Overview: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm opens with the city’s most feared gangsters being systematically eliminated, and assumed blame falling on the Caped Crusader. But prowling the Gotham night is a shadowy new villain, the Phantasm, a sinister figure with some link to Batman’s past.

Can the Dark Knight elude the police, capture the Phantasm and clear his own name? Unmasking the Phantasm is just one of the twists in this dazzling animated feature, which provides new revelations about Batman’s past, his arch-rival the Joker, and Batman’s most grueling battle ever - the choice between his love for a beautiful woman and his vow to be the defender of right.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Rooted in DC’s acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series and released theatrically on Christmas Day 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm has not only been ranked by Time magazine as one of the 10 best Super Hero movies ever, but is also arguably the core fans’ all-time favorite Batman film.

The movie has been rated at the top of the Dark Knight film franchise by such popular entertainment media as Empire, Screenrant and Paste. And in the ultimate mainstream salute for its time, Gene Siskel & Robert Ebert didn’t initially review the film during its theatrical release, but later dedicated a portion of their At The Movies weekly TV series to pay compliment to the film – and voice their regret for not giving it the attention it deserved during its original run – when Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was distributed for home entertainment.

All the high quality we came to expect from the Batman: The Animated Series absolutely holds true here along with all the staples of storytelling. As one may anticipate, this film does take a slightly different approach, enriching its narrative with elements that were unused or at least uncommon on network television, but it’s all good.

Phantasm introduces a strong romantic aspect to its tale, and makes substantially more proliferate use of flashbacks to build the saga. Arguably more than before, the picture plays with themes of duty, promises, and being haunted by the past - and one might also say that the story contains heavier violence, or at least a darker tone, than was broadly true of the series (with notable exceptions). So, sure enough, we get something here that’s very familiar, yet also grows something new and rather delicious from those roots.

Of course, one could endlessly go over the details of the production, reflecting on this, that, and the other thing. Just as if not more importantly - the story is wonderfully sharp and absorbing; compelling, and even thrilling. All the hard work, energy, and care that went into the series, making it fresh and exciting at every turn, is unquestionably employed here just as well.

Given those ways that the storytelling is somewhat expanded here, it’s not wrong to say that the characters even feel a little more fleshed out and more real in Phantasm, subsequently making the plot all the richer. Even the music gets an extra boost, becoming more dramatic, and for as quickly as the movie was developed and released, the animation almost seems even more grand. In every way, this is just terrific.

In less than 80 minutes a story is told that is cohesive and complete, and fabulously satisfying, yet astoundingly concise. We’re given details to round out the story, yet only exactly as much as is necessary to do so, and nothing ever takes priority over the action fun of the plot. It’s safe to say that bloated, self-indulgent modern superhero blockbusters could stand to learn a lot by revisiting Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and frankly a lot of other features too.

It’s no wonder why this is held in such high esteem; even now it’s tighter and more engaging than much of what has followed in all the years since, even as technology and film-making sensibilities have changed. One could suppose that this might even appeal to those viewers who otherwise don’t care for the towering complexity that is the MCU, or the dour dullness of DC’s bedraggled concurrent foray into cinema.

Personally, I’d actually stop short of saying Mask of the Phantasm is a total must-see for one and all - yet among comic book flicks, it indisputably is - but still managing to stand tall all this time later, well, that is a feat unto itself and this makes this film well worth sitting back down with (especially now that it is on 4K UHD!)

The 4K HDR/SDR remaster of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was sourced from the 1993 Original Cut Camera Negative and was scanned at 4K resolution. Digital restoration was applied to the 4K scans to remove dirt, scratches and additional anomalies, but special care was given to not touch the film grain or the animation cell dirt that was part of the original artwork.

This is the first time since its theatrical release that it is presented in its 1.85 aspect ratio. The original 2.0 mix and the 5.1 tracks were remastered to remove or improve defects such as pops, ticks, dropouts and distortion.

And so, as we now know, Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this March 28th, 2023.

For my money, this Batman: Mask of the Phantasm [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Batman: Mask of the Phantasm presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit), French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

4K UHD Special Features:
Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight (New Featurette) – For 30 years, Kevin Conroy defined Batman for multiple generations using only his voice, best exemplified in the landmark film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Conroy passed away in November 2022, but his legacy lives on in 15 films, nearly 400 episodes of animated television series, a dozen video games, and as a live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s 2019-2020 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event. Several of Conroy’s contemporaries – including animation legend Bruce Timm, Batman producer Michael Uslan and revered voice actress Tara Strong – pay tribute to the star who remains the Dark Knight for millions of Batfans.

Bonus episode of Justice League: Unlimited featuring a cameo from Phantasm.

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the most universally acclaimed film in the Dark Knight’s legendary cinematic history when the newly-remastered animated movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, comes to 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. From Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, the film will be available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD on September 12th, 2023.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Warner Bros. Entertainment [Official Trailer]

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