Batman: Caped Crusader (2024) Review: A Darkly Atmospheric Animated Series That Returns to its Noir Roots
While we have to wait until 2026 for The Batman Part II, Matt Reeves has the much-anticipated Batman: Caped Crusader animated series, where he serves as one of the executive producers alongside J.J. Abrams and Bruce Timm. The latter’s name is what excites me the most. He was the same guy who defined many ’90s childhoods with the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series, which ran 85 episodes for four seasons from 1992 to 1995.
The good news is that Batman: Caped Crusader retains the pulpy look and feel of that ’90s animated series while giving it a dark and gritty spin targeted at mature audiences. With the great Kevin Conroy, the quintessential voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman no longer with us after his unfortunate passing in 2022, it was undoubtedly a tough shoe to fill to take on the mantle. I wasn’t sure whether Hamish Linklater would be the right actor to voice the titular character.
But thankfully, he nails the character’s stoic and gravel voice while bringing in a dash of dry humour on some occasions (a verbal exchange between him and Selina Kyle/Catwoman voiced by Christina Ricci in one of the episodes comes to mind).
Linklater’s take also tends to be stubborn and unlikeable as the series showcases a different side of Batman being a predominantly apathetic character. Besides, this series chronicles his early days fighting crimes with the Gotham City Police Department including Commissioner Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart) has yet to see him as an ally. Bruce Wayne’s backstory about his childhood past remains intact and despite this has been retold over and over again in many screen iterations, the series manages to find an intriguing angle to make it psychologically relevant to his repressed and at times, volatile personality.
The first few episodes get off to decent but unspectacular results, mixing the familiar and bold choices, where the latter can be seen with the gender-swapped introduction of The Penguin. A female version named Oswalda Cobblepot voiced by Minnie Driver. The change might anger the fans who have grown accustomed to the traditionally male Penguin character and frankly, I was initially sceptical when I saw Minnie Driver’s take on one of the most popular antagonists in Batman’s rogues gallery.
Well, I’m glad the re-interpretation doesn’t result in a mere gimmick just to make a point about taking Batman: Caped Crusader in a few new directions. Driver’s The Penguin is a mean-spirited and formidable villain who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She does her best voicing the role but the story surrounding her crime and motivation wreaking havoc in Gotham City is somehow underwhelming to match her villainy.
The same also goes for Christina Ricci’s otherwise feisty voice performance as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in an episode that introduces her as a spoiled and wealthy socialite committing jewellery theft. Like Driver’s The Penguin, her story doesn’t do much justice to elevate Ricci’s role.
By the fourth episode onward, Batman: Caped Crusader finally picks up the slack with better and more engaging storytelling. Interestingly, the series works best in depicting the rogues gallery’s lesser-known villains, namely the sociopathic arsonist Firebug (Tom Kenny) and the energy-sucking Natalia/Nocturna (a perfectly rebellious Mckenna Grace).
The series also does a great job of introducing Jamie Chung’s Dr Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn as a manipulative psychiatrist with a hidden agenda. The story embraces her character’s bisexuality without making everything look like it was shoehorned on purpose. The only gripe I have about Chung’s Harley Quinn is her jester outfit is given an unnecessary total colour makeover. It just looks uncharacteristically odd. Had the series retained the signature red-and-black colour scheme, we would have the perfect animated Harley Quinn since the late Arleen Sorkin’s signature role in Batman: The Animated Series.
Batman: Caped Crusader brings in Harvey Dent/Two-Face, one of the rogues gallery’s best and most famous villains. Voiced by Diedrich Bader in one of his best voice performances to date, his role encompasses an all-around character arc that focuses on his journey to winning his mayoral campaign. Instead of his typically honest, knight-in-the-shining-armour district attorney on a quest to clean up Gotham City who believes in the power of justice, the Dent that we have here is both morally and ethically corrupt official. It was a refreshing change of pace that Dent is already a Two-Face who’s willing to do whatever it takes for personal gains even before he is partially disfigured.
The series’ visual aesthetics lean towards the 1940s noir with lots of shadows while Frederik Wiedmann’s score is more brooding than triumphant or rousing, which reflects the overall sinister and bleak storytelling approach. It’s far from the best that I hoped for, especially given all the massive hype in the first place. But Batman: Caped Crusader remains an above-average animated series worth checking out.
Batman: Caped Crusader will be streaming all 10 episodes on Prime Video on August 1, 2024.
