BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation, DC Comics, Prime Video
Air Date: Season One debuted Aug. 1, 2024 on Prime Video.
Description: Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the Batman. His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications. The series is a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens of executive producers J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm. Based on DC characters, Batman: Caped Crusader executive producers also include Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich, and Sam Register.
By James Harvey
A bold, noir-drenched spin on The Dark Knight, Batman: Caped Crusader‘s embrace of the beloved detective’s history lays out a strong future for this engaging animated drama. Headlined by some of the character’s most famed creators, this take on Batman draws from a medley of classic media incarnations and combines them into an intriguingly twisted pulp-fiction thriller. Not every creative decision works, but Batman: Caped Crusader‘s revisionist take on a young Batman and his corrupt surroundings is a never-the-less complex and intriguing jaunt that entertains despite a few distracting stumbles.
Batman: Caped Crusader introduces us to a Gotham City where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human – the Batman. While his one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications that’ll change everything.
Developed by Bruce Timm, the co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series, along with J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, Batman: Caped Crusader isn’t just another tired origin story but instead a surprising reimagining of Batman’s earliest adventures. It manages to avoid feeling derivative, or like a Batman: The Animated Series retread, by leaning hard into its film-noir aesthetics. Everything is ripped straight from the 40s, right down to the character designs, plot and character beats, the dialogue, even the camera work and staging, it all feels very carefully and explicitly chosen. Batman: Caped Crusader knows exactly what (and when) it’s all about.
As usual, spoilers will be kept as light as possible, though some specific details will be covered in this review.
Immediately arresting thanks to an exceptionally strong pilot episode, Batman: Caped Crusader wastes no time pulling the viewer into it’s addictive take on the early days of Gotham City’s savior. With great looking character designs and ear-catching dialogue, Batman: Caped Crusader admittedly looks and sounds pretty damn great. A lot of this show just clicks, and it’s hard to turn away when it does, but this unfortunately makes some of the show’s shortcomings that much more pronounced.
Running just ten episodes, the first season of Batman: Caped Crusader offers up a series of mostly enjoyable one-off adventures mixed together with a few ongoing narratives and subplots until it switches to a more serial approach as the finale nears. While our hero deals with the episode’s main villainous threat, plots revolving around Harvey Dent’s mayoral campaign, or Bruce Wayne’s relationship with Alfred – among other story beats – play out as well. Each episode is very deliberately paced to pull the most drama out of the season’s many twists, turns and surprise reveals, and mostly to success.
Batman: Caped Crusader‘s first season finds the Dark Knight Detective taking on a mix of big-name and lesser-known foes, such as The Penguin, Catwoman, Clayface, Firebug, Natalia Knight, The Gentleman Ghost, Harley Quinn, Onomatopoeia, and Two-Face. It’s a great mix of foes, though a couple choices are legitimately surprising considering how grounded this cartoon purports itself to be. Reassuringly, Batman: Caped Crusader‘s take on this gallery of goons is really solid, and there’s definitely a few stand-outs in the bunch.
This show’s re-imagined approach to both The Penguin and Harley Quinn are possibly its most radical and also, arguably, its best. The Penguin here is a casino owner named Oswalda Cobblepot who’s secretly a criminal mastermind trying to take out her main competition, Rupert Thorne. Obvious gender-swap aside, this take on The Penguin is a surprisingly refreshing and novel spin on the classic foe who ends up being a ball of fun. It’s a shame The Penguin pops up just once during Batman: Caped Crusader‘s first season.
Harley Quinn, who has no connection to The Joker in Batman: Caped Crusader, is a bit more sinister than how she’s usually portrayed. Dr. Harleen Quinzel is a brilliant psychiatrist whose personable and bubbly demeanor masks her true persona, a calculating menace looking to dispatch her own type of justice on Gotham’s elite. As the masked Harley Quinn, with a costume taking clear inspiration from the earliest of history’s harlequin-type characters and giving off real “eat the rich” vibes, she warps the minds of her prey while robbing them of their fortunes.
A little different, hunh? Yeah, but it works so deliciously for this spin on the fan-favorite character, especially as she matches wits with both Batman and Bruce Wayne.
Quinzel’s sessions with Wayne also provide some of the season’s few glimpses at Batman’s back story. We see a few glimpses of the night Bruce’s parents died, plus some of the fallout, and it effectively paints a picture of a man absolutely trapped by his past. There’s a moment where a young and angry Bruce confronts Alfred, telling the butler he’s going to help him on his mission of vengeance, and that young boy doesn’t seem too different from his adult self terrifying the crooks of Gotham City.
Batman: Caped Crusader does not skimp when it comes to diving deep into what makes each main cast member tick. Given the amount of screentime given to the show’s cast, it could be argued Batman: Caped Crusader situates Batman more as part of an ensemble than the show’s lead character. And that’s not a complaint in the slightest. Having gobs of time with Commissioner Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Detective Montoya, and even Harvey Dent is a smart creative play that pays off in spades as the season progresses.
Outside of script work, the believable character work also gets a considerable boost from the show’s incredibly talented voice cast. While it takes a few lines to warm up to him, Hamish Linklater puts in a pretty solid performance as the Batman. His “Batman voice” is perfectly fine, though at times it can sound a little strained, but his “Bruce Wayne voice” is top-notch through and through, sounding effortlessly suave and charming.
When it comes to the voice work in Batman: Caped Crusader, there’s nary a weak turn in the bunch. Every voice sounds … right, and there’s not a single jarring performance to be found. To note a few other performers, Jason Watkins is pitch-perfect as Alfred Pennyworth, Jamie Chung is fabulous as Dr. Quinzel/Quinn, Minnie Driver is a lot of fun as Oswalda Cobblepot and Michelle C Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, and Eric Morgan Stuart as Det. Montoya and Barbara and Commission James Gordan, respectively, make their characters feel real, live and vibrant. Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent / Two-Face, Christina Ricci as Selina Kyle / Catwoman and Dan Donohue as Clayface deserve a nod for their strong work, too.
Speaking of strong, Frederik Wiedmann’s composing work in Batman: Caped Crusader is some of the best to grace a DC Comics-based animated production in some time. Wiedmann’s thoughtful approach, and clearly trying to make sure the soundtrack stays true to the 1940s-era, keeps the score on point for the duration and never once becoming a distraction or overbearing. It sounds full and robust, especially the show’s gorgeous opening theme, as the ability to use traditional elements on Batman: Caped Crusader makes a significant difference (and a noticeable improvement) over the usual synth scores that recent DC Comics’ animated output tends to use.
Unfortunately, as with most of DC Comics’ recent animated output, the animation quality leaves something to be desired. Multiple times throughout the ten episodes there were scenes which looked animated just enough to get the job done and that’s it. Action scenes may play out fast and quick, but the lifeless animation rarely looks fluid and lacks rhythm, resulting in clumsy looking fisticuffs. Multiple times throughout the ten episodes there were scenes which looked animated just enough to get the job done and that’s it.
Now, the show has a fantastic visual palette to it and the characters designs are aces across the board, no doubt. But all of this is hampered by some very pedestrian animation that persists throughout the entire season. Things look great, but they don’t usually move great. The show should look better – with character movements more fluid and set pieces smoother, etc. – and it’s a shame it doesn’t give the pedigree behind the series and its main character. While not as off-putting as the recent Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths animated trilogy, it’s still disheartening to see Batman: Caped Crusader look so flat and rigid.
Where the animation lets down the show and its characters, the superb voice acting and character work swoop in to carry the load. Writing on the show is also solid, though the series’ very deliberate pace may be an issue for some, nor is every episode a home run. The two supernatural-themed episodes in Batman: Caped Crusader‘s first season are undoubtedly the weakest, primarily due to the underdeveloped foes in each. To further nitpick: Batman also doesn’t seem remotely fazed with the confirmation that supernatural creatures exist, same with his supporting cast, further making the proceedings feel more ho-hum than harrowing.
With the exception of a couple underwhelming tales, Batman: Caped Crusader‘s short first season is ultimately a successful one. The first five out of the gate – featuring The Penguin, Clayface, Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Firebug – offer up some of the season’s strongest stories, though the two-part season finale gives them all a run for their money. These episodes set the tone, pace and lay the foundation for this take on The Dark Knight, and they do so pretty effectively.
Still, Batman: Caped Crusader could’ve used a little more time to flesh out some of its cast – the foes and some of the minor characters, in particular – and heighten the tension a little. With just ten episodes to play with, it’s not a surprise that a few members of the rogue’s gallery get a little short-changed. The likes of Onomatopoeia, Natalia Knight and even The Penguin don’t get much development, but they do play their part of the story just as well, regardless. There’s not much there to grab on to, character-wise, though some of these foes (like Onomatopoeia) are likely meant to be just “done in one” types and nothing more.
There’s also a bit of a cost to be paid with the show giving ample time to this season’s assorted investigations and mysteries. First, for those expecting wall-to-wall fisticuffs? Not happening. While this season is teaming with assorted shoot-outs, confrontations and explosions, they’re not as frequent as some viewers likely expect. Batman: Caped Crusader takes its time, with each episode meticulously planned out (clearly) to make sure every minute is used effectively.
As a result, episodes can feel a little slow at times. The character work and plotting in Batman: Caped Crusader is really strong stuff, but that loses a bit of its luster with dull animation and the fact that – despite how good this show ultimately is – this series is covering a significant amount of familiar, well-trodden territory. We already know the outcome for certain characters and, despite some very neat surprises this season, that can make the occasional plotline feel more like a waiting game than something compelling.
This is by no means the fault of the creators behind Batman: Caped Crusader, all of whom are putting in excellent work, it’s just a by-product of the main character being a pop culture icon for literal decades. Batman: Caped Crusader could’ve taken a few more creative chances, similar to The Penguin and Harley Quinn, to spruce things up a little. Even the cold relationship between Alfred and Bruce, unconsciously inflicting pain on his butler due to his parents’ murder, adds an interesting wrinkle to their expected status quo. So, why not keep pushing things?
Even if some choices don’t quite land as they should, every one made by the show’s creative team is coming clearly from a place of admiration for the Batman and his world. Batman: Caped Crusader is led by executive producers Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, and Matt Reeves along with Ed Brubaker and James Tucker, and it’s not hard to see their own creative touches here. Whether it’s Timm and Tucker’s noir-driven creative choices and influences, Brubaker’s well-known love of procedurals bringing a bit more focus to the Gordon’s and the GCPD, or Reeves’ fascination with Gotham City’s criminal underworld, they all click together quite well.
Suffice it to say, and based on the show’s main creative team, Batman: Caped Crusader is almost overwhelmingly jam-packed with great nods to 1940s cinema and Batman lore from across the decades. Be it references to famed Batman and comic book creators, specific comics, other cartoons (Batman: The Animated Series being one of them, naturally), and so on, this show frequently pulls out some pretty deep cuts that should keep fans on their toes. The creative team gleefully acknowledges those who came before them throughout the series, which (in its own way) further helps Batman: Caped Crusader with establishing its own identity.
Is this show the second coming of Batman: The Animated Series? Not at all, nor should anyone expect that, but it’s still a top-shelf spin on Batman most fans will likely take a shine to. Despite the odd creative slip, watching the Caped Crusader and some of Gotham’s last remaining good eggs slowly learn they can work together to fend off the city’s worst criminals still makes for a damn good crime drama.
Batman: Caped Crusader is a familiar story peppered with interesting reinventions which, despite the very short initial season, provides up a nice taste-test of what this enthralling take on the Dark Knight is all about. Even with a couple weak episodes, and the disappointing animation quality, the show still manages to conjure up a pretty interesting take on Gotham City’s infamous vigilante. Drenched in noir, dramatic as can be, with punchy action pieces strewn throughout, and mixing things up just enough to keep things relatively interesting, Batman Caped Crusader pays homage to what came before while successfully setting up its own intriguing spin on the winged vigilante led by a stellar creative team. Recommended!
Batman: Caped Crusader is now streaming on Prime Video.
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