Batman: Caped Crusader Review
Batman has returned for another animated outing on Amazon Prime Video, with a take that audiences will found both familiar and different. There are remixes and new characters in the season that audiences will love, but others don’t reach the heights of prior interpretations. The show has an impeccable style to it, but the animation itself hasn’t been reimagined alongside the characters. It’s an overall enjoyable watch, but one largely aimed at younger audiences, perhaps those who are new to the Batman franchise.
Batman has always had a sense of style, and that’s something that can be said about the cartoons as well. ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ keeps this going, with an impressive overall style that is steeped in film noir and art deco. But while this style is impressive, the animation sticks too close to the ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ and doesn’t evolve or remix it.
Hamish Linklater takes on the daunting task of voicing Batman and Bruce Wayne after the late Kevin Conroy, and he proves that he’s more than up to the task, making his mark on the Batman universe. The other voice actors are also just as talented, giving compelling performances.
Characters in ‘Caped Crusader’ are famously remixed and reimagined, hoping to give audiences a fresh take on the Batman universe as a whole. This is mostly successful, but tin feels places the creators misunderstood what some characters’ core identities were, and so they were a casualty of this reimagining. But the series has committed to pulling a wide array of Batman characters to the screen, going beyond the obvious rogues. The few familiar characters help to tie this adaptation to the overall Batman lore, and doesn’t completely alienate wider audiences.
Episodes are largely standalone, granting audiences the flexibility to dip in and out as they choose. There is a wider plot going on that audiences get snippets of throughout the show, which comes together for an effective final conflict. In this way, the creators get to have the best of both worlds. They’re at their best whenever they lean into the grim and heavy atmosphere across the city.
Batman has always been able to convey complex themes throughout its characters and writing, so it’s sad to say that they’re largely missed in this adaptation. For some, that will lessen the appeal of the show. For others, its simplicity is something that will be adored, and makes it more accessible for younger audiences. There are small attempts at developing themes, but they don’t develop over the course of the show.
Overall, ‘Caped Crusader’ has an enjoyable and straightforward first season, which is likely to appeal to fans both young and old. The macbre Gotham invites suspenseful scenarios, though not all the reinvented characters within land with the desired impact.
