The comic book icon Batman has been adapted more than most in both live-action and animation, but the new animated series Batman: Caped Crusader can stand tall among the rest. The Prime Video series has now debuted with a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it certainly sounds like the show lives up to the legacy of one of the most acclaimed iterations of The Dark Knight, Batman: The Animated Series, to which Caped Crusader has been described as a “spiritual sequel.”
Witney Seibold of Slashfilm calls Batman: Caped Crusader nothing less than “the best piece of Batman media in a decade.”
“It’s a dark, shadowy hallway to explore. A clear-eyed nightmare of clowns and ghosts. It is free of the adolescent angst of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” and quite a distance from the bloated, wacky corporate hijinks of the DCEU. It’s the best piece of Batman media in a decade.”
Empire’s Kambole Campbell awards the series 4/5 and praises the approach for bringing something new to the beloved DC character.
“This is a return to the very foundations of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s character-defining Batman: The Animated Series — a show that feels like a renewal rather than a retread.”
The praise continues courtesy of Joshua M. Patton of CBR, who again applauds Batman: Caped Crusader for managing to bring something fresh to both the titlular superhero and animation.
“It’s Batman like few have seen him before and never in animation. After eight decades of stories, the future of the Dark Knight is clearly in the character’s past.”
How Does Caped Crusader Fare Against Batman: The Animated Series?
Another 4/5 comes via Bradley Russell of Total Film who says, while Caped Crusader “stops just short” of taking first place from Batman: The Animated Series, the show is more than worthy to proudly sit on the mantle right next to it.
“This is a tremendous first effort, one that has the potential to be mentioned in the same breath as its legendary forefather should it return for more Gotham escapades in the near future.”
Finally, Michael Thomas of Collider felt that Batman: Caped Crusader does “struggle to carve out its own identity,” and says “not hearing Conroy’s iconic voice might be hard to accept for longtime fans,” but is well worth the time for any Batman fan.
“Overall, Batman: Caped Crusader manages to tell 10 intriguing detective stories that bring the Dark Knight back to his roots, while Timm’s iconic art style and approach to the Batman mythos are the best they have been since the end of Justice League Unlimited.”
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Batman: Caped Crusader shared its first episode with SDCC audiences on Saturday, and revealed a suprising role for Minnie Driver.
Created and produced by Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J. J. Abrams, with Ed Brubaker as Head Writer, Batman: Caped Crusader stars Midnight Mass actor Hamish Linklater as Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. The rest of the cast includes Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, Mckenna Grace, Gary Anthony Williams, Toby Stephens, John DiMaggio, Dan Donohue, Jason Watkins, and Minnie Driver.
You can check out the official synopsis for Batman: Caped Crusader below.
“In the grim Gotham City, affluent philanthropist Bruce Wayne goes beyond his humane capabilities and transforms into an enigmatic figure, Batman; his crusade for justice brings in unexpected allies, but his actions also lead to perilous consequences.”
Batman: Caped Crusader
is due to premiere on Thursday, August 1, on
Prime Video
.