Batman: Caped Crusader Is An Excellent Noir Entry Into The Franchise

When I got the email that I had access to the new Warner Bros. Animation series on Amazon, Batman: Caped Crusader, I was surprised to see it was for all 10 episodes. In keeping with other screeners I get from Disney+ and others, I decided to just watch the first three episodes.

Five episodes later, I realized I had blown right past that and decided to stop before I gobbled up all 10. It’s just that good.

Not everything is top-tier, though, and I will get into those few misses in this spoiler-free review, as well as singing the show’s praises.

The good
First up in the things that Batman: Caped Crusader does well is the writing. The stories are compelling, the dialogue is sharp and in keeping with the overall noir tone of the series. With comic book writers Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker among the crowd of episode writers, one would expect quality writing.

Next is the art design. Even more so than Batman The Animated Series — executive producer Bruce Timm’s previous creation — Caped Crusader really commits to the late 1930s noir setting and look, from the vehicles to the costumes and the hairstyles. There’s only one or two possible anachronistic design choices (a walkie talkie that may be too small for the era, for example) but overall, the show’s art designers hew pretty close to the time period.

Sometimes, however, that design misses badly enough that some elements look so silly they evoke the 1960s Batman live-action series. Thankfully that is a rare occurrence.

Another thing the show does that fits in this category for me is the diversity in the characters. Purists may object to a black Commissioner Gordon and Barbara Gordon, or an Asian Dr. Harleen Quinzel, but I like that the creators have embraced the post-Bridgerton “color blind” concept of fictional portrayals.

The bad
There isn’t really anything that always lands in this category, but the thing that happens the most is some janky animation. For the most part, the animation is the typical solid effort from Warner Bros. Animation, and the animators even do a very good job integrating the occasional bits of CG into the 2D work. But sometimes, particularly in character running animation, it looks almost like paper cutouts poorly animated.

The great
The voice acting. While some actors only rise to the level of good, most of the cast is outstanding. Hamish Linklater does a fantastic job evoking the memory of Kevin Conroy as Batman without being an imitation. But his Bruce Wayne really shines. He is charming to the point of being a bit uncomfortable — just like a true sociopath. Linklater’s Bruce Wayne feels like he is one unshakeable moral compass away from sliding into Ted Bundy territory.

Diedrich Bader is almost unrecognizable as DA Harvey Dent, portraying him as charming, slimy and dangerous. Christina Ricci as Catwoman is also nearly unrecognizable, pulling off a femme fatale characterization I didn’t know was part of her repertoire. 

Unlike a very recent Disney+ series that I got a chance to preview, I will eagerly wait for the rest of the episodes of Caped Crusader — premiering Aug. 1 — to hit Amazon Prime so I can enjoy them as they come out. Maybe. The temptation is real. 

I give Batman: Caped Crusader (Warner Bros. Animation; TV-Y7; 10 eps.) a 4 out of 5.