Classic Movies Live Season 7, Episode 9 – Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
April 8, 2026
In 1993, an enormous corporation gave a small group of creatives the opportunity to create their dream project based on one of the biggest media franchises of all time. Despite behind-the-scenes troubles, including a production schedule that ended up being significantly different than originally planned, the film finally released against all odds… only to be met with relative apathy from the moviegoing public. But over the years, that film would be reappraised, with new fans discovering it on home media and kicking themselves that they weren’t there in the first week.
Hundreds of weeks later, our hosts sat down to talk about that movie in yet another exploration of a certified classic. No, it’s not Super Mario Bros.; this week, Pierre and Jeff break down Batman: Mask of the Phantasm!
Written and produced between seasons 1 and 2 of Batman: The Animated Series, Mask of the Phantasm finds Batman facing his past when a mysterious figure called the Phantasm begins killing mafia bosses in Gotham City. At the same time, Bruce Wayne’s old flame Andrea Beaumont comes back to town to… visit? Settle some business with her father’s successor as CEO of Beaumont Industries? It’s a little unclear, but it’s up to the World’s Greatest Detective to make it clear, and discover what Andi’s been up to since they last met… and learn how this all ties back to the Phantasm.
Jeff takes a few points from this review of Mask of the Phantasm by Darren Mooney on Letterboxd. Check it out, it’s a good read!
