In 1992, Batman - The Animated Series hit the airwaves. Riding in on the success of the two Tim Burton-directed feature films, the series won over a large audience, with its fantastic artwork and storytelling style that stayed true to the character's roots - many will argue that these cartoons were superior to the Joel Schumacher-directed feature films! And with the success, Warner Bros. released a theatrical animated movie, as well as a direct-to-video sequel a few years later. ***

Mask of the Phantasm was the theatrically-released animated film. This movie follows a mysterious murder of a mobster, for which Batman is accused. Meanwhile, as Bruce Wayne, he reacquaints with an old love interest, as long-time nemesis The Joker sets forth his own plans to finish off the Dark Knight. *** Phantasm did poorly in theaters and received mixed reviews. However it did get a “two thumbs up” rating from Siskel and Ebert, and has always maintained a cult following. With its intriguing story that stays true to the early, darker storytelling of the comic, it's the superior of the two films included here. ***

Sub-Zero was a direct-to-video release. Following up on the theatrical release of Batman and Robin, Mr Freeze appears here as the central villain. Mr. Freeze kidnaps Commissioner Gordon's daughter, in an effort to get a blood transfusion for his ailing wife. So the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder set off to rescue her from the villain. ***

Sub-Zero isn't a great movie, but it IS superior to the theatrically-released Batman and Robin. The story here is more straightforward and predictable, but overall the whole thing still manages to entertain. It doesn't top Phantasm, though. ***

As both of these films have had earlier DVD releases, it really wasn't necessary for Warner Bros. to do a reissue - especially considering these DVDs have no remastered image or worthwhile bonus material (see the below paragraphs for more details.) With the theatrically-released sequel to Batman Begins coming out later this year, it was probably just intended as a cash-in to ride on that craze. It's NOT necessary to buy this package if you already own these movies, but it's a good value if you're a Batman fan who hasn't gotten them on DVD yet. ---

Image And Sound:

From what I can tell, this set got no remastering treatment whatsoever. Mask of the Phantasm not only has a good deal of blemishes in the picture quality, it's also presented in a cropped fullscreen aspect ratio. WHY!? Earlier sold-separately DVD releases featured the original widescreen, so why does this twofer insist on going with a cropped version? Sub-Zero fares slightly better, the image is very good throughout aside from some mild issues here and there. As Sub-Zero was initially a direct-to-video release, fullscreen IS the original aspect ratio, so no cropping issues there. The audio on both presentations is fine, I didn't notice any major flaws to speak of. ---

Another department in which this DVD falls flat. Phantasm gets no bonus features, while Sub-Zero gets a few modest ones, including a weak DVD game, artwork featurette, and a “how to draw” featurette. None of this stuff is very interesting - why no commentary or cast and crew interviews?

Final Words: