“Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders” is the Best Batman Film of 2016

Story by Grant Dillard, Staff writer

2016 wasn’t the best year when it came to Batman movies. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,”, “Batman: The Killing Joke” and “Suicide Squad”, which the hero cameoed, received mixed to negative feedback from critics and audiences alike. However, there is one Batman movie that is good from beginning to end: the animated feature film set in the universe of the Adam West TV series called “Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.”

Batman and Robin are back in action once again to take on the combined forces of Catwoman , The Joker , The Penguin and The Riddler who have what may be the most dangerous plan against the heroes yet.

It is easy to tell the makers of this movie really loved the 1960s Batman series, and wanted to work as hard as possible to recapture the tone and feeling of it. Everything from the musical score, the chaotic story, the silly one-liners spoken, and even the fist fights between the Dynamic Duo and their enemies complete with the sound effect text are a blast from the past.

Along with celebrating the 60s show, the film also pokes fun at its clichés and trademarks. A good example of poking fun takes place at an event being televised, where before a fight takes place, someone behind a camera turns a switch that says “Fight scene.” This then results in the camera being turned at a dutch angle, much like how all fight scenes in the show were filmed . Overall, the attention to detail is very impressive and the writers and filmmakers deserve all the credit in the world for it.

The film also features clever references and Easter eggs related to the Batman mythos. Whether it’s visual homages to the iconic comic book covers in the film’s opening credits, or the lines of dialogue taken from other Batman-based graphic novels and movies. It’s incredibly satisfying hearing West deliver the line from the 1989 Tim Burton film, “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!”

The only major problem the film suffers is with its pacing. Throughout the first half, Batman and Robin pursue the villains as they wreak havoc on Gotham City. As entertaining as that can be, it is not until about halfway through the film that the plot really begins to pick up and more interesting things start to happen.

Thanks to its clever writing, smart humor, and overall sense of fun, “Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders” is an absolute blast to watch. The film, and its sequel, “Batman vs Two-Face” can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, and is also available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

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