[Spoiler-free Review] Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders
Great Scott, Batman fans!!! 50 years after the debut of Batman '66, the Caped Crusaders are back for another run! Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar reprises their classic roles for a new campy (and gritty) adventure.
Return of the Caped Crusaders is set as a continuation of the well-know Batman tv series during the 60's. And pretty much, you get as much of it in the animated movie.
The animated movie runs for 1 hr. and 18 mins. I like what they did during the opening credits. There used a lot of comicbook cover homage to introduce the characters and the respectivce voice actors.
If you're familiar with the tv series, the first half of the animated movie is similar to a regular episode of the show. The same plot is involved where a group of villains work together for the furtherance of their agenda.
Surprising as it is, they used the second half of the animated movie to develop a deeper and a more serious story. Not only that, but the producers also planted enough seeds for future sequels. I enjoyed the animated movie so I really think this is a great move on their part.
I like how they made Adam West's Batman character more flexible. To reiterate, the animated movie injected serious tones to the development of the story. As a natural consequence, Batman also became dark and gritty. The vivid colors of the Batman '66 franchise and the gritty vibe of Batman made this movie a breath of fresh air. It is something different, but at the same time, it didn't lose the characterization of the campy Batman.
Again, the animated movie was filled with Batman references ranging from Batman Forever to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. There were too many easter eggs that I probably missed 50 more. The animated movie was also filled with witty humors and lessons about following the simple rules which was really entertaining.
There were scenes from the animated movie that made me jump off my seat. The introduction of the ******************** was so eye catching that I had to rewind the film at least five times. Return of the Caped Crusades had tons of eye catching scenes substantiated with well-thought-out. I was actually impressed with how deep the story goes. For a Batman '66 type of animated movie, I didn't expected it to be that engaging.
The animated movie was also action packed! In ever 20 mins. or so, someone gets hit in the face. Not to mention, the fight scenes were really great. The "Biff's, Bam's, Boom's" also caught my attention.
Animation for this movie is far better than what they did for The Killing Joke. The only thing that was lacking in terms of animation was limited facial expressions.
The colors were really great. It made the animated movie alive. My favorite is probably the scene where they were on top of a blimp. I wouldn't go into details as not to spoil anything to you guys, but the colors made everything pop out.
The only thing that I didn't like (well, not really, but I think this has to be pointed out) was the incoherence of the character designs to their voices. It really didn't bother me, but Bruce Wayne was drawn like he was in his mid-thirties with a voice of a sixty year old. It was cool and nostalgic to hear the voice of Adam West and Julie Newmar again but somehow their voices weren't appropriate with the character designs. I wished the studio made enough adjustments to make the original casts' voices appropriate to the character designs. Plus, most of Riddler's jokes were flat. Other than that, I have no complains.
Overall, I LOVE RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS!!! And this is coming from a Batman enthusiast who's not into animated movies. Its fun, its intellectually engaging, and its filled with references that is sure to excite Batman fans. The animated movie has the perfect mix of fun, grit, and yes, SPACE EXPLORATION!
TDKPH rating:
9/10 Holy Batarangs!
