I Am The Knight-BATMAN: THE CAPED CRUSADER
By Jason Godbey
If you’re a Gen-X kid and a Batman fan, chances are you watched Batman: The Animated Series in the 90s. That series was groundbreaking and can arguably be called the greatest animated comic book series ever made. It was followed by Batman Beyond and two Justice League series, all of which combined great storytelling with great performances. 30 years later from Bruce Timm who produced 90s classic, comes Batman: The Caped Crusader now streaming on Amazon Prime.
One look at Caped Crusader tells you it was made in the spirit of the 90s series with it’s noir-ish visuals and darker tone. Although not cemented in a specific time period, it does have a very 1940s look and feel. The animation has some really nice touches, little details that make it a cut above other animated series, but it’s hard not to compare it to the 90s series which had some of the most beautiful, hand-drawn animation ever seen on television. Because of the costly and time-consuming nature of animation, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see it’s equal, but Caped Crusader comes in at a close second.
The voice cast lead by Hamish Linklater as Batman/Bruce Wayne is excellent. Linklater is able to capture the essence of Batman without imitating Kevin Conroy or some of the other iconic Batman voice actors. Another Batman voice actor, Diedrich Bader plays Harvey Dent as the slick, opportunistic Gotham District Attorney with aspirations to higher office. Minnie Driver is a gender-swapped Penguin who gives us a Marlene Dietrich-esque song and dance number telling us right off the bat, this is not your father’s Peguin. Krystal Joy Brown is Barbara Gordon who is a defense attorney despite being the daughter of the city’s top cop, Commissioner Gordon played by Eric Morgan Stuart. Jason Watkins is Bruce Wayne’s confidant and butler, Alfred Pennyworth. All these actors provide updated and refreshing takes on these classic characters.
After watching the first two episodes, there’s a lot of promise to be had in this series. It’s difficult not to compare it to Batman: The Animated Series, but one can see it making its own way and giving us something we haven’t seen in a Batman animated property in some time, a true film noir, with mystery and thrills. If you’re like me and you’ve already completed your re-watch BTAS on Max, and you’re looking to get your Batman animated fix, this is the series for you.
No Rest for the Weekend is part of the BTRP Media Network, along with Watch This Film, ActuallyPaid.com’s blog and YouTube channel, and the Homebodies Only podcast. Coming soon to the network on Made with Jackie Hanzl, another of our sister shows, Jackie and I will be discussing Batman: The Animated Series in a fun conversation you won’t want to miss. Look for that episode coming to the media network and lots of other entertaining content on BTRPMedia.com.
Originally published at http://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on August 2, 2024.
