Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

In the '60s, nerdy young couch potatoes watched Star Trek and Batman. As they matured, their tastes grew more sophisticated. Now, they watch...well, Star Trek and Batman. But in each case, the new shows are far superior to the originals.

The producers of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, an animated movie extension of the Fox Network animated series (minus Robin), were wise enough to remain faith­ful to the TV version. In fact, this fidelity is the movies strongest asset. If you like the current TV show, you'll like the movie. If you don't like the show, why would you go see the film, anyway? (I'll lay my cards on the table: I like the TV show.)

The movie's main character, as is the boob tube version's, is Bruce Wayne. As most of the civilized world knows, Bruce leads a peculiar life. By day, he's a moody millionaire who's never quite recovered from the murder of his par­ents by street thugs. But at night, he's a dif­ferent guy altogether. Some would even say he's batty. (If they appreciate bad puns, that is.) But hey, lots of people like to get all dressed up and head downtown in a heavily armed vehicle. (It really is safer that way.)

In Mask of the Phantasm, Batman quickly discovers that he's not the only hooded hombre who's battling Gotham's worst citi­zens. A ghostly creature called the Phantasm is rubbing out the local gang bosses — and the killings are being blamed on the Bat. A corrupt DA orders the police to bag Bat­man dead. The mob takes a different approach. They hire The Joker to do the job.

This would put a damper on anyone's day, but Brucie baby has other problems, too. A lost love has re-entered his life, and we know that, somehow, she's involved in he killings. It's a dark night for the Caped Crusader when he confronts the ancient dilemma of costumed vigilantes: deciding between love and his quirky hobby.

Mask of the Phantasm, like the TV show, has a reasonably strong plot. Granted, it's written for 12-year-old boys, but at least there's an actual script involved (unlike Tim Burton's run-amok production of Batman Returns). This new animated movie is more serious than the satirical '60s series, and is closer in spirit to the original comics.

Mask of the Phantasm does have its weak­nesses, however. The story relies too heavily on flashbacks — nearly half the film is flash­back. It's as if the movies creators were try­ing to do a cartoon version of The Conformist.

The movie's greatest and least forgivable fault is the poor quality of the animation. The graphics are a great mix of film noir and Art Deco, but they're done on the cheap, and the animation is limited. Come on, it's a feature film — spend the money to do it right.

So the newest Batman isn't great, but it isn't all bad, either.

And, of course, The Joker gets all of the best lines. That's the real reason why he smiles so much.