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Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders

Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders

The classic 1960s Batman & Robin pairing of Adam West and Burt Ward holds a special place in the hearts of many Bat-fans, myself included. Growing up I used to love watching the TV show on a Saturday morning, and it’s only recently that I finally managed to get the complete set on DVD. The movie version of the TV series was great fun too, worlds away from the dark and moody stylings of recent Batman incarnations. And now, it’s back to the 1960s for a new big screen animated movie featuring not only Adam West and Burt Ward but also Julie Newmar, all reprising their roles from the original TV show!

Gotham City is under threat (obviously) from Batman’s most-evil opponents – The Penguin, The Joker, Riddler and Catwoman who have joined forces to hatch a plot so dastardly that our dynamic duo will need to venture into outer space and back again in order to stop them and restore order to Gotham City!

Aside from the returning cast members, the remaining roles are all handled by voice actors doing a pretty good impersonation of the original actors. The Joker, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, all sound authentic and it’s a real joy. Unfortunately, you can hear the age and the strain in Adam Wests voice though which lessens the nostalgia a little.

The movie sticks with the style, humour and soundtrack of the original TV show, providing a few big laughs along the way too, and for the most part plays just like an extended TV episode with a fairly basic plot. The fight scenes are just as they would have been in the show too, but the fact that it’s animated kind of makes it a little dull. There’s an interesting plot line involving Batman turning bad, firing Alfred and sending Robin to live on the streets, but otherwise it’s all a little disappointing.

Giving this 3 stars for the sheer nostalgia enjoyment I got from it.

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