Batman: Caped Crusader Review
By Sioph W. Leal
Batman: Caped Crusader is Amazon’s latest in dark superhero animation. Criminals run rampant throughout Gotham; the corrupt outnumber the good. Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater), the wealthy socialite, has his own secret; he is none other than Batman, the caped crusader who allies himself with Gotham Police and City Hall, but these alliances have unforeseen ramifications. Batman faces off against several villains, including The Penguin (Minnie Driver) and Harley Quin (Jamie Chung). He meets his match in a few unexpected ways.
Set in an unspecified time period, Batman: Caped Crusader leans into the old style of the 1940s. From the Gotham gangsters to their old-timey stylized language, it can be a bit jarring when this is overused with the early 90s style animation. Batman: Caped Crusader does a few things well in slightly modernising the series. The new series offers greater diversity to its supporting cast of characters, which works well in having them more as a focal point.
Unfortunately, the show does not utilise Batman and Bruce Wayne nearly as much as they should. Bruce and the Batman feel more like a secondary, underdeveloped character in his own series, which is confusing as there is an entire episode based around his childhood trauma and potential therapy sessions. Instead, the secondary characters feel more fleshed out.
The first five episodes seemingly focus on Barbra Gordon’s (Krystal Joy Brown) growth and her struggles within the public sector of Gotham. From defending the righteous and fighting to put Gotham’s notorious villains behind bars, we see her struggle and growth with this. The second part of the season puts a bigger spotlight on the potential Mayor of Gotham, Harvey Dent (Diedrich Bader). We see how he is determined to put the guilty away, but how the corruption of Gotham slowly infects him. If the show had focused more on these two, it could have been more compelling, but the short run time of the episodes really does the characters and plot lines a disservice. Had they been ten minutes longer, it could have been different.
Fans of the animated series, especially in the early 90s, will be pleased with this adaptation, but if you are expecting something like Invincible, you will be disappointed. Batman: Caped Crusader struggles to find its identity between wanting to be more mature with its themes of murder and corruption and the morality of the heroes of Gotham. Had the writers leaned more into the more mature writings, this show could have been excellent.
Overall, Batman: Caped Crusader will be a treat for fans of the nostalgic style of the 90s animated series, but the plot offers nothing compelling to excite viewers. At times, Batman: Caped Crusader struggles to find its audience, often focusing on more adult themes but then reverting to a more classic style.
Batman: Caped Crusader will begin streaming on August 1 in its entirety on Prime Video.