Batman: The Caped Crusader premieres its ten-episode first season all at once on Prime Video, bringing to life a moody, noirish Gotham City with plenty of stylistic references to classic gangster films and connecting the new series aesthetically to creator and showrunner Bruce Timm’s previous standout DC Universe animated series, 1992. Batman: The Animated SeriesTimm is also an executive producer on Crusader with capealongside heavyweights like JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves, and its impressive voice cast includes Hamish Linklater, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, Christina Ricci, Krystal Joy Brown, Minnie Driver and Tom Kenny.
BATMAN HOODED CRUSADERSTREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening shot: A lackey is tied to a chair. “I don’t know who told you I wasn’t sincere, but you have to believe me!” From the sinister flash that appears in the shadow, it’s pretty clear that this guy’s underworld boss isn’t one.
The essence: In this version of the Batman story, the crimefighter voiced by Linklater remains relatively unknown on the streets of Gotham. He sports the classic combination of a mohawked gray jumpsuit, cape, cowl, and black boots, and when he faces off against a group of Tommy gun-wielding thugs, he pulls out the usual utility belt accessories: smoke grenades, grappling hook, throwing balls. Along with Alfred Pennyworth (Jason Watkins), Batman is concerned about a new criminal element in the city, one that’s taking things hard against Rupert Thorne (Cedric Yarbrough) with artillery blasts aimed at the more established mob boss’s turf. Who is it that’s swooping in and bribing half the Gotham City Police Department? It’s none other than Oswalda Cobblepot (Minnie Driver), aka The Penguin, whose lair this time around is a luxury casino yacht called The Iceberg Lounge.
With a gender-reversed Penguin causing all kinds of trouble (he’s camouflaging cannons with giant umbrellas and top hats), Batman will also have to deal with flashy district attorney Harvey Dent (Bader) running for mayor (and becoming Two-Face), the emergence of scheming femme fatale Selina “Catwoman” Kyle (Ricci), and Chung as Harley Quinn, the ever-memorable chaos-mode villain that Bruce Timm first co-created for Batman: The Animated Series. Crusader with cape He’ll also delve into DC Comics lore to populate his version of criminal Gotham, with appearances by Onomatopoeia (Reid Scott), Nocturna (McKenna Grace), Gentleman Ghost (Toby Stephens), Firebug (Kenny) and Clayface (Dan Donohue). This Batman will have his work cut out for him! But he’ll also have allies, like defense attorney Barbara Gordon (Brown) and her father, Commissioner Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart), whom a whiny Penguin henchman calls “the only cop in Gotham I know who’s not crooked!”
What shows will it remind you of? X-Men ’97 caused a sensation when it premiered on Disney+ last March. Prime Video also includes Batman: The Animated Serieswith Kevin Conroy lending his voice to the Dark Knight, and that iconic animated series is also available to stream on Max, which also includes three seasons of the animated series. Batman Beyondfurther He bat Manthe rain-soaked 2022 film with Robert Pattinson that kicked off Matt Reeves’ tenure as director of the caped crusader’s story. And well, what about other A different version of The Penguin? This September, Colin Farrell will reprise his role from Reeves’ film in the limited series The Penguin.
Our opinion: When the Batmobile first appears in Batman: The Caped CrusaderIt is with him longyyyy silhouette and prominent front grill of an early 1940s Oldsmobile or Cadillac. (“Oh, that Batman guy is real, by the way,” Barbara Gordon says. “I met him tonight, sort of. He has a really nice car.”) And while we also see the hooded crime fighter’s personal miniature submarine and throwing stars in the shape of his shield, we enjoy how Crusader with cape is giving a retro style to its visual sense while retaining the components that we know and even expect wherever the Batman character appears.
And not just with the fights. When Bruce Wayne attends a charity event at the Penguin’s plush floating headquarters, the crisp animation and steady voice acting by Hamish Linklater really capture how uncomfortable he is, putting on a rich dandy’s permanent grin and pretending to spill a martini on his tuxedo. Bruce wants to get back to Batman’s base of operations, which is smaller in scale and more analog than the Batcaves we’ve seen recently. He wants to put on the grey suit again, where the tips of his cowl’s ears stand out against the explosions. He wants to crush Gotham’s criminal underworld. We’re big fans of how little chatter this version of Batman gives off. He’d rather just talk with his fists than swing off to survey the city from atop a terracotta gargoyle.
Sex and skin: Nothing in the first episode. While Batman: The Caped Crusader It doesn’t shy away from violence, but it also has henchmen who say a lot of “Friggin’,” meaning it’s not likely to cross the threshold of a PG-level rating.
Parting shot: “I failed tonight,” Batman tells Alfred. “That can’t happen again.” Even when our conflicted hero scores a victory against Gotham’s ever-evolving crime scene, he can’t help but think of it as a game of Whac-A-Mole.
Sleeping Star: Krystal Joy Brown, who also voiced Netossa in the new version She-Ra and the Princesses of Poweris one of the first to stand out in Crusader with cape as Barbara Gordon. Brown combines Barbara’s idealism with a pragmatic streak, and she doesn’t suffer fools. When machine-gun-wielding bad guys try to run her off the road, she simply reaches for her revolver.
Pilot’s most typical phrase: “You know Mom doesn’t hold a grudge. Not for long…” Oswalda Cobblepot, played by Minnie Driver, is The Penguin through and through, complete with a monocle and an unpredictable streak that’s as menacing as it is entertaining.
Our calling: STREAM IT. Incarnations of Batman’s story will seemingly never stop appearing. But Batman: The Caped Crusader It’s got great pedigree with DC veteran Bruce Timm helming the show, the animation is moody and cool, and like many Batman projects before it, the villains might be the best part.
Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.