The animated world of Batman is growing, with the latest series, Batman: Caped Crusader, that recently hit Prime Video. The ten-episode series from showrunner Bruce Timm, written by Greg Rucka (Harley Quinn, The Old Guard), delivers a new grounded animated series with Hamish Linklater voicing Batman/Bruce Wayne. Does the animated world of Batman continue to thrive? I break down my thoughts and let you know if it’s worth checking out.
Batman: Caped Crusader sees Gotham City become more corrupt. Criminals run rampant, and everyone in the city lives in fear. Bruce Wayne seeks to become the justice these criminals deserve by becoming Batman. His journey leads to an unexpected partnership with the GCPD and City Hall.
Hamish Linklater was a great Batman
The series would only work if Batman is perfected, and Hamish Linklater absolutely knocks the role of Batman and Bruce Wayne out of the ballpark. The series is grounded and rooted in the early days of Bruce becoming Batman, which is a story we’ve seen many times before. However, the writers craft it in a way that makes things interesting, showing a different foundation of Bruce becoming Batman and his uncharacteristic relationship with the police department.
Whether on the big screen or the small screen, we often see the people playing Batman/Bruce Wayne only get one of the characters right. I always felt that Michael Keaton was a great Batman, but underwhelming Bruce Wayne and George Clooney the other way around. Although distinguished in an animated role, Linklater forges ahead in the duality of the role, selling both characters to the audience.
Another standout within the series was Krystal Joy Brown, who voiced Barbara Gordon. Each Batman story has that one person who wants to catch Batman because of what he does but also realizes that he isn’t one of the “bad guys” but someone trying to help. Barbara served that role within the series, and Joy Brown makes this character her own, one that I found myself interested in every time she was on the screen.
The script delivers the grittiness of Gotham City.
Taking us back to the early days of Bruce becoming Batman is something we’ve seen a thousand times, but Greg Rucka brings us a fresh take on the story in Batman: Caped Crusader. Rucka incorporates the foundation of Gotham City with the criminal uprise within the city to allow for the spark within Bruce to protect the city, making you fall in love with the story all over again. There is a level of visual storytelling that is captivating.
On the surface, I was a little worried about having many of Batman’s villains wrapped up into one series, but this was done perfectly. Each episode focuses on building on the previous episode’s stories while adding some exciting side elements to allow these characters to be introduced and work their own magic.
Lost in the shuffle sometimes in the modern era of TV is the fact that many shows attempt to have runtimes of each episode north of 45 minutes. However, the series’ creators wisely made each episode around 25 minutes, making it a breeze to watch. I binge-watched the entire series in one sitting. The binge-style format isn’t going away anytime soon, and how this was created ensures that audiences will not waste their time with fluffed episodes or unneeded storylines.
The animation is top-notch.
Batman: Caped Crusader felt equal parts old-school cartoons while delivering fresh animation to make it feel modern. In every “dark” era of Batman, you have a Gotham City that is grittiness to represent the feelings of the city, and they capture that beautifully. It almost felt like the days of Saturday morning cartoons but set in the modern era. Also, the title sequence that opened each episode was BRILLIANT.
Final Thoughts on Batman: Caped Crusader
I was never one to rush to watch animated series, especially comic book series, but Prime Video’s Invincible, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy, and Batman: Caped Crusader have convinced me that the streaming platform can not only be good but deliver stories that keep you wanting more.
Ultimately, I was impressed by this entire series. Whether it was working in many of Batman’s villains while developing each of the side characters or the script that delivered a great Batman to the attention to detail in the animation, Batman: Caped Crusader is easily one of the best shows of 2024. If you are a fan of Batman, this series will be right up your alley.
Batman: Caped Crusader is now streaming on Prime Video.
Learn more about the series, including how to watch, by visiting the official website.
You might also like…
‘Despicable Me 4’ Movie Review: Illumination’s Sequel Stumbles