Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012-13)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012-13)

Dir. Jay Oliva (both parts)

A two-part animation adapted from the 1986 book of the same name by Frank Miller. 

I enjoyed much of Miller's comic work in my younger years, but his dialogue is very much of that particular medium and as such isn't really suitable for film. That meant I wasn't overly concerned that Batman's inner-monologue was removed in the movie version. I thought it would be compensated for through more visual means, but it wasn't.

01. Regarding Part One, what remained was the slow pacing and the deconstruction of the typical superhero genre through various TV broadcasts, offering up conflicting views of the action and the possible motivations of the very different kinds of sociopaths.

Batman: Year One (2011)

Batman: Year One (2011)

Dirs. Sam Liu + Lauren Montgomery

Year One is Batman's origin story retold yet again, this time based on Frank Miller's 1987 story arc of the same name (in Batman #404–407).

Visually, it closely resembles David Mazzucchelli's character designs, which I was very pleased about.

It's a surprisingly faithful adaptation, with instances of dialogue and scene setting lifted directly (and at times almost verbatim) from the source text. The perspective is split primarily between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Lieutenant James Gordon, with occasional input from Selina Kyle. Both men provide a rather dry but useful v/o, offering insight into their private thoughts.

Ben McKenzie is okay as Batman, but Bryan Cranston steals the show as a Jim Gordon who has to work hard to win his battles and fix his mistakes. Eliza Dushku is pretty weak as Selina, but the character is very underdeveloped, so she didn't have much to work with, to be fair.

Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)

Batman vs. TMNT (2019)

Dir. Jake Castorena

I was a huge fan of the Turtles as a teenager, but it didn't carry through to adulthood like my love of Batman did. I've thought of revisiting the first ever TMNT comicbook a few times in the past decade, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday it will.

It might seem like an odd pairing, but a connection is made between the two franchises, so it'll be helpful to have a level of familiarity with both. A basic knowledge of the Turtles' origin will suffice, but you'll need significantly more awareness of Batman's rogues gallery to get the most from it.

The world itself is a respectful merger of the two. It's set in Gotham, so favours that style, particularity during rooftop scenes, but the street level action has a Turtley NY vibe.

Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)

Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)

Dir. Chris Palmer

The 'Deluxe Edition' of TLH comprises the third and fourth instalments of DC's stupidly named Tomorrowverse continuity. Originally released in two separate parts, the total combined running time is 2:48:18. [1]

That's pretty long as it is, but it felt even longer to me because the pacing is bad, the story is a bit of a mess, and the animation is in the same ugly style as previous instalments.

It's based on a 1996-97 thirteen-issue limited series written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale, but there are many changes, courtesy of Tim Sheridan, who gets primary writing credit, for some reason. [2]

The original story isn't perfect, either, but the pairing of Loeb and Sale was something special, with Loeb's taut situations brought to life wonderfully by Sale's fluid, dynamic linework and super-dramatic angles. The animation has none of that power. It's bland and has the 'cardboard cut out' feel that I alluded to in a previous review. (E.g., note the bottom of Batman's cape as he walks toward camera - just awful!)

Batman: Caped Crusader (2024—)

Batman: Caped Crusader (2024—)

Season 01: 10 episodes, approx 26 minutes each.

The trailer for Batman:CC got me excited about seeing it, mostly because it's clearly influenced by Batman: TAS. But when I learned that it was co-produced by Bad Robot Productions, alarm bells started to ring in my head. Having now watched the entire first season, I feel that those bells were entirely justified in their warning.

By presenting itself as a kind of spiritual successor to TAS, the creators have no one but themselves to blame when viewers make direct comparisons between the two shows. It's helpful because TAS is the best Batman TV series ever made, so there's no better thing to be inspired by, but the flip side is that it creates certain hopes in the viewer that B:CC Season 01 utterly fails to meet.

Batman: Death in the Family (2020)

DC Showcase Animated Shorts:

Batman: Death in the Family (2020)

Dir. Brandon Vietti

NOTE: image used is the DVD cover art. The Blu-ray art is much better, but is spoilerific.

It isn't the worst animation that DC has ever put out – because Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) exists – but it's a strong contender for the most perplexing. But before you even get to determine if you feel the same way, it's advisable to watch Under the Red Hood (2010) because DitF uses the same storyline and some of the same footage, but is tweaked to allow the viewer to see alternate paths for some of UtRH's primary characters.

To clarify, you're presented with a choice at certain points in the scenario, such as who will live or who will die, with subsequent footage branching to reflect that choice. Some of what you get is new animation, often giving backstory or referencing something from UtRH. Sometimes it's an entirely new sequence, but at others it's new intercut with existing animation from UtRH, meaning you'll have to sit through some of it yet again.

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Dir. Brandon Vietti

A criminal calling himself Red Hood attempts to take control of Gotham's criminal underworld, an act that doubles as a kind of challenge to Batman.

The villain's methods are extreme and permanent, but seem to be getting results. Batman tries to prevent further casualties; he's determined, brave, and overflowing with professionalism, but something about Red Hood bothers him on a deeply personal level.

The usual DC quality and attention to detail is evident throughout, besides their penchant for trying to incorporate CGI vehicles. The character designs are mostly great, and there's some timely black humour, more often than not courtesy of the Black Mask character (Wade Williams).

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Dirs. Various (see below)

An anthology with six shorts from various Japanese animation studios and a number of different Asian directors. There's no frame narrative tying the works together, but most, if not all of them, do seem to share the same continuity and the whole thing is unified somewhat by having Kevin Conroy be the voice of Batman throughout.

The first of them, by Studio 4°C and directed by Shōjirō Nishimi, features four kids at a skatepark trying to outdo each other as they relate the story of their individual encounters with Batman. It's a highly stylised work, varied even further by each child putting their own spin on the event.

The second is by Production I.G. and directed by Futoshi Higashide in a more traditional style. It follows two Gotham detectives who get caught in the middle of a gang shootout.

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

Dir. Curt Geda

Batman (Kevin Conroy) rarely gets a break. In addition to risking his life fighting against ego-centric criminals, he risks his public reputation dodging gold-digging ladies at high class charity balls as Bruce Wayne. It's tough being a billionaire.

When a female figure in a stylised bat suit hits the streets of Gotham, being reckless and endangering human life, the caped crusader has to use his night time detective skills and his daytime playboy skills to figure out who's hiding under the mask.

The story offers up more than one possible candidate, which should keep interested viewers guessing for a while. It might be a short while, though, because the 'mystery' aspect isn't as adroitly developed as it could've been.

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)

aka Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker (2000)

Dir. Curt Geda

The only feature-length outing for Batman Beyond is a great one. It came out between Seasons 02 and 03 of the parent series, so was able to reference Terry McGinnis' life up to that point, including splicing and The Jokerz street gang. [1]

But that's not all, because being a part of TAS continuity meant is could reference Bruce Wayne's life, too, which it does via a split timeline, telling a story that spans decades and involves both the Batman of old Gotham and the Batman of New.

It's no spoiler to say that The Joker (Mark Hamill) appears to have returned, which impacts the lives of both Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) and Terry (Will Friedle). The Clown Prince of Crime's appearance vexes Bruce greatly and is the mystery that drives the narrative in the early part.

Batman Beyond (1999-2001)

aka Batman of the Future (1999-2001)

52 episodes, approx 22 minutes each, split over 3 seasons.

The team that created Batman Beyond (aka Batman of the Future) achieved the near-impossible: they made a show that's the equal of Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95) in tone and content and they did it without having Billionaire Bruce Wayne as the lead! Holy personnel changes, Batman.

It's set in 2039, forty years after TAS' successor, The New Batman Adventures, and continues the continuity set up by both it and TAS. The era of the original caped crusader has passed and the world has moved on.

Even Gotham has evolved, into Neo-Gotham, a towering, high-tech megalopolis wherein crime and corruption is as rife in the shiny office buildings as it is on late night docks.

Bruce (Kevin Conroy) is still around, possibly because like one of his contemporaries said he's too stubborn to die. He is, however, a retired, cranky and cynical recluse that rarely leaves the seclusion and safety of Wayne Manor.

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)

Dir. Boyd Kirkland

Victor Fries (Michael Ansara) does the wrong things for arguably the right reason: for love, but it's the all-consuming kind that can cloud judgment and rationale. He's a tragic figure whom tragedy seems to follow, even when far from civilisation.

When the world that Victor purposefully left behind intrudes upon the peaceful existence that the cryogenics expert created for himself, Batman (Kevin Conroy) is forced to step in and take him down. Bruce isn't alone this time, however, because he has Robin (Loren Lester) to help him.

It's the second film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS) continuity, set sometime between the end of The Animated Series and the beginning of its successor, The New Batman Adventures. 

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Dirs. Eric Radomski + Bruce Timm

MotP was the first film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS). The excellent voice acting, dramatic noir lighting, stylistic art deco designs, and Shirley Walker music all help elevate the work beyond a typical PG rated animation of the era.

Bruce isn't just an angry orphan fighting against a world that he feels took something irreplaceable from him, he's a flawed dark avenger, suffering emotional conflicts as he weighs the lure of a normal, loving relationship against an earnest vow to protect others from the pain he weathers. He's fully aware of why he does what he does, but finds reasons to justify it. I can relate to that. I'm sure we all can. (Except for the dressing in tights part?)

There's been dozens of Batman films since its release, but MotP is still the best that I've seen.

Don't be put off by the CGI opening that takes you thorough a sprawling Gotham skyline. There's an occasional use of CGI throughout the rest of the film, but mostly it's traditional hand-drawn animation, and is all the better for it.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95)

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95)

Dirs. Various | 85 Episodes (65 in S1 + 20 in S2), approx 22 mins each. [1]

Quintessential - that's what The Animated Series version of Batman is for me, outside of the printed page. Whether it be live action or animation, TAS is superior to every other onscreen interpretation of the iconic character that I've encountered thus far.

That same adjective applies to two of its most notable voice actors. Firstly, Kevin Conroy, who provides the voice of both billionaire Bruce Wayne and his pointy-eared and black-caped nighttime alter ego.

The other, mentioned second but no less memorable than the first is Mark Hamill, who brings maniacal life to The Joker. I've not enjoyed Hamill's work outside of TAS, but as the clown prince of crime he's a master.

Batman: Hush (2019)

Batman: Hush (2019)

Dir. Justin Copeland

I'm surely not the only person who wishes that WB and DC would stop doing direct adaptations of existing comic book story arcs and instead focus on creating more original animations. There's plenty of writers who'd be willing to submit something unique.

I read Hush years ago in its first TPB format. Jim Lee's artwork was excellent, but I've had no desire to experience the story again, such was my feelings for it. The animation didn't reverse that decision.

The premise is that an unknown antagonist, the titular Hush, whose face is bandaged to conceal his identity, hopes to destroy Batman from afar by targeting people close to him and by manipulating the other supervillains to work strategically against him.

Batman: Bad Blood (2016)

Batman: Bad Blood (2016)

Dir. Jay Oliva

Bad Blood features the 'extended bat-family', which changes the tone considerably from how it is when Batman works alone against the horrors of the night. Personally, I prefer the latter model, but it's nice to see the filmmakers try other things.

The 'family' in question are Nightwing (Sean Maher), Robin - the Damian version (Stuart Allan), and Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski). Though separate ordinarily, the different personalities must work together to discover the whereabouts of Batman (Jason O'Mara), who's gone missing.

The lack of any proper 'team dynamic' was perhaps intentional, to illustrate how the individual personas felt about each other, but the layers of stupid that exist outside of that were no doubt conceived to work in a more direct way. Alas, "high tech" villains with rocket wings, a bat-styled antagonist with a secret origin, ropey CGI vehicles, and a soldier with expert control of experimental tech that he's never used before all register high on the dumb-as-shit meter.

Batman vs. Robin (2015)

Batman vs. Robin (2015)

Dir. Jay Oliva

NOTE: there will be SPOILERS for Son of Batman (2014) in the text that follows.

A sequel to the Son of Batman movie, partially inspired by The Court of Owls crossover storyline from the comics. It has less protagonists, though, which some might argue is a good thing.

Bruce (Jason O'Mara) and ten-year-old Damian (Stuart Allan) have been living and fighting together for a few months. Having been taught by his grandfather to kill his enemies and draw power from the victory, the boy struggles with the moral code imposed upon him by Batman. That he even tries to overrule his instincts, however, suggests that he sees some merit in the non-lethal approach.

Unfortunately, the clash of egos that erupts when father and son don't see eye to eye threatens to destroy the fragile bond that they've built up. And the more Bruce pushes him to accept, the more Damian feels the need to defy his father.