler: what Joker does to Sal Valestra]].
* PsychoForHire: The Joker's first instance as one in the DCAU, though [[spoiler: he screws his employer over big time.]]
* RefusalOfTheCall: We see that Bruce ''tried'' to do this, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption but...]]
* RevengeBeforeReason: "I'm not saying it's right or even sane, but it's all I have left, so either help me or get out of the way!"
* RunningGag: Alfred walking in on Bruce and Andrea kissing.
* [[spoiler:SamusIsAGirl]]
* ScareChord: We get one of these about halfway through the film, although the moment was creepy enough without it.
-->'''Phantasm''': [[CatchPhrase Salvatore Valestra, your Angel of Death awaits...]] *''The Phantasm pulls the newspaper from Valestra's hands, revealing his corpse, his face contorted into a horrific [[GlasgowGrin rictus smile.]]''*
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Valestra offers the Joker a BriefcaseFullOfMoney to take out Batman. The response?
--> ''*yawn*'' "What do I look like, pest control?"
** However, this led Valestra do to something completely stupid:
-->'''Valestra:''' Don't be a fool! Once he gets me, how long before he gets you? You ''know'' what I'm talking about. You're hands are just as dirty as mine! Dirtier!
* SexyDiscretionShot: A rare one for the DCAU, but this movie got away with many mature themes.
* ShoutOut:
** Bruce taking out a motorcyclist on foot is a direct reference to ''{{Akira}}''.
** When Batman is washed down the sewer near the end of the movie, the sequence of shots is the same as Lupin being washed down an aqueduct in ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro''.
** Batman's escape from the police through a construction zone is similar to a scene with a condemned building in ''BatmanYearOne''.
** The end scene is almost identical to that of the 1989 ''Film/{{Batman}}'': Batman standing on a rooftop, looking at the Bat-signal. It's just that both are never fully in frame at one time.
* SleazyPolitician: Councilman Arthur Reeves starts out as a typical anti-Batman crusader (who is also friends with Bruce Wayne), and we later learn that he used to work for Andrea's father. When Carl and Andrea vanished with the money Carl embezzled, Arthur kept in touch with them [[spoiler:and later sold them out to the gangsters in order to finance his first election campaign.]]
* TheSpook: This is the only time we get a glimpse of the Joker before the clown appearance, and he is still appropriately mysterious and without a name. Even then, he only appears marginally less psychopathic than his current incarnation.
* SuitUpOfDestiny: When Batman first puts on the cowl. It is a moment so utterly awesome and epic that ''Alfred'' is shocked.
* TalkingToTheDead: Andrea to her mother, Bruce to his parents.
-->'''Andrea:''' So, tell me - with all that money and power, how come you always look like you want to jump off a cliff?
-->'''Bruce:''' Why should you care?
-->'''Andrea:''' I don't. Mother was asking.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Andrea after becoming The Phantasm.]]
** Not to even speak of the aforementioned scene in which Bruce Wayne finally goes from well-meaning citizen to full-blown vigilante. No matter how you slice it, it's 100% badass...
* TheUnfought: Batman and the Phantasm only meet once, and their tussle is over almost before it begins thanks to the police. Shame.
* WhamLine: Well, it's the voice more than the line itself - Although his involvement in the movie is not a secret now, TheJoker's appearance out of the blue halfway through the film had this effect initially:
--> '''Joker''': ''[walking out of the blackness]'' I ''hate'' that song!
* YouCantFightFate: Bruce, of course.
* [[YouLookFamiliar You Sound Familiar]]: Andrea is voiced by Dana Delaney, who later became more famous as the voice of Lois Lane in ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. In fact WordOfGod has stated that it was her stellar performance here that caused them to pursue her for the role of Lois in the first place. Bruce even had a brief relationship with Lois.
----
