Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) User Reviews

Batman as a proper hero, as it should be

[Fudge-3 · 8/10 · 29 October 2016]

A 90 minute animated super-hero action/comedy film.

Gotham City is filled with diabolical villains whose master plans include locking up a stage band in a closet and gate crashing everyone's favourite TV program. They play musical instruments really badly and reveal their dastardly plot via confounded puzzles that only a genius of dubious reasoning could solve. Thank goodness for Batman is here.

Everything that made the 1960s Batman and Robin so charming and funny is here with spades on. Sorry… that should be, 'with bat-spades on.' Those inducted into Batman lore will note lots of references to other movies. For the rest just enjoy the fun.

The animation is very well done. The 2D and 3D elements are well crafted together. I particularly appreciated the camera panning homage around the bat mobile.

Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar returned to voice their roles from the classic Batman TV shows of the 1960s. There were other Batman adaptations for the movies before him (Lewis Wilson anyone?) but Adam West is the one we all remember.

Julie Newmar got her deserved place back in this movie. She played Catwoman in the original TV series but was replaced by Lee Meriwether in the 1966 Batman movie. Lee might have been prettier but that's not all you look for in Catwoman. When it comes to filling out a cat suit to the correct proportions there was none finer than Julie.

Batman, Return of the Caped Crusader was expected to go straight-to-DVD but it did get a short cinema release. One showing in the Vue was all there was in Blackpool. Our group was the first to arrive and my imagination of a horde of boisterous youths throwing popcorn at the screen did not occur. We all sat in a polite little block in the centre seats and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The pre and post film extras were fun; I hope and expect they'll find their way onto the DVD too.

I was surprised when I saw the film was PG rather than U. There is nothing in the movie that very young children will find distressing though they will not appreciate all the humour. The range of flash cards; {kpow}, {splat} here included such words as, {fracture} but that hardly counts as an increase in the level of violence.

The types of humour used in this movie include; droll, parody, farce, screwball and slapstick. All delivered with a very straight face. If you enjoy those then sign up.

Who won't enjoy this movie? Batman purists may lift their nose and turn away. The 1960s TV shows were parodies of the comics and don't take the material seriously in any way. This film does the same. If you are a critical comic fan and believe Batman should have a dignified portrayal then you will not like this.

"To the bat-(append your contraption here)."

Holy Homesickness, Batman

[ed-421 · 8/10 · 11 October 2016]

What a dose of Nostalgia. I heard that the opening credits incorporated many classic comic book covers with some fantastic animation, so I took a look this morning before heading to more important tasks -- but I could not stop watching. Fascinating, funny, festive, friendly, and very alliterative, the actors, writers, and animators knocked this out of the park.

I think I spotted at least 50 sly references, and I'm sure I missed many others. Labels, labels, labels galore. I was thoroughly amused throughout. One thing I've noticed is that nearly everyone is staying spoiler-free, but the twists are like punchlines to good jokes. None of the dozens of punchlines are particularly surprising, but they are all fun, and many of them require the set-up, animation, and acting to be meaningful. For example -- "Begora" is one of these punchlines. Explaining why it's funny wouldn't be funny, so why ruin the joke?

The movie does get a bit dark. In one particular scene, Robin is horrified by a punch that doesn't follow Marquess of Queensberry rules. Robin's reaction to that punch and subsequent actions keep the movie grounded and friendly. I have to give special acclaim for Burt Ward, here -- his exuberance and delivery hasn't changed an iota.

Does the movie get some things wrong? Like the Joker's hidden mustache? Yes and perhaps. There are dozens of things that are not quite like the 60's show, and hundreds of things that are spot-on perfect. I don't recall hearing the Riddler's music cue, but the Batman theme is incorporated well in many places. The producers have already mention that some of the "mistakes" are intentional, such as the colors of Robin's logo being flipped in a throwaway shot, an homage to mistakes in previous animations. I will be watching this many times.

The sequel has already been announced, with William Shatner as Two- Face.

This is the most enjoyable movie I've seen in years. Highly recommended.

The Bright Knight

[charliesonnyray · 7/10 · 10 October 2016]

In a climate where it feels like Batman is always trying to be grim, dark, brooding and epic; it feels like a breath of fresh air when someone says "Hey remember the 60's Batman? Wasn't that fun! Let's do something like that!" I watched that old 60's movie all the time when I was a kid and I still get a kick out of it. While I haven't watched a lot of the old series, from what I have gathered this movie mimics it perfectly. The crazy gadgets, the silly alliterations, the kooky villains, and even the fact that they add the word "bat" to everything Batman creates. However, it does have a few dull spots for me and it feels like some of the ahem "action" sequences go on a bit too long. However, I think we need to measure a film by what it's trying to do and how well it executes it despite how it makes you feel. And since this movie is obviously trying to homage the old show as well as be it's own thing, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders does a great job! It has an interesting story, fun characters and some great dialogue. If you wanna see a new spin on the classic Adam West Batman, then look no further!

A glorious return of the 1960's Batman and company...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 15 October 2016]

This 2016 animated movie was actually a wonderful surprise, and it was indeed a much needed addition to the collection of animated Batman movies. Why? Well, because "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" really captured the essence and the spirit of the glorious Batman series from the mid-1960s.

The animation was really good, and the art style was great. They really managed to make it all look like the Batman TV series from the mid-1960s. It was uncanny how much that the drawn Batman/Bruce Wayne actually resembled Adam West. I thoroughly enjoyed the particular drawing style that they went with in "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders", because it really was a unique style in a retro-kind of way.

But even more impressively was the cast to the animated movie. It was a pure joy to have familiar voices and talents to return to the screen here. And there really is a lot of great stuff for fans of the TV series from 1966.

The story in "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" was just like an extended episode from the iconic TV series, complete with the hilarious dialogue and the exploding stars with various fight words when they were brawling on the screen, just like in the TV series.

As for the voice cast, well as I just said, then it was a pure treat to have so many talents return to the Batman universe and come together in this 2016 animated movie. And people were doing good jobs with their given roles in terms of voice acting. However, if you are not familiar with the 1966 TV series, then chances are very high that you will find the dialogue to be kind of weird, if not downright odd and bizarre.

"Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" is definitely aimed for the audience whom grew up watching the TV series on the television, such as myself. And it was delivered in a most pleasing manner. And it always cracks me up to see that every item in the bat-cave and in the arsenal of Batman and Robin has to be labeled with Bat-something.

If you are a fan of the Adam West era of Batman, then you should definitely not let "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" slip by. This is, without a doubt, definitely worth sitting down and watching.

Great tribute to the past with some surprises

[paulijcalderon · 7/10 · 16 February 2017]

A funny little throwback movie to the 60's version of Batman. It feels just like an episode from the show. Although it does has a few surprises along the road.

It includes everything you come to expect from the campy fight scenes to the puns. Adam West does sound old and it can be distracting, but there's not much you can do about that. It's nice to hear him have fun reprising the role though and it is a great tribute to him, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar. It would not have been the same without their involvement. The movie switches gears half way through and what happens after that point actually surprised me. They pay tribute and celebrate everything about the 60's Batman, but at the same time they introduced something new and different. I enjoyed that twist because it showed some development with the characters. Catwoman was another surprise addition. She is given a lot to do and she becomes more than just a stock villain. She is an important part of the story. I did feel a little bad for the villains at a part too. They were given a few sympathetic moments.

As a whole I'd say that if you enjoy the campy Batman and are a fan, then you'll have a great time with it. This is definitely not something everyone will get. I did have fun and laughed along the ride, so yes, it was pretty funny. And all the surprise character development moments were really welcomed.

A Highly Recommended Fun And Campy Treat For Batman Fans

[rprice01 · 8/10 · 10 October 2016]

I went to a special theater viewing of this movie and found it to be a real treat. I enjoyed it from the very beginning, It did not disappoint. The special effects were quite nice and the music with its jazzy horn sounds and sixties beats had me moving in my seat through some parts of it as well. Adam West as Batman and Julie Newmar as Catwoman were enjoyable to watch. The producers featuring their original voices in the film gave it a special uniqueness that could not be replaced.

I often laughed out loud at certain scenes and also enjoyed the storyline. It had me often wondering what would happen next. I also liked the villains. Classic Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman each had their own unique flair that seemed to captivate each scene. Riddler was great with his genius schemes and his trickery. The classic Joker was hilarious with his flamboyant laugh and his menacing actions. Penguin was crafty in his own way with his powerful gadgets, style and swagger. Catwoman was also quite captivating with her tempting seductress demeanor and deadly charms.

I also enjoyed Batman, Robin, and Alfred's characters in this film. The director has a great style of mixing humor with edginess that make the heroes and villains interesting and fun to watch. I laughed out loud at much of Batman and Robin's hilarious dialogue and chemistry. Robin really had me laughing out loud with his hysterical phrases such as "Holy Hydrogen", "Holy Shrapnel" and "Holy Hussy". I did not get bored with the heroes at all in this film and was quite excited to see this version of the characters. The fight scenes even had me laughing out loud; especially when they used the classic sixties phrases such as "Boom!", "Pow!" "Zone!"etc. while the heroes fought the villains. These scenes were funny and did not bore me even for a moment.

This movie was quite amazing and an refreshing escape from the dark undertones of the recent Batman projects. It shows that Batman is a character that can be expressed in a wide array of styles and still be entertaining. I definitely recommend DC Comic fans and Batman fans to try this film out. I am so moved by it that I plan to purchase a DVD copy of this movie and probably even the original 60's Batman show too. I also will try to read some of the Batman 66 comics to get more of this type of entertainment. I hope that the directors may even consider doing a sequel of this real soon. I definitely look forward to seeing more.

OK for fans of the 1960s series

[sykespj · 6/10 · 7 April 2017]

When the 60s series first aired in Australia, the country did not yet have colour TV. I watched endless repeats of the series in colour when we moved to Texas in 1969. With my growing interest in the female gender, I was a big Julie Newmar Catwoman fan and had great admiration for her dangerous curves.

Return of the Caped Crusaders is OK, but it is hard to poke fun at something that always used to poke fun at itself. As such, I can fully understand why someone who has never had much exposure to the 60s series would not find the movie all that interesting. The series was out-of-step with the original DC character which debuted in 1939, and it took a great deal of effort on the part of movie-makers to return the character to its dark roots.

Fans of the 60s series are likely to enjoy this movie... aging character voices and all. But that is where it lives. It is not a part of either the contemporary or original Batman universe, and should not be compared to either.

The campy return of Adam West mixed with our more adult look at Batman

[Brevin_Campbell · 8/10 · 20 November 2016]

Batman has changed a lot since the days of Adam West came and put on the suit. It is to the point where it seems like no one even remembers that Adam West was the original Batman. However DC animation has helped bring back the old Adam West styled Batman in a major way. While also realizing those original fans have probably grew up now so is more willing to lace the film with more sexual humor and also press buttons with the whole Batman taking around a boy with tights and how strange that really is.

This movie also takes a clean shot at the new darker Batman who is more willing to be on the edge and do whatever it takes to make the villains pay for there crimes. It is quite a interesting look on what Batman was in the 60s to what Batman is today.

Catwoman also is updated to be a little more similar to the type of character she has become today. Selina Kyle has started to run that line between hero and villain and this movie easily lets us know that is trying to do that. From her working with the boy wonder to help Batman or taking on the villains she had once partnered with. The film does a great job showing us the new Catwoman.

Overall Batman Return of the Caped Crusaders is a great return to that 60s Batman world and knows how to have fun with its inclusive stories and campy aspects as well. The movie is quite a whole lot of fun to enjoy for those fans

The Vidiot Reviews...

[capone666 · 7/10 · 9 November 2016]

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders The reason Batman is so angry nowadays is because it's illegal for him to hang out with underage boys. But as this animated-adventure depicts, back in the 1960s, men and boys were free to frolic. The caped crusader (Adam West) confounds his premature partner (Burt Ward) when he adopts a more ridged approach to crime fighting. But the Boy Wonder doesn't have time to dissect this new Batman as their vilest villains – The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler and Catwoman (Julie Newmar) – have teamed up to take the Dynamic Duo down for good. The cartoon continuation of the campy 1960s TV show, this DC Entertainment feature finds some original cast members returning to voice their characters as best as octogenarians can. Embracing the burlesque, while welcoming the darker aspects, this beautifully rendered revisiting is ideal for older, less discerning fans. Incidentally, modern Batman fights crime by simply trolling villains online. Green Light

Batman Return of the Caped Crusaders: Goofy nostalgic fun

[Platypuschow · 5/10 · 2 February 2018]

I went into this wanting to like it, we're seeing the return of the original old school Batman complete with Adam West, Burt Ward & Julie Newmar!

Essentially this is an animated adventure based upon the original Batman television series and it's highly loyal and devastatingly nostalgic.

It's faithfulness to the original series however is in many ways its downfall as if you didn't like that very "Marmite" show then you will hate this as well.

Full of over the top goofy campy comedy, classic utility belt gags and villian designs we haven't seen in years I commend the creators for what they have done here.

Sadly I was never a fan of the original show, I didn't dislike it I just wasn't the demographic and always thought it was goofy for goofy's sake.

That being said for the fans of the show this is essential viewing and I'm highly impressed with what they've accomplished. RIP Mayor Adam West.

The Good:

Very nostalgic

Loyal to the original series

Excellent voice cast

The Bad:

Still goofy

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The fact we don't see the batzooka anymore is travesty

Drinking everytime the word bat is spoken would be a dangerous drinking game

Batman has a great Batchelor pad *Badamtish*

I don't understand why the eggman isn't a real villian!

Holy Animated Feature!

[KristianZacc · 9/10 · 27 October 2016]

Minor/Vague Spoilers

Boy, oh boy did I have a smile on my face the entire time while watching this film. Only clocking in at around 75 minutes which seems to be the norm for DC animated movies was a nostalgia-fest treat. Based on the 60's Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, they return to voice the characters that made them famous. They, along with Julie Newmar, who returns to voice Catwoman, are back with one of the best DC animated films in a while.

The four main villains, Catwoman, Penguin, The Riddler, and The Joker have all returned and it feels like it could be a direct sequel to the 1966 film that also had these four villains as the main antagonists to Batman and Robin.

The scope is much, much larger here in this animated film that could never be done in the live action series. One could say it is out of this world……

The animation is spot on. Every character very closely resembles their live action counterpart. The one tiny nitpick would be no moustache for Cesar Romero's Joker. Everything in the Batcave also seems to be flipped so it looks to be more of a mirrored version of what we saw in the TV series. They recreate the "BOOM" "KAPOW" pop up effects when someone gets punched as well as the original theme music. The animation style was interesting to me because it looked very different to other DC animated films. Everything other than the characters and vehicles seemed to be drawn extra large. I have no idea what the reasoning for this was but it was a great choice.

The storyline was very faithful to the series, the first 20-30 minutes play out almost exactly like an episode of Batman would. It's the following 15-25 minutes that are really wacky and even when the live action series involves a lot of "suspend your disbelief", this takes it to a whole new level. I won't spoil it for you because it wasn't even hinted at in any trailers I saw so I would want it to be a surprise for anyone watching for the first time. It pokes a lot of fun at itself and the campy-ness of the series… lots of throwbacks to the original. It was right before the final act that I felt the very quick pacing of the film come to a complete halt. Very happy to say that it rose back up again for the final act and came to a great conclusion.

The voice acting was done to perfection. The three returnees are of course great and it was very surprising to get such great, accurate performances from Jeff Bergman (The Joker), William Salyers (The Penguin), and The Riddler (Wally Wingert). While it did feel like they were doing an impression of the original actors it was all they needed to do. If they tried to make it their own it would've destroyed the movie (Wally Wingert has actually voiced The Riddler in the Batman Arkham videogames so it was great to see him do the same character that was separate from that universe so well). There are also a tonne of small cameos that are great to see from a huge fan of the 60's TV series.

A sequel has already been announced with William Shatner cast to voice Two-Face. I am immensely happy that there is going to be a sequel (I could see there being many sequels down the line) but have no idea how they are going to do Two-Face considering he was never in the original series.

Fan service and good ideas, but lack humour

[afranco-26028 · 7/10 · 11 October 2016]

Is nice see Adam, Burt and Julie comeback at her legendary characters, but the time is the time, and the voice is slowly and cranky, not credible for heroes and villains in his thirties. The first act is slow, a recycled of the old show, but the second and third act show amusing and original ideas (Batman evil and replicated dominating Gotham City y behaving as the modern version - aka Burton and Nolan -, kick asses and thinking in murder her enemies). Nostalgia is top notch (there is George Barris's Batmobile!!) but lacks humour. In any case is good see our childhood heroes comeback for a last act, but the film needs more inspiration to be effective.

Kapow

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 28 May 2018]

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders is a dose of nostalgia as it continues where the 1960s television series left off.

Adam West and Burt Ward provide the voices of Batman and Robin in this animated adventure as they battle with the quizzical quipster Riddler, the fish loving Penguin, the clown Prince of Crime Joker and the nip picking Catwoman

It has all the fun and camp elements of the telvison show, there is a scene where multiple Bat clones fight the various villains of the week that appeared in the television show such as Egghead.

The cartoon does feel too long, the animation is pretty good. Unfortunately Adam West's voice does feel like that of an old man but Burt Ward still comes across as the boy wonder.

Devilishly Clever

[rikalonius · 7/10 · 8 December 2018]

I ended up watching this as a bit of a joke. Joke was on me, it turned out to be quit good. I won't spoil it, but it isn't just an animated rehash of the 60s television show. There are some great, esoteric lore references. It always retains its 60s style, including goofy riddles, and fascicle plot points, i.e. the Bat Rocket, but that is the fun of it. It seriously hangs a lamp shade on the source material while also poking some fun at the later day grittiness of the current Dark Knight.

One of the best things is when it's all over and during the credits Batman and Catwoman perform some strange dance moves while inter-cutting to Batman doing various things with bombs. If you don't know why that is funny, you should probably catch up on some old 60s Batman.

Queerly Redoubled Animated Bat-Camp

[Cineanalyst · 7/10 · 23 December 2020]

Having viewed and reviewed a bunch of superhero movies lately, including several Batman adaptations, indeed, much of this comic-book fare is derivative and repetitive--much like the multitude of Batmans in this iteration or, as in real life, the five different Batmans spread throughout nine movies over the past 30-or-so years, which is to not even count animated works such as this one. But some superhero pictures are compelling enough to have lasting (super)power, and to release this animated version based on a live-action TV series and film from 50 years ago is a testament to the endurance of its campy treatment of the caped crusader... or, you know, at least a testament to the taste for nostalgia from baby boomers.

Regardless, I think "Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders" is an improvement upon the 1966 live-action film, as well as much of the boob-tube original, because it's able to do a couple clever things they couldn't before. Of course, the animation allows for grander designs and modes of transportation, including a sojourn into outer space, but I'm more fond of the added narrative layers. Including the cloned Batmans and 1960s nostalgia, there's a newfound reflexivity added to the camp. It even gets a couple funny digs in at the expense of Christopher Nolan's why-so-serious Dark Knight trilogy.

Additionally, there's the implication that Bruce and his ward Dick are closeted homosexual lovers, or are at least suspected to be as such by Aunt Harriet. As linked as camp has traditionally been with gay subculture, one could always read some queer subtext into the campy relationship between the caped crusader and boy wonder, but it certainly wasn't going to be suggested as heavily as it is here back on 1960s television. For a moment, though, suppose that Aunt Harriet's suspicions are correct. So, now, Batman and Robin are living doubly closeted lives: both superhero/alter ego and gay/straight. In comes Catwoman, who poisons Batman. This turns him into a macho brute whose intolerance extends to not allowing anyone but himself (through his clones) to do much of anything--in other words, a dark knight. Also, while he couldn't so much as bring himself to kiss Catwoman to begin with, he becomes a horndog in pursuit of her after the conversion. In a sense, the real vulnerability of Batman and the true threat to Gotham is this hyper heterosexual and masculine tendency. I love this queering of what was already an amusing, if otherwise slight, revision of 1960s camp. Plus, some of the puns and word play are pretty good.

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na... BATMAN & ROBIN!!

[Dark_Lord_Mark · 10/10 · 11 October 2016]

This was an excellent homage to the Batman many of us grew up with. Before DC went dark in the 80's, there was a period where heroes cared about saving others and not killing. Heroes smiled and reminded us of a better day where we aspired to be greater than what we are. Heroes were someone who did what was right and were not dark and brooding.

The Return of the Caped Crusaders takes us back to that time. We have the GREAT Adam West and the Great Burt Ward reprising their roles. It's fun and good natured entertainment that has some thinking involved where you must solve puzzles or at least try.You get some great cheesy lines such as,"Time to use my trusty Batzooka," and "Holy Salisbury Steak."

This is well written and well animated. The voices while a little older, are well represented. The movie is the Caped Crusaders versus their classic villains. There are plot twists and turns and when you think it is over, it takes you on another ride. If you LOVED the Lego Batman movies, this is up your alley. If you are a fan of comics before they became FAKE NERD TRENDY, this is something that will make you smile. Seeing both West and Ward fight their most famous and classic foes again in a well done animated movie is a treat.

The movie has Easter eggs and other nods to various Batman incarnations and even pokes fun at times. It is smartly written and a real treat. I cannot praise this enough. We get everything; dancing, love, desire, tragedy and even a showdown that cannot and should not be missed between the Dark, I mean Bright Knight versus the Boy Wonder.

I give this a 9.5 out of 10. Close to perfect as can be. Very well done, cheesy and fun.

The Real Batman Is Back!

[StuOz · 3 January 2017]

A cartoon version of the 1966 Adam West Batman series.

Many others have said they struggled with Adam West sounding so old, but that was not so much an issue with me.

This is a wonderful tribute to a 50 year old TV series. I could have done without a few minor changes to the old show (since when is space travel apart of 1966 Batman?) but all things considered, well worth watching.

Another film followed in 2017 after but this 2016 one keeps to the 1966 style better than the next one. Despite having the voice talents of William Shatner, the next one has a grim tone that seems out of place here.

It is too bad these animated movies were not made all the time (beginning in about 2006) but copyright issues prevented such a thing from happening.

Very good movie.

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 7/10 · 7 September 2019]

This is a good movie. It has a good story line. The acting is okay. This is a good movie. To see. If you like comic books see this movies. A great action film. This is awesome.

easily the best 2016 movie with Batman in it! a treat for fans of the West/Ward series

[Quinoa1984 · 9/10 · 29 December 2016]

I'm not sure if I would've rated this as highly as I am had I not seen Batman appear in three other films this year and (with the exception of one that was a cameo) they were disappointing entries in the Batman world. Maybe I'm just tired of having a "dark" Batman, and I say this as someone who collects the comics and has read many, many trades (yes, even New52 for you nerds going "wh-what?"), and seen the Burton Batman films countless times (the Nolan films get a little trickier for me, though Batman Begins is still a quality origin story). Definitely, not maybe, after the LEGO Movie, and with the upcoming LEGO Batman Movie, it seems difficult to find Batman as serious as he is when you have Batman singing about "Darkness! Dead Parents!" So enter in this, the return of Adam West and Burt Ward in a feature in 50 years, and I found it a complete delight and blast to the solar plexus.

Return of the Caped Crusaders isn't for the Batman fan that only grumbles about it being dark all the time, though interestingly this does reference the Dark Knight Returns in one line (and I had an especially riotous reaction to that). This is for the Batman fans that appreciated the campiness and the total self-referential attitude of the 60's series. I think that this was a great time for West/Ward/Newmar to return and for the filmmakers to try an animated movie since, oddly enough, after about 30 years of almost nothing but Dark Batman stories and movies (sure sure, with the exception of the Schumachers, but best to forget that for now), there's now at least some room, if not a turn around, for the campy and jokey and pun-explodingly-packed Batman series to return.

I could go into the plot but suffice it to say it's appropriate that it's for a cartoon - it involves a Bat-formula that Catwoman concocts and gets on Batman's cheek so that he becomes a "Bad" Batman, eventually making multiple Batmans (or, Batmen, which one, not sure), and it's up to Robin and Catwoman(!) to stop him or try to turn him (but can they when Batman has an Anti-Antidote?) This is thoroughly silly and yet it's as inventive as the show was. If you've seen the 66 movie then you should look at this as not so much a sequel as a simple follow-up, another in a series like when a new Pink Panther movie would come out.

What I appreciated the most is how much attention is paid to alliterations, to puns, to fully embracing the silliness and getting even a little meta about the impact of Batman over the past 50 years. There was a time this was seen as fun AND sophisticated, but that's been turned around by a lot of years of (often good, sometimes really great) Batman stories that returned it to its 'roots'. But isn't having a guy in a Bat costume with all of his Bat objects (there are too many to list here, but rest assured each one has its name written out right above it so you *know* what it is - this extends to the food factory having a sign outside saying "ABANDONED FROZEN FOOD FACTORY" hah!) kind of... silly? Or that the Joker has his slew of jokes or the Riddler with his riddles and Penguin with his "Rar!" sounds? Return of the Caped Crusaders is easily the best film with Batman in it in 2016, and probably my personal favorite in over a decade. I laughed, I laughed, and then I laughed some more.

Adam West returns as Batman.

[RoboRabbit89 · 6/10 · 18 January 2019]

I recently got this movie on order from my library in December last year, as part of a double feature with Batman vs Two-face and I liked both.

I remember I use to watch re-runs of Adam west's show as a little kid back in the late 90's on channel FX and I liked it's silly nature, even his TV movie "Batman";I remember back in the 90's a buddy of mine, that went into the Marines, use to have a copy on VHS and I watched it a couple of times when I came over his house.

On to the film, the story for this is about Batman and Robin having to stop Catwoman, The Joker, Riddler and Pangain from taking over the city. However Catwoman wants Batman to be as bad as her(since she has a crush on him) gives him a formula much to his dismay and turns him "evil", soon enough Batman goes "mad" and takes over the city but in a silly way. Realizing it was a stupid idea LOL, Catwoman and Robin team up to stop Batman's silly chaos.

This was a lot of fun to watch, the cool thing is, the key cast sound the same after 50 years which is amazing. I give it a 6/10, if you like Batman and don't mind some silly camp humor or if you like Adam West's Batman give it a look.

Boy Blunder.

[southdavid · 3/10 · 30 May 2018]

Adam West and Burt Ward return to the iconic roles of Batman and Robin, providing voices for a new animated take of the classic 60's campy series, in which the dynamic duo face a ... killer quadruple ... of Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler.

There are two main problems with this film. One is the story. Rather than being a coherent plot that builds to something, it's a case of several scenes leading to a fight, repeated three times. It feels like they wanted to make a series but there was insufficient interest so they reworked that together into something resembling a movie to salvage something from it and unfortunately, what they salvaged is a lacklustre affair at best.

The principle problem though is one of tone. It's never sure whether it's mocking the source material or reverential of it, so it undermines both and serves neither. There are a few decent references to other incarnations of the character sprinkled around this, but it really needed to go full parody or not exist at all.

The animation style is nice, a little reminiscent of "The Animated Series" at times, as well as the original series. West and Ward do well with the characters though Julie Newmar's unmodulating performance doesn't help lift the interest levels. The other three principle villains are wasted opportunities, obviously nobody could emulate the late stars that iconically played them, but they might as well be mute for all they add to this.

I was a fan of the series when the reruns aired when I was a child, but this tedious film takes two minutes of ironic enjoyment and stretches it well beyond breaking point.

Much better than I expected.

[13Funbags · 8/10 · 12 May 2017]

I was never a big fan of either version of Batman.Both versions had good points and bad points.When I saw there was a new cartoon movie in the TV show style, I had to see it and I was pleasantly surprised.It's exactly like the old show except sometimes they actually parody the show.It's kind of like if the newer Birdman and Space Ghost characters had just done their old shows.The story is about Batman becoming evil and making an army of Bat Clones.It's so funny.Plus, I think they actually bring back every villain from the show.I am so glad they brought back this Batman and I hope they make more.I see most of the positive reviews on here are getting down voted.The fan boys are ragin'!!

Script and Voicework Deserve Better Animation

[vilafire · 7/10 · 1 October 2022]

While it's a hoot just to see West, Ward, and Newmar reprise their iconic roles, Return is disastrously let down by the uninspired, ugly art. Most of the characters and sets look nothing like their live action inspiration. I thought, how could an American animation studio worth its salt screw up this badly? Then I saw the end credits. WB needs to stop outsourcing every animation project. Koreans can be good, but clearly they aren't familiar with the material to do it Justice. What a joke.

I'll say it again:

WB needs to stop outsourcing every animation project. Koreans can be good, but clearly they aren't familiar with the material to do it Justice.

Hard to watch

[Homes816 · 2/10 · 1 November 2016]

I was not around in the 60's, so I do not have the love for the original series. I can say that if you were a fan of the original show, then this movie is for you. The only thing that I did like about the animated movie is that the acting is somewhat better. I just don't get how can criminals be afraid of a Batman that can lecture his partner on everything. This Batman would talk about the importance of not littering.Then they have the worst lines that are consistent with the 60's show. I find the movie to be corny, but consistent with the 60's show. Then I remembered why I did not care for the original series. Like I said this movie is for those older fans really. I don't think it is going to be for any fan of Batman the animated series and beyond that.

Not quite the nostalgia critic

[films-22537 · 6/10 · 11 March 2020]

I honestly don't know what the filmmakers were aiming for with this. A tribute? A parody? Was it supposed to be funny? Ernest? Batman, Robin and Cat Woman looking like their live action 60s TV show counterparts, but sounding like the senior citizens the actors are, tested my willing suspension of disbelief. During the second act it teases the idea of alternate versions of Batman, but doesn't ultimately explore showing the contemporary version interacting with this 60s version. Which is disappointing, but fine if it stayed with the premise that what we're watching could be an episode of the classic TV show. However, this movie does things that the TV show never did, which is where it really disappointed me. Either stick with what you established early on or change for something more interesting. little below average for me (4/10) with extra points for the great animation (5/10) and nostalgia (6/10).