Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders was certainly an interesting concept but perhaps one a decade or so too late and it was pretty distracting hearing a nearly 90-year-old Adam West and a 70-year-old Burt Ward voicing characters in their 30s and teens, respectively. Still, there is a modest amount of entertainment value.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders
(2016)
Genre(s): Animation, Action, Comedy, Crime
Warner Home Video | PG – 78 min. – $24.98 | November 1, 2016
Date Published: 11/22/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Holy mix-ups, Batman! Gotham City’s most vile Super-Villains – including The Joker (JEFF BERGMAN), The Penguin (WILLIAM SALYERS), The Riddler (WALLY WINGERT) and Catwoman (JULIE NEWMAR) – unleash a plan to take over the city and, ultimately, the world. Armed with the diabolical replica ray, the Super-Villains create a real who’s who for The Dynamic Duo. While it’s double trouble with Batman clones running around, the real Batman (ADAM WEST) falls under the spell that turns him bad. Can Robin, The Boy Wonder (BURT WARD) – with a little help from the dubious Catwoman – set Batman straight and free Gotham City from the clutches of fiendish felony?
Quick Hit Review: When it was announced Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar would be returning to their iconic roles, in animated fashion, I looked forward to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. While it does have all of the innocent, yet innuendo-filled, aspects of the classic 1960s television series, admittedly, at least at first, it was distracting hearing West and Ward trying to portray characters in their 30s and teens, respectively though Newmar wasn’t bad as the “dominatrix of deviltry”, Catwoman. Beyond the distracting voice acting, though I got over it eventually, was the plot seem to be convoluted even by the standards of the old show going from Gotham and the quartet of villains stealing a replica gun, to outer space, back to Earth where Batman goes bad, replicating himself to take over Gotham. From a nostalgic standpoint, Return of the Caped Crusaders hits all the right marks and I can’t say I didn’t chuckle at a few of the jokes, however in the end all I could was shrug my shoulders and figure out what to do with the rest of my day. It’s forgettable but at least an entertaining animated flick that younger viewers probably won’t understand but anyone 30+ who either watched it as it aired or in syndication will have a blast with this incarnation.
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SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy and a DVD Copy. Those Dastardly Desperados (10:29; HD) – This is a set of interviews with the voice actors including Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar as well as the others who put their voices behind the villains. A Classic Cadre of Voices (10:01; HD) is more on the voice actors and includes some behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions. The rest of the disc has old making-of featurettes for DC Animated Films (Batman vs. Robin and Son of Batman). |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Warner unleashes Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders onto Blu-ray presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). With this being animated, of course colors are generally bright and pops off the small screen however I did notice some banding issues, but the feature seems free of artifacts or aliasing, so it’s not at all bad looking. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The disc includes a standard but decent enough DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which provides for clear dialogue levels throughout and the effects work, such as when the action picks up, adds a bit more depth as does the classic-sounding music/soundtrack that also harkens back to the television series. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders was certainly an interesting concept but perhaps one a decade or so too late and it was pretty distracting hearing a nearly 90-year-old Adam West and a 70-year-old Burt Ward voicing characters in their 30s and teens, respectively. Still, there is a modest amount of entertainment value from a nostalgic point-of-view, it’s probably worthy of a rental but I can’t see myself watching it again. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.