Batman: Mask of the Phantasm1993

88/100 Considered the best Batman movie by most, and while there is one certain movie I like more, this movie is the one I feel captures the essence of Batman the best. First off, we get Batman as a detective with a great mystery plot of the mysterious Phantasm framing him for the murder of several mob folk (albeit unintentionally). The mob is eventually forced to hire the Joker to stop what they think is Batman coming down hard on them, a plotline that would later be adapted to the comics with The Long Halloween. However, there's also a subplot concerning the origin story of Batman told through flashbacks, and it's also executed very well, tying into the present plot great. Both of these already good plots are also elevated into excellence by the superb cast. Kevin Conroy is Batman, unrivalled by any before and since. The titular Phantasm is also great, and in particular I enjoy the "angel of death" voice they employed for the masked appearances. However, if there's one complaint I have, its that once the Phantasm is revealed as Bruce's old flame Andrea, she kinda turns into more of a damsel-in-distress, being defeated easily by the Joker and requiring Batman to save her. Speaking of which, Mark Hamill's Joker is definitely the best part of this movie. He's really funny when he needs to be while still being a menacing threat when required. This is basically just a feature-length Batman: The Animated Series episode, and if you like that show or just Batman in general, you'll probably like this. A great movie overall.