Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

(On TV, February 2020) One amusing quirk of Batman’s decades-long history is not only the variety of interpretations of the characters according to the obsessions of their era, but the relationship the franchise has had with those earlier portrayals. The grimdark Batman of the 1980s and 1990s would barely acknowledge the wildly different interpretations of the 1960s, whereas corporate overseers of the 2010s seemed positively eager to showcase the Adam West Batman alongside the others. (But not in the same movies—that would be weird.) That, I guess, is how we end up with the Batman ’66 comic books and the animated Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. Produced just in time to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of that Batman era and record West’s voice alongside Burt Ward (as Robin) and Julie Newmar (as Catwoman), it’s a conscious homage that generally succeeds. Being able to rely on animation and original voices is a clever way to revive that Batman era, and being able to self-consciously write in a campy tone is just purr-fect. There’s a fun blend of upbeat earnestness, conscious homage and competent filmmaking here that works really well. It’s a welcome counterpoint to many more downbeat takes on the Batman mythos, and that’s why I wouldn’t count on Return of the Caped Crusaders remaining an only-once revival of that specific era.