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.
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.