Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a classic and often regarded as one of the top movies about the Dark Knight. It's an engaging and emotional mystery that every Batman fan needs to watch at least once, but, according to the Comic Vine community, it isn't the best Batman animated film. Nearly 400 Comic Viners have voted since Monday and the poll was very, very close for quite some time. It was neck and neck, but as the week progressed, Brandon Vietti and Judd Winick's movie began to take a decent lead.
It's commonly said that 2010's animated movie is debatably the best modern DC animated movie (there's no denying it has some strong competition, though). Few will be surprised by the identity of Batman's latest threat, but that's not the point at all. It's all about watching Batman as he makes these discoveries for himself, the emotion it pulls from him, and how he handles the scenario. Even though a vast majority of us know who the Red Hood truly is, the execution of Bruce's dilemma is great and packed with emotion. And that ending? It gets me every single time. But this movie isn't purely about how Bruce is handling these developments -- it's also loaded with exciting action, cameos, and a fair amount of humor. Watching Batman and Nightwing work as a team is thrilling and John DiMaggio did a thoroughly entertaining job bringing Joker to life.
As said above, both movies are excellent and mandatory viewing for fans of DC's iconic hero. Now, let's see how the poll turned out.
- Batman: Under the Red Hood 48%
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm 35%
- I love both of them 14%
- Sorry, I'm not a fan of either 1% (GASP!)
- It brings me great shame to admit I haven't watched both and won't be able to before Friday 1%
This match kept the community talking for multiple pages. So, let's see what a few of them had to say about the poll's options.
Casshern
"I've seen both...But I only own one...Batman Mask of the Phantasm!!
Its not just the story...THE MUSIC RULES!! I even own the soundtrack! This is the only animated DC movie I have a soundtrack for ( I think its the only DC movie they made one for?).
I like how they tied this in with Batman Beyond too.
The Phantasm story-line has some of the BEST Batman History telling events revealed...in one movie!
Best Movie Scene: Song 8 from the Soundtrack "The Birth of Batman" Yeah...when he puts on the cowl, and all you see are his eyes glaring at you and Alfred gets all scared taking two steps back saying..'My...God.'"
SupBatz
"Under the Red Hood is he best depiction of Batman and the Joker I have ever seen. Not to mention one of the greatest films, animated or otherwise, I've ever had the pleasure of watching. So definitely UtRH, for me. Though Mask of the Phantasm was also an amazing film."
Dedpool
"Really hard decision! I had to go with Both! I love Red Hood more, but Mask of the Phantasm holds a special place in my heart for doing such a great job of telling a story, introducing new characters, AND it's classic Batman: The Animated Series. That Noir look to the show never gets old, and Mark hamil really got to play it up. AND it was released in theatres. But I REALLY love Under the Red Hood. It was a great story, love the source material, Nightwing gets to shine in his actual comic uniform, AND is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, I loved John DiMaggio's take on the Joker, and his scenes are just fantastic. PLUS GREAT ACTION and a great story!! So yeah I'm torn. I really think Mask of Phantasm was a better film, but I really do like them equally for different reasons. This is why I don't have a favorite movie."
That's it for this week, Viners! Be sure to check the homepage on Monday for a brand new edition of this segment. In the meantime, go ahead and tell us your favorite scene in either of these Batman movies. Also, if you want to suggest a future match-up for this segment, tell us below or reach out via twitter.