B ATMAN Mask of the Phantasm (1993) by S. Walker |
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It's arguable if Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a better film compared to the two Batman films by Tim Burton (there's no question that it's much better than the Schumacher movies), but it's unarguable that its soundtrack is not up to par with Danny Elfman's scores. It hasn't got the dark gothic texture of the first Batman score or the ethereal qualities and the dramatic tone of Batman Returns. However, it is still superb, especially by the standards of an animation feature. To my mind it's almost as good as the superb score of Lion King (I refer to Hans Zimmer's score only, not the songs). |
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The first season of the series featured a different version of the well-known Elfman theme as the main title. Later, however, it was employed Shirley Walker's theme, that is reminiscent of Elfman's but not as powerful. The Main Title of this film score is the ''new'' theme of the series but in a darker and more gothic version, pretty similar to the soundtrack of ''The Omen'' by Jerry Goldsmith with chants in latin. Very good track. On the other hand, the Phantasm is treated with cliched ''horror'' music of 50's films. The rest of the tracks range from moody pieces to exciting action cues that, I have to repeat, are no match for Elfman's action tracks of the first Batman OST but are still fun. The only two low points of this release is its short duration (about 30 minutes, a lot of the film's music is left out) and the final track, a sappy love song that doesn't fit with the rest of the score and sounds as if it's taken from a second rate love story film. Overall, this score album is a must for every fan's collection. |