DC Animation ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’: Animated Series From Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves Greenlit

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I thought the secret ingredient of this show would be Ed Brubaker. As both a producer and story editor, I was expecting... more.

Even on a rewatch, the show feels stiff, limited and frankly, restricted. Hamish was great, but it all feels... perfunctory. Whereas B:TAS has so much life in it. Even the poorer episodes are bursting with energy and great artistry. Here's hoping season two ups the ante.

 

[donuts]

For all the talk about how Bruce Timm was now free of network restrictions, and about how his view of the Batman had changed through the years, it came off as a slightly remixed rehash of the original series, where everything's done worse than in the OG series.

And even without comparison, I thought the series was rather sluggish, uninspired and featuring some rather bad designs and animation.

Animation is a ground where you can things live action cannot. And with the breadth of Batman material, you'd expect a new animated series to actually do something interesting when combining the character and medium.

As an exploration of the Batman mythos itself, I feel like it's just going round and round the concepts that Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves have explored in much better fashion in live action.

It's a frustratingly stagnant series.

And the first post TAS animated Batman series that had me bored to death most of the times. The season had some peaks, but... eh...

I'm not saying Bruce Timm should retire, but maybe he'd be more inspired if he had the chance to "jump ship" and adapt some Marvel characters for a change? Or something else entirely?

I feel like he has said everything about these characters that he had to say.

The DC Original Animated Movies already were an indication of that. Starting out really strong, and then heading towards increasingly dull territory.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

For all the talk about how Bruce Timm was now free of network restrictions, and about how his view of the Batman had changed through the years, it came off as a slightly remixed rehash of the original series, where everything's done worse than in the OG series.

And even without comparison, I thought the series was rather sluggish, uninspired and featuring some rather bad designs and animation.

Animation is a ground where you can things live action cannot. And with the breadth of Batman material, you'd expect a new animated series to actually do something interesting when combining the character and medium.

As an exploration of the Batman mythos itself, I feel like it's just going round and round the concepts that Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves have explored in much better fashion in live action.

It's a frustratingly stagnant series.

And the first post TAS animated Batman series that had me bored to death most of the times. The season had some peaks, but... eh...

I'm not saying Bruce Timm should retire, but maybe he'd be more inspired if he had the chance to "jump ship" and adapt some Marvel characters for a change? Or something else entirely?

I feel like he has said everything about these characters that he had to say.

The DC Original Animated Movies already were an indication of that. Starting out really strong, and then heading towards increasingly dull territory.

I honestly get the vibe you didn't watch the show. Because this is not describing the show I watched. Like at all.

 

[donuts]

I honestly get the vibe you didn't watch the show. Because this is not describing the show I watched. Like at all.

I watched every episode.

 

[J.Drangal]

Have to sadly agree with a lot of post around here.

When the series was announced as being more “adult,” I was hoping for more than just a (often) superficial addition of violence, anticipating more complex storylines. But the series offered neither, and that's precisely where it disappoints me the most : without necessarily wanting to compare it to BTAS, the writing simply lacks ingenuity.

There’s interesting reinvention but their actual use seems very timid. Oswalda's sons are ultimately treated as disposable henchmen, Harley is a deviant psychiatrist but somehow just sends dumb muscle at Batman, Flass seems to use Bullock and pushes him to get his hands dirty, but in the end the duo didn't explode, there are no interesting little finds around the Onomatopea gimmick...
Despite all the freedom promised, each viewing actually gives me the opposite impression of a rather rigid and sometimes superficial writing, and a series that ends up missing the mark of its noir intentions.

Visually, I really like the art direction (the background paintings are beautiful) but in terms of actual animation, you can really feel the budget constraints. Despite that, I still think things could have been better, if the characters—even with limited movement— have had better posing and benefited from a more sophisticated lighting.
Online, you can find quite a lot of concept art for the characters and even some storyboards, and it's heartbreaking to see how these drawings, yet static, have more energy than the final product.

I still enjoy the series, because Batman paired with Bruce Timm's style of art holds a special place in my heart. But to be completely honest, that enjoyment stems more from what it could have been (or will become) than what it actually is. I remain hopeful that the second season will find its footing.

Ironically enough, after what I said about the writing, the very simple short film “Strange Days”, which partially inspired the series, seems superior in every way. And since my favorite episodes are the ones featuring Clayface, Gentleman Ghost, and Natalia Knight—and knowing that there's a sort of consensus on this—I wonder if the series shouldn't lean more toward this kind of pulp horror rather than crime drama...

 

[Matt.S99]

Just finished a rewatch of the series.

I still really enjoyed it! That being said, I do understand and share some of the reservations about it.
I do think they could go a little less grounded, especially considering it’s an animated show. Some more colour wouldn’t hurt. The Two Face design is probably the worst offender for this, but I liked the characterization of him enough, so I can get past that. Kind of crappy they killed him off already, though. Maybe he will come back and look a little more Two Face like?

Upon second viewing, I liked the way they did Batman more. I was a little put off by how he talked to Alfred, but I “got it” a bit more now, and it’s nice that he eased up toward the end of the season. Interested to see how their dynamic changes as the show progresses. Also really enjoy Hamish’s voice. It did sound a bit forced at times, but overall I thought it worked rather well.

I loved Barbara, Jim, and Renee.
I do wonder if there is any possibility of this version of Barbara becoming Batgirl. I would like to see it.

The Clayface episode was probably my favourite and I hope we see him again.

The Gentleman Ghost episode was probably the strongest of the series. That was great. More of that please!

Love lady Penguin. I don’t care about what anyone says. She was over the top but also really intimidating. Probably one of the few versions of Penguin that are tbh.

LOVE the change with Harley in this. A lot. I’d say this is probably my favourite version of Harley in a very long time. Love her design as well. I feel like all we see is a half naked Harley these days, and it’s nice to see a full jester suit again. She was terrifying!



Selina/Catwoman. I don’t know.
Catwoman is my favourite character along with Batman, and her change was probably my least favourite. I really love Christina Ricci as the voice, but the spoiled rich girl take was off putting to me. I hope they find a way to make her work better if she appears in future episodes. Also I would like a costume change for her. I like the classic purple dress, but I always thought she looked funny with a cape. I hope she dons a purple catsuit next.

Overall, I think there is more good/great than bad here. The worst part is it ever being compared to BTAS. I think that worked against it.
Most shows have a rocky first season, anyway, so I hope it finds its footing a bit more with season 2, but overall I loved a lot of it. I think I will definitely be rewatching it again in the future.