Hey everyone, new review. It’s a movie now in theaters, and it’s a live-action, R-rated action film that I particularly enjoyed. First live film review too! And the film is:

 

2 Guns! Starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg! Now here is a brief plot:

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DEA Agent Bobby Trench (Washington) and NCIS Agent Michael Stigman (Wahlberg) are paired up together (undercover) to steal and turn over $3 million in drug money in a bank safe box belonging to drug lord Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos), to their agencies. The two form an amicable partnership with each other in the course of their plan, but neither of them know of their undercover status.

When they move through with the plan, they discover the bank contains over $43 million, way more money than they had anticipated. They decide to take all of is and sort through it later. Later, out in the desert, the two try to turn on each other, which ends in Trench getting shot and left in the desert by Stigman (but not before Stigman sees Trench’s DEA badge).

As it turns out, the money actually belongs to the CIA and a shady agent, only known as “Earl” (Bill Paxton) is set on recovering that money by any means necessary, including torturing witnesses and the duos accomplices, killing Trench’s boss (Robert John Burke) at his home and framing Trench for it.

At the same time, Stigman delivers the money to his commanding officer, Harold Quince (James Marsden), but lets slip that he only wounded Trench. upon discovering this true, Quince reveals himself to be corrupt and tries to kill Stigman, who escapes.

After re-meeting, and escaping several hit squads, the two cops discover the setup and together with DEA Agent Debbie Rees (Paula Patton), Trench’s on-off lover who has her own connection to the case, they must find the money, and clear their names.

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The plot is a bit over used: Two cops from different agencies are partnered up, form a friendship and take down a common enemy. But they make up for it with the impressive script/dialogue, the cutdown action scenes, and of course, the star power of Washington and Wahlberg (who make an incredible pair in this film, which I hope gets a sequel).

Washington and Wahlberg fill Trench and Stigman’s roles excellently. Washington plays the older, seasoned type of the two. His witty lines in the film and old-fashioned style really bring the Yang to Wahlberg’s Yin. Wahlberg plays the younger, somewhat brasher of the two. Not as impulsive as most younger partners, but still, his loudmouthed, fast talking lines in the film bring out its comedic side and the Yin to Washington’s Yang. In all, the two have great on-screen chemistry together and I certainly hope to see them work together again in the future.

For Paula Patton, her character reminded me a little of her role in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. She does good on-screen with providing the duo with info in her supporting role. I also loved her in here romance scenes with Washington’s character. Those two really clicked together while filming this movie. But like I said, little does everyone know is Patton has a connection to this case. But I’m not saying, find out yourself.

Now for the villains: Earl is one of those go-over-the-limit agents of the CIA willing to torture and kill to get back the stolen money. Paxton really brings out the ruthlessness in his character, and tops it all off with an smooth Southern accent.

As Quince, Marsden plays a convincing false hero. Marsden makes it so convincing, I never even thought his character was corrupt, until he turned on Walberg’s character. It really reminds me of his role as Milton Fine/ Brainiac.

And Olmos’s role is just a typical drug lord: determined guy, big mansion, fast cars, several lovers and children. Nothing special, though Olmos does have some of Washington’s wit.

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Overall: This film was pretty good. The outer plot was rather typical and kinda, but overall the movie was impressive and entertaining. I give it an 8.5/10 and for those of you who love R-rated actions with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, SEE IT!

 

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Hey, everyone. I’m back with a new movie review. It’s a movie now in theaters, and a sequel that’s already out done it’s predecessor, the movie about a supervillain who becomes a super anti-hero and a superdad. That’s right, I mean:

Despicable Me 2! That’s right, Gru is back! Now here is the plot in brief:

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Set some time after the events of the first film, Felonious Gru has retired from villainy and settled down with a life as a legit businessman and devoted father to Margo, Edith, and Agnes. While he enjoys his new life, with the girls, (and his minions), he is facing several obstacles: his longtime friend and partner-in-crime Dr. Nefario,, missing his old life of crime, has chosen to take new employment elsewhere, his business of selling delicious jellies and jams isn’t going very well, his overzealous neighbor Jillian keeps trying to set him up with dates even though he says he has no interest in hitting the dating circuit, and he’s having to deal with Margo, who is hitting that certain age of liking boys.

So imagine his shock when one day he’s whisked away by the Anti-Villain League (AVL), who need his help to investigate the theft of a secret laboratory near the Arctic Circle stolen by a mysterious vehicle shaped like a giant magnet. Together with the quirky but competent agent Lucy Wilde, Gru must investigate store owners of a shopping mall (one of who bears resemblance to a long presumed dead villain and who’s son Margo falls for) and find a mutating chemical compound developed at the stolen lab, PX-41, which transforms living things into indestructible killing machines, before the villain can use it to take over the world.

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The animation for this film is even more superb than the first film. There are several explosions, crashes and water scenes that are perfectly-executed CGI, and while the first film offered up its hero and villain on a silver platter, the sequel actually provides a bit of intrigue, as well as several one-liners sure to go over the heads of kids but which adults will find amusing.

The story also provides much to talk about. While the first film involved Gru trying to stay top dog in the villain world, and meeting the girls, this film shows him discovering and adjusting to new areas as a parent, as well as him getting into the hero, or rather anti-villain biz, and him finding a wife for himself and a mom for his daughters. While the story does get a little predictable, it nonetheless is still entertaining for people of all ages. Plus, again there’s plenty of side comedy with Gru’s minions, who seem to be getting abducted one by one by an unseen force connected to the villain of the film.

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Now for the characters and voice actors. I have to say though all of the actors, new and returning do a spectacular job in the film.

 

 

Steve Carrell returns as Felonious Gru. Since the end of the first film, he has retired from villainy to become a devoted dad to his three girls. So devoted, in fact that he poses as entertainment for Agnes’s 6th birthday party, when the original entertainer cancels. He also attempts to start a new business of manufacturing delicious jellies and jams. When that doesn’t go over too well and after his old partner-in-crime departs for new employment, he takes work with the Anti-Villain League (AVL) in tracking down a villian. In addition, he struggles to deal with getting into dating and love for the first time, and even enters into overprotective dad mode with Margo when she shows interest in the opposite sex.

Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Kate Fisher and Dana Gaier all return as Gru’s daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes. Margo gets the most development of all the girls; since the first film, she has reached that time where she shows interest in boys, much to Gru’s dismay. Midway through the film, she falls for the handsome and charming Antonio, who happens to be the son of the main antagonist. They seem to have a great time throughout the film, in spite of Gru’s overprotectiveness. However, their relationship ends after he cheats with another girl at a party, breaking her heart.

 

Edith has moderate character development in the film; since the first film, she has apparently taken some sort of training agile, and proficient with many weapons and fighting techniques, including the katana and nunchaku (all of which she showed interest in in the first film). She also harbors disgust at boys and love, though she does ask about Gru dating early on.

 

Agnes has moderate development as well; while still the same little pumpkin she was in the first film, she’s become even more intelligent and insightful, such as when she figures Gru dressed up as the fairy princess to appease her, when she asks Lucy if she’s single, and when she comforts Gru over his feelings for her.

Also returning is Russell Brand as Gru’s right hand man, Dr. Nefario. Since the first film, he has tried to remain loyal to Gru, but finds himself missing his life of evil and making gadgets, and soon leaves for new employment, much to everyone’s dismay. He later returns to assist Gru in the final battle against the villain.

Kristen Wiig also returns, but not as the evil orphanage director Ms. Hattie. Instead, this time she portrays the perky, but alert and competent AVL agent Lucy Wilde. She whisks Gru away to AVL HQ to help with their current case and they are assigned as partners. Throughout the film they slowly begin to take a liking to each other as partners and more. Such as when Lucy saves Gru from a bad date and he saves her from the villain at the end. And she and the girls take a liking to each other as well, with Agnes even asking if she’s single. By the end of the film after 147 dates the two wind up married, finally giving Gru a wife and the girls a mom.

Benjamin Bratt voices Eduardo, aka El Macho, the “Big Bad” of the film and a famous super-villain who faked his death many years earlier, and is now trying to make a comeback with the stolen PX-41 to create an army of indestructible creatures to take over the world. According to Gru, he is ruthless, dangerous, and as the El Macho name implies, “very macho”. However he does seem to be a good dad to his son, Antonio, who might have been the reason he left the life of crime in the first place (similar to Gru with the girls). He is also the owner of a Mexican restaurant called Salsa & Salsa in the Paradise Mall.

Moisés Arias voices Antonio, Eduardo’s son and Margo’s love interest. He’s smooth, charming, handsome, and possibly a bit lazy, due to his dream of playing video games for a living. He might be a little bit sassy, especially towards Gru. Margo meets him at the Paradise Mall and immediately falls for him. Throughout the film, his charm swoons her and irritates, Gru, who tries to keep them apart, to no avail. However, as everyone knows, most charmers like him can’t stay tied down to just one girl, and at his family’s Cinco de Mayo party, after some time dancing with Margo, he spots another prettier girl and spurns Margo for her on the dance floor, breaking Margo’s heart. When Gru discovers this, he angrily freezes him with a freeze ray in retaliation. Antonio is not seen again after this and his ultimate fate is unknown.

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 Overall, this sequel has surpassed the original in terms of well everything. The plot is superb, the love stories between Gru and Lucy, and Antonio and Margo are so well played out, and the animation is top notch. In all, I give Despicable Me 2 a 10/10 and recommend extremely to SEE IT!

Hey, everyone. Sorry about my inactivity. Been bombarded by college and all that. But now I’m back to do a review of one of the most acclaimed animated clut classics in the world: Little Nemo.

 

And no, it’s not the fish Nemo. Nope, I’m talking about:

Yep. Little Nemo, one of the biggest semi-anime films in the world. Now here is the plot in brief sense:

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Young Nemo is a little boy who often dreams big and exciting dreams at night. However, those dreams often become nightmares due to him sneaking pies in the middle of the night, as seen in the movie’s opening scene.

One night as he and his best friend, a flying squirrel named Icarus, are asleep they are visited by an elderly man, Professor Genius (redundant name, huh?) and a clown girl named Bon-Bon. They present him an invitation from King Morpheus to Nemo to visit the dream realm of Slumberland, and become the official playmate of the realm’s princess, Camille.

Nemo is hesitant, since he’s never played with a female before, but he and Icarus are soon won over by a box of cookies sent to them by the Princess. With that, they all climb onto Slumberland’s dirigible and off they go. They encounter some trouble in the form of the Nightmare King and his kingdom, but they manage to make it to Slumberland in one piece, where all the citizens who greet him seem to know his name.

After some complications, Nemo meets the King, an elderly man who seems to act like a man-child. Morpheus then tells Nemo that he brought him to Slumberland so that he may become his heir to the throne. He gives Nemo the key to Slumberland, which can open any door; however, he warns Nemo of one door with a dragon symbol emblazoned on it (which is the same as the key’s handle) that must never be opened.

After that the Professor escorts Nemo and Icarus to meet Princess Camille in her penthouse. Their meeting starts out sour, however, due to Camille making fun of Nemo’s pajamas by calling them underwear and calling Icarus a “rat”, causing both to call her out and scold her for it. After several other events, she apologizes to them both, and they become friends.

Camille, with the help of Bon-Bon, then takes Nemo and Icarus around Slumberland and they al have lots of fun interacting with the land’s wonders. The fun is cut short for Nemo, however, when the Professor whisks him off for lessons to be taught how to behave like royalty. Icarus stays with Camille during this time to have more fun.

After being put through some crazy lessons (with an equally crazy music number), Nemo runs into Flip, the kingdom’s resident trickster and troublemaker, who he met and briefly hung around with at the start. After traveling around on Flip’s giant crow Flap, playing pranks, and getting chased by the authorities, Nemo and Flip find themselves in a secret passage where they discover a large door with the same dragon symbol of the key – the door the King told Nemo to never open. Flip, apparently not knowing what’s behind the door, convinces him to do so out of curiousity. And as soon as they look inside they see… the Nightmare King, the mortal enemy of Slumberland (or at least him in a dark essence form). The Nightmare, upon seeing the door open, lunges at it, forcing Nemo and Flip to shut the door. He continues to bang on the door, forcing the two to retreat without locking it.

During Nemo’s coronation, the Nightmare King breaks free, interrupts the celebration and captures King Morpheus as everyone watches in horror. At first, everyone blames Flip, thinking he did it as a prank, so to save himself, Flip outs Nemo as the true culprit.

Ultimately, armed with Slumberland’s magically super-powered royal scepter, (the only thing that the Nightmare King fears and can be destroyed by) Nemo must lead a rescue mission to Nightmare Land with Icarus, Camille, Flip and the Professor in order to fix his mistake, rescue Morpheus, destroy the demonic king, and bring peace and harmony back to Slumberland once and for all.

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 The animation for this film is excellent and is part of what makes the film so memorable. This film was first announced in 1982, but took 7 years to make and release, due to many changes in the production crew. Among those who worked on Little Nemo over the years were Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, Simpsons and Pixar director Brad Bird, and legendary Japanese directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The numerous changes in animation, I believe, are how the final animation came to be as excellent as it was.

The story, while a little bit predictable, has its moments of flair. There’s action, adventure, comedy, suspense, sorrow, love, and fun for everyone to enjoy. There are several semi-scary sequences such as the latter half of Nemo’s dream at the start of the film, the Nightmare King’s escape, and the final battle, but kids as the get older will look more upon these as pure memories.

You know I still cannot believe they never made a sequel to this. While it’s box office numbers were terrible, it has become a hit on home release and that is often enough for some movies to get a sequel. Oh well, I hope somebody someday decides to make one, cause this film in my opinion deserves it.

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 Now onto the characters, all of whom have various characteristics and personally that I think drive the story absolutely well:

Nemo: Voiced by Gabriel Damon (RoboCop 2). The main protagonist. An 8 to 9-year old boy living in New York City in the early 1900s, his life is changed when he is invited by King Morpheus to be Princess Camille’s playmate and the future ruler of Slumberland. He is kind, brave, courageous, selfless, smart, and sort of witty. All of which could be why Morpheus chose him to be the next king. He also can get temperamental, mainly during his first meeting with the Princess when she insults his pajamas and Icarus (though she apologizes later). His bravery and courageousness drive him to do anything to help those he loves, even if it mean putting his own life in jeopardy. His main flaw, however, is his apparent struggle to keep his promises. This is evident in the start of the film when he breaks his promise to his mom not to sneak pies in the middle of the night (which is hinted to be part of the cause of many of his nightmares), and later when he breaks his promise to King Morpheus to leave the Forbidden Door alone (though this was mainly because Flip encouraged him to just take a peek). He later redeems himself, apologizes, and accepts responsibility for his actions, though and is forgiven. 

Icarus: Voiced by Danny Mann. Supporting protagonist. A flying squirrel and Nemo’s best friend from the real world. He is friendly, outgoing, adorable, and brave and selfless like Nemo. His role in the movie is as Nemo’s sidekick and rarely ever leaves his side (except for the time between Nemo going to his prince lessons and the coronation). He is shown to be able to sort of hold his own in a fight several times, especially in the Nightmare Land ambush scene. He and Nemo have a very close relationship (almost comparable to two brothers) and much concern for each other. His relationship with Princess Camille, though, starts out as rocky, due to her calling him a “rat”, which deeply insults him. After she apologizes, they become closer and by the end of the film they have established a similar relationship as his and Nemo’s.

 

Princess Camille: Voiced by Laura Mooney. Supporting protagonist. King Morpheus’ daughter, princess of Slumberland, and Nemo’s friend and love interest. She is apparently the most complex character, having several sides to her. Her first is her pompous and spoiled side, which she first displays when she first meets Nemo and Icarus, and peeves them off with it. Her second, and main side is her sweet, innocent, kind and loving side, which is shown the most throughout the movie. Her third side is her fiery, stern, no-nonsense side, which is shown just before and during the rescue mission in Nightmare Land, when dealing with Flip and his antics. Through the film, it’s shown that she and Nemo develop a loving and caring relationship not unlike a young couple, as they show much concern for each others feelings and well-being. Her relationship with Icarus, while starting out as rough, eventually becomes a similar sibling-like relationship as his and Nemo’s. While her father and her aren’t seen interacting with each other on-screen, it’s implied they have a typical father-daughter relationship. She also has great respect for Professor Genius for his wisdom and intellect. She considers her clown Bon-Bon to be her friend, and immediately shines to the Boomps upon meeting them. She has the least patience with Flip due to his pranks, occasional obnoxiousness, and cigar-smoking. In one scene, she gets so annoyed with the latter two of his traits, that she briefly loses her princess-like composure and punches him in the jaw (and bans him from smoking another cigar in her presence again), stunning everyone.

Professor Genius: Voiced by Rene Auberjonois. Supporting protagonist. King Morpheus’ advisor and Nemo’s mentor. He is calm, intellegent, sophisticated and punctual. The type of person who prefers order as opposed to madness, the Professor acts as the voice of reason to the main characters, although his properness can often be a little irritating to some, mainly Flip and occasionally Nemo (though the latter still respects him as an elder). Despite these traits all his sophisticated behavior leaves at the sound of music and he unveils his hidden dancing talent, as shown during Nemo’s coronation ceremony.

Flip: Voiced by Mickey Rooney. Supporting protagonist/anti-hero. Slumberland’s resident trickster and troublemaker. He is mischievous, fun-loving, and on occasion, obnoxious. His pranks, while mostly harmless, have made him a wanted man, just for “having fun.” He is the one who encourages Nemo to open the Forbidden Door against his promise to the King (though he meant no actual harm by it, as he didn’t know what the door held). Later, after the Nightmare kidnaps King Morpheus, everyone blames Flip, thinking he did it as a prank, so to save himself, Flip outs Nemo as the true culprit. He later becomes key to the rescue mission to Nightmare Land, having a map of the world (though it’s later ruined after the rescue party crashes into a bog) Nemo seems to enjoy playing pranks with him, but is like many others annoyed at his obnoxiousness. He seems to be dislikes immensely all throughout Slumberland, including Icarus and the Professor. Princess Camille seems to have the least amount of patience with his trait, and at one point, goes as far as to punch him in the jaw (and sentence him to “no cigar-smoking”) after he blows smoke in her face and obnoxiously tries to flirt with/flatter her.

King Morpheus: Voiced by Bernard Erhard. Supporting protagonist. King of Slumberland. He is noble, brave, wise, caring, and a bit childish. He has protected Slumberland for years with the help of the royal scepter: an ancient weapon of great power. Though he is a child at heart, he knows when to be serious. He has Nemo brought to Slumberland so that he may become his heir to the throne. He gives Nemo the key to Slumberland, which can open any door; however, he warns Nemo of one door with a dragon symbol emblazoned on it that must never be opened. When Nemo accidentally breaks his promise and releases the Nightmare King, King Morpheus is captured and Nemo has to go and rescue him from Nightmare Land.

Bon-Bon: Voiced by Sherry Lynn. Minor protagonist. Princess Camille’s right-hand girl and friend. She travels with the Professor to bring Nemo to Slumberland, and strikes up sort of a friendship with him. She later has fun with him, Icarus and the Princess as they explore Slumberland, and presents Nemo’s crown at his coronation. She disappears after that scene and is not seen again until the end, when she says goodbye to Nemo as he departs Slumberland to return home.

Boomps (Oomp, Oompa, Oompe, Oompy, and Oompo): Voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, Michael Bell, Sidney Miller, Neil Ross, and John Stephenson, respectively. Supporting protagonists. Former jesters for the Nightmare king and Nemo’s allies. Flip runs into them when he sneaks off to smoke a cigar, and redraw his map, which was ruined when Nemo’s team crashed their boat into a bog. They are escaping the Nightmare King due to his cruelty towards them, since they can’t seem to really scare anyone (like other goblins) and prefer to make people laugh. Only the first four (Oomp, Oompa, Oompe, and Oompy) are present at first. The largest, Oompo, was caught during their escape attempt, and later manages to meet with them later to give the incantation to the scepter to him from Morpheus. They become Nemo’s closest allies after the party is ambushed and assist him in the final battle against the Nightmare King.

 

Nightmare King: Voiced by Bill Martin. Main antagonist. King of Nightmare Land. He is evil, cold, cruel, temperamental and merciless.  He is a demonic creature who was locked behind a massive door until he was accidentally set free by Nemo, who was given the key to the door by King Morpheus. Once free, he captures King Morpheus as revenge for his imprisonment and then retreats to the Nightmare Castle. Apparently, the Slumber and Nightmare kingdoms were at war for sometime and then Morpheus finally gained the upper hand and imprisoned the evil demon. He first appears as a dark, blobbish, essence form at the coronation. His true full form is shown when Nemo returns to Nightmare Land to save Morpheus, as well as with Camille, Flip, and the Professor (who were captured in an ambush). He is shown to be quite ruthless, (when he obliterates many of his underlings after discovering they failed to capture/destroy Nemo and the scepter (which is the only thing he truly fears and can be destroyed by)) and sadistic, (shown when he appears to torture Princess Camille while she’s in suspended animation in order to lure Nemo out of hiding).

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Overall, this film truly is a cult classic. The animation, the story, the characters, the action, the adventure are things the entire family will love and cherish for all time. This film will take you to places beyond your wildest dreams, and create memories that you will treasure for all time. Story’s a bit predictable, but it’s what children will love and cherish in their hearts for many years to come.

Therefore, I give Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland a 9/10 and suggest you BUY IT (If you can find a copy that is)!!

Breaking news and saddening from the film world.

 

Roger Ebert, film critic extraordinare and one of my influences, died today at age 70 from cancer.

 

Ebert was a film critic for Chicago Sun Times. During that time, he became known for his film review column, which contained hundreds of film reviews dating back to 1967. He later became known for his 23-year partnership with fellow critic Gene Siskel, with whom he starred in many film critic shows, the last of which was At The Movies.

After Siskel died of brain surgery complications in 1999, Ebert continued the show with several guest hosts, until 2000, when film critic Richard Roeper, joined him on the balcony.

In 2006 Ebert took leave from the show to get treatment for thyroid cancer and salivary cancer. Complications caused him to lose his lower jaw and his abilities to speak and eat. In 2008, both he and Roeper left At The Movies, which continued with new hosts for two more years before ending in 2010.

Despite the loss of his voice, Ebert continued to make public appearances and write film reviews for the Chicago Sun Times up until his passing.

He is survived by his wife, Chaz, two stepchildren and several step-grandchildren.

 

P.S. I intend to start writing film reviews again soon, stay tuned to my blog for future updates!

 

Hello everyone!! As you know the hype of The Dark Knight Rises, the apparently final film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy (which I haven’t seen) has been large, even in spite of the Aurora, Colorado shooting at the July 20 midnight premiere that claimed 12 lives and injured 59 others. Therefore, to give both some older and newer Caped Crusader fans a blast from the past, my first ever review will be on one of most underrated Batman films ever:

 

 

 

Yep. The Phantasm film which I think is considered very underrated due to it’s low box office numbers. But I’ll get to that later. Meanwhile, here’s the story in the brief sense:

 

 

Batman bursts into a meeting of many of Gotham’s biggest mob bosses. One of them, veteran mobster Chuckie Sol slips away into the building’s high-rise parking garage and attempts to escape in his car. Before he can, however, a shadowy figure that he at first assumes to be the Dark Knight approaches him. But when looked at more closely, this guy (the Phantasm, hence the title and name given in the credtis) is dressed totally different: different costume, with a deep, echoing voice, a death’s head mask, and a vicious blade on the end of one arm (almost looks like the Grim Reaper). Sol, frightened like hell, tries to run down the new threat, but the Phantasm disappears in a cloud of smoke, causing Sol instead to smash through the wall of the parking structure and crash into an adjoining building, killing himself on on impact. Batman arrives on scene just as this occurs, and chases the Phantasm, who slips away easily. Since witnesses only saw Batman and not the Phantasm on scene, many people jump to conclusions that the Caped Crusader has started turning lethal after all this time.

 

This attracts the attention of sleazy Gotham city councilman Arthur Reeves, who builds up an anti-Bat crusade, and recruits Gotham cops who dislike or distrust the Bat (including Harvey Bullock) in an task force to capture or kill him, much to the disdain of Commissioner James Gordon, who firmly believes that Batman would never resort to murder for any reason.

 

Meanwhile, the beautiful Andrea Beaumont, whom both Batman’s alter-ego Bruce Wayne and Reeves have a past with, returns to Gotham after ten years. Bruce and Andrea’s story is told through flashbacks throughout the film, from it’s fairy-tale beginning to it’s heart-breaking end, and as the film progress, they slowly rekindle their romance.

 

When the Phantasm strikes again and again, killing several more old Mafia associates of Sol’s, the city turns against Batman even more, and the anti-Bat task force, spurred on by Reeves, grow intent on capturing him dead or alive. As Batman tries to unravel the Phantasm mysteries of who and why, he uncovers a connection with the dead mobsters that is revealed to include Reeves, Andrea and her father, and his arch-nemesis, the Joker.

 

Ultimately, the Caped Crusader must put the pieces together to stop and uncover the Phantasm’s identity, clear his name, and deal with the romance between him and Andrea.

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Now for the review: 

The film’s plot is pretty dark, especially for a non-anime film. And the action and violence (which includes some blood) is somewhat brutal as well; basically you can’t get the kind of action watching the animated series. And there are some frighting scenes too, such as the Phantasm’s attacks and when one of is found dead from Joker venom poisoning (that part always startled). But nonetheless this film is terrific just as a majority of critics including Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert said. The animation, also used in the 1992-95 animated

Now you might wonder why a terrific film such as this underperformed at the box office, and on Christmas, one of the biggest movie days ever. Well it seems that after the animated series’ success, Warner Bros. decide to make an film to accommodate it. However, they rushed it into theaters with little to no marketing and promotion beforehand. Big mistake on their part. But, despite this, it became far more popular on home video (I’d say since Warner Bros. had more time to market it).

The voice acting is incredible, especially by the three key players: Kevin Conroy, the best known voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne, once again gives a performance that says that he really is the Dark Knight (at least in the animated sense). You can really detect the uncertainty in Bruce’s voice when he speaks to his parents about marrying Andrea, the sadness in losing her both times, and the determination when fighting the bad guys as Batman.

Mark Hamill (best known in live action as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars films) really kills as the Joker, both figuratively and literally. While the late Heath Ledger is and always will be the greatest live-action Clown Prince of Crime, Hamill will always be the greatest animated one. He does this with the Joker’s sinister and creepy, but also clownish tone of voice and his signature insane laughter. Believe it or not, Siskel and Ebert didn’t like Hamill’s Joker voice when they reviewed the film. If you ask me, I’d give them two thumbs down for that.

And Dana Delany (known to most nowadays from Desperate Housewives and Body of Proof as well as Lois Lane from Superman: The Animated Series), gives a compelling as perhaps Batman’s greatest and most tragic love in the DCAU canon, Andrea Beaumont. She provides authentic kindness in Andrea’s voice when she and Bruce are dating and when they briefly reconnect, as well as venom and hate when involved in the final showdown. She’s in a way to me, a mixture of Talia al Ghul and Selina Kyle/Catwoman. I wish Andrea had made a few appearances in the TV series though. That would have been extraordinary.

Oh, and here’s a fast fact: Stacy Keach voiced both Andrea’s father Carl and the Phantasm. You figure the two would be the same person, won’t you? Well… If you’ve seen the film, you know what I meant, but if not… well watch it and find out yourself.

Anyhow, Mask of the Phantasm is a classic masterpiece of Warner Bros. There are some questionable and frighting scenes to watch out for if you’re a kid under 13 or a parent with kids under 13. But if you’re looking to get a Batman film that’s animated but has a darker tone like Batman Returns or the Nolan films, then this is what you need.

 

I give Batman: Mask of the Phantasm a 9.5/10 and suggest that you BUY IT!!

 

Welcome to my Weblog. I am new and am gonna give you reviews and recommendations on both past and current Video Games, TV Shows, and Movies that I’ve seen. And I’ll take a few recommendations from you. Just post me the name a film, TV show, or video game you’ve watched/played in the past or a current one you like nowadays and I’ll watch and review it. And if you can’t remember the name of the film, TV show, or video game, just describe it for me as best as you can and I’ll try figure it out. You might say I’m the Gene Siskel (1946-1999), Roger Ebert, and Richard Roeper of the blogging world.

See you in the theatres!

Hi everyone! I’m just getting started on Xanga… Drop me a comment if you’ve got some ideas on what to do first – or just to say, “Hi!”