The ‘Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders’ Trailer Features Some Familiar Faces (Well, Voices)
Batman and Robin are back in action with the trailer for Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, Warner Bros.’ newest animated version of the Dynamic Duo, complete with a vintage Batmobile, day-glo yellow utility belt, “Holy Insert Noun Here, Batman!” exclamations, and superfluous labels on things like “GIANT OVEN.”
The trailer shows Batman and his sidekick teaming up against the classic versions of the Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman, and they all stay true to the look and feel of the classic 1960s television series. Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar will reprise their roles as Bats, the Boy Wonder, and Catwoman respectively, adding to a strange but welcome sense of dejá vu.
A campy and colorful throwback to the good ol’ days should be a welcome respite from a comic-book universe mired in a swamp of one grim and gritty reboot after another. And this is certainly an about-face from the other animated Batman effort that came out this year: The R-rated movie adaptation of Alan Moore’s 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke. That was pretty much as dark as it could possibly be, and it featured some details added that did not go over well with the fans.
Maybe — just maybe — there’s still time for Batman to get a good movie out of this year.