REVIEW: ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ Season 1 Gets It Half Right

There’s much to admire about the latest from Bruce Timm, Batman: Caped Crusader. Taking the animated series back to its film noir roots and ’40s-inspired aesthetic, the series clearly tips its hat in the direction of Timm’s most famous work, Batman The Animated Series. With some clever updates and dynamic twists on a familiar rouges’ gallery, the series captures Gotham as a city anchored in corruption, threatening to boil over due to the reckless and power-hungry. However, for all the stylistic flourishes and specificity of tone, the series never surpasses what’s come before. Instead, it reads as mimicry — an artist imitating his own greatest hits.

The basic story format runs like many a solo Batman adaptation. Batman (Hamish Linklater) is at the start of his work as a vigilante; his name and presence are mere rumors at the beginning of Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1. As Bruce Wayne, he’s known as the playboy philanthropist. But at night, he haunts the streets of Gotham in his crusade for justice. Alfred Pennyworth remains a put-upon butler who must tend to his whims while the villains and allies allow for spins on old foes. Everyone from Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung) to The Penguin (Minnie Driver) gets intriguing updates.

This is necessary, considering the villains are the most exciting part of the series in terms of characterization. Some, like Catwoman (Christina Ricci), are complete misses. Selina Kyle makes for such a rich character study, as we’ve seen everyone from Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Anne Hathaway, and Zoë Kravitz delight in their interpretations. Animated series, such as Sanaa Lathan’s version in Harley Quinn or Adrienne Barbeau in Batman The Animated Series, also fare well. Here, she falls flat with no real drive behind her character motivations or design.

This flatness affects many vital aspects of Batman: Caped Crusader, including, most notably, Bruce Wayne himself. The Batman of this world is stoic to the point of having no personality. Linklater does little to imbue the character with any sense of life, especially in comparison to the more high-profile interpretations of the character — Kevin Conroy being the most prominent example. But the writing lets the character down, too. What’s meant to be suave is awkward, and any semblance of anger or frustration is stamped out. He’s merely a cowl without a human underneath.

Some aspects are enjoyable, and characters such as Harley Quinn are given fresh interpretations that really play within the series worldbuilding. Harvey Dent also gets a strong narrative throughout the series that plays with the characters gray morality. Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams, along with Timm, are executive producers and creators of the series, and their sensibilities shine through — especially the gothic inspirations of Reeves seen in his The Batman. The detective and procedural elements are strong, especially when they allow the series to lean into its more grizzly sensibilities with some legitimately shocking deaths and brutalist impulses.

It’s episodic in a way that would’ve been perfect for the heyday of WB DC animation. There’s the monster/bad guy of the week (though it will drop all ten episodes at once) that helps move the stories at a solid pace. One funnier, possibly unintentional, aspect of the series is how ineffective Batman is. Perhaps it’s him being green or simply a way to let the villains and law enforcement shine, but he’s losing or stumbling his way toward a clumsy victory as much as he’s actually legitimately triumphant.

The most challenging aspect to overcome in Batman: Caped Crusader is twofold. First, it’s that nagging similarity to Batman The Animated Series and the flatness this series has in comparison. The second is the stiff animation that is slow and clunky. People walk in slow motion as if gliding an inch above the ground, and it’s hard to tell if that’s the desired effect or just a feature of the animation. And it’s here where the comparison to that original series is damning because when you’re working against something of such tremendous artistry, you need to either meet the bar or transcend it. Otherwise, it’s best to opt for a new approach.

It’s one of the many reasons My Adventures With Superman is so successful. It doesn’t try to be like any other series about the titular character, but it honors the core values of the hero all the same. Despite the lore, the familiar names, and the series’ tone, Batman feels like an afterthought. The series is halfway a success because it achieves its atmospheric qualities and delivers engaging villains. It’s just the hero doesn’t get to shine.

Batman: Caped Crusader will thrill those looking for a new, noir-inspired adventure with the hero as it builds on the character’s animated legacy. However, it stumbles in the mechanics. It’s an assured narrative that needed greater animation to help make it one of the greats.

Batman: Caped Crusader premiers on Prime Video on August 1.