By Nick Nitkowski

The character of Batman has returned in his glorious animated form for a brand-new series on Prime Video called “Batman:The Caped Crusader,” but viewers be warned that this is not like “Batman: The Animated Series‘ from the 90’s. This series has its own style and its own series of stories that you’ll either be with or against. From the very first episode, I know that some Batman fans are not going to be on board with this for very specific reasons. I can already see the TikTox, Reddit, and X posts complaining about certain things before they even happen. So, with that noted, how is the new series itself?

I, for one, was totally on board with the changes they made. With a very brief adjustment moment to accept the changes, they chose to go with. Like I said, you’ll know if you’re on board after the very first episode. In a world where there is highly over saturated multiversal themed content out there now, which is not a factor in this series at all FYI, it’s best to just view it as such so that you don’t end up being one of those fans who see as a direct slight against what you know about Batman or the characters.

The animation style is fantastic! While the animation style is different from that of “Batman: The Animated Series”, I would say that it is very reminiscent of it. I’m not a fan of the animation style that they chose to go with when it comes to these new DC animated movies like “Crisis on Infinite Earths” because that style to me is very reminiscent of the FX show “Archer” and I can never not think of that when I see it. So, this animation style was very welcoming to my eyes. The color scheme is also somewhat darker and muted in comparison to “Batman: The Animated Series”. And sure, while “The Animated Series” has its dark colors, “Caped Crusader” had more of a detective noir feel when it came to presentation and I loved it.

Speaking of detective noir feels, this is not your typical Batman fighting crime and stopping the bad guys. This series focuses more on the detective aspect of Batman. One of the things that I appreciated when watching “The Batman” in theaters. Batman is not just the rich playboy billionaire orphan with all the cool toys that no one can get, he’s also a detective and as such, he must sometimes find answers to questions before he can reach the bad guys. 

While on the subject of bad guys, while familiar, you know their names and their gimmicks, they do make significant changes to them. Some were questionable at first, but I came around. Others were utilized in such unique ways that I wondered how no one thought to present them this way sooner. Especially Harley Quinn who went from evil sidekick to sex symbol over time. But here, she’s a force to be reckoned with. 

The voice acting in the series was great! Everyone involved did a phenomenal job! Hamish Linklater carries the series as the voice of Batman. While perhaps not the most iconic voice of the character, he does understand what is required of voicing Batman and does so greatly. Other voice talents include Diedrich Bader, Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Haley Joel Osment, Tom Kenny, John DiMaggio, and many others. All of whom did great with their given roles. I don’t want to say who plays who, just in case. If you feel so inclined, feel free to look up the cast list on IMDB.

Overall, I thought “Batman: Caped Crusader” was a great series that I thoroughly enjoyed! Not everyone is going to like the changes that they made, I can already tell. But if you are able to get past those changes and accept them as they are, then I think you’ll have a better time with the series. I thought it had great style, animation, characters, and storytelling. Is it perfect? No. But I see it as a return to form that manages to stand on its own and isn’t afraid to get creative and focus more on the crime-solving aspect of Batman and not just the crime-fighting aspect. I think that fans of Batman and DC Comics will enjoy this series once they accept it as a reimagining that doesn’t take away what came before it. Personally, I can’t wait to see more of this and I hope that they greenlight season two so I can see how much more they’ll explore with this version of Gotham and their Caped Crusader.

4.5 stars