The Batman (2004–2008) User Reviews

It's not Batman TAS but it's also not trying to be.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 8/10 · 21 February 2021]

The Batman follows Bruce Wayne who's in his third year of his career as masked crimefighter "The Batman" whose public presence is that of an urban legend. As we follow a relatively green Batman in his early days we see his first encounters with noted villains, the development of his relationship with the Gotham Police force from public enemy number one to alliance and even witness the origins of his partnerships with Batgirl and Robin.

Running from 2004 to 2008, The Batman was in a unique situation as it was the first Batman related show to be made that would not be related to the DC animated universe or the Kevin Conroy portrayal of Batman that had been the standard since his debut in 1992. The show featured a radical departure in art design with Jeff Matsuda of Jackie Chan adventures forgoing the traditional noir-ish art deco approach in favor of a more "Americanime" design that had been popularized through shows such as Jackie Chan Adventures and Cartoon Network's Teen Titans series. Needless to say The Batman sparked the ire of many fans who didn't appreciate the departure from the previous decade's standards established for the Dark Knight (ignoring the artistic departures in Batman TAS season 4, but I digress) and the show has something of a mixed reputation because of that. While I don't think the show is worthy of most of the derision it's received, I do acknowledge it has flaws that have a tendency to make themselves noticed.

As the show begins in its first season, it's very much a reintroduction to the characters and lore. As opposed to the Batman of Batman TAS who already had a Robin sidekick who was late high school or early college aged, the Batman of The Batman is relatively new to the world of crimefighting often having to work around the police instead of with them and avoiding media and public attention when possible. The reintroductions of various villains are where the series begins to stumble. Because the show now focuses on Bruce/Batman's ongoing growth in conjunction with typical "villain of the week" stories, The Batman has a tendency to truncate villain introductions and arcs for single episode storylines. Some villains don't even get an introduction such as a rather overdesigned character called Gearhead, and others seem to have undergone change simply for the sake of change. Easily the biggest downgrade of the series is the character of Mr. Freeze who in TAS was a tragic figure who spoke eloquently and conveyed a mixture of rage and despair that made him one of the most rich characters on the show. Mr. Freeze in The Batman is now a generic thuggish bankrobber who makes ice puns in a deep gravely voice and dresses like a pro wrestler. This results in Mr. Freeze being one of the most boring characters on the show and feels like it was done solely for the sake of not inviting comparisons to TAS. On the one hand I understand why they did this, but on the other they took a well-constructed character archetype and replaced it with nothing. I'm not opposed to different interpretations of the Character of Mr. Freeze. George Sander's humorous interpretation of the character from the 60s Batman show was silly but still had a level of class that made the character engaging. Here Mr. Freeze felt like one of the generic goons from the show given a voice and ice powers. Kevin Michael Richardson's Joker was also a sticking point for me (but for other reasons I'll get to). Not only do I not like the design, but Richardson's heavy voice doesn't feel like it fits with Joker's madcap delivery style and feels grating. But even taking aside my dislike for the show's interpretation of Joker, the series used Joker way too much. Of the 65 episodes made of The Batman, a little over 20 of them feature Joker or are related to Joker. In comparison TAS consisted of 85 episodes and used Joker 15 times. Joker is a good villain, but when you over rely on one particular villain it ends up leaving your show feeling very repetitive.

The visuals of the show are also rather mixed. While the color palette is more diverse going for a richer display of colors for Gotham than the red and black of the previous series, the show diverges from the more grounded aesthetic of TAS in favor of more exaggerated character designs. For the most part the style works reasonably well and is unintrusive, but there are notable missteps taken. Joker in The Batman doesn't have the style of the TAS Joker and instead of being a funhouse mirror interpretation of comedians like Jerry Lewis and Don Rickles, Joker in this series has an overdesigned "deranged" aesthetic of a straight jacket, long hair, an overly angular face, and bare feet. Riddler has a similar issue, while I like Robert Englund as the voice of Riddler his androgynous figure with a costume based heavily on Marilyn Manson just feels at odds with the voice and the character. It's not unthinkable that a Marilyn Manson inspired costume could work for some of Batman's Rogue's Gallery, but it would need to be someone like Scarecrow or Anarky who have a sense of theatricality to their characters. Riddler isn't "theatrical" he's a know it all who prides on "knowing it all" so the costuming choice doesn't mesh with the character.

With the criticisms out of the way, we can get to the real meat of the show which is the continuing plot threads. While Batman TAS was and remains a good show, it cannot be overlooked that the show was mainly designed in mind with the stories being (relatively) stand alone adventures that didn't require any particular viewing order. The Batman takes a different approach and while the episodes don't work as well as stand alones they do work as parts of a greater whole telling season and multi season long arcs that culminate in satisfying crescendos. Each season for the most part focuses on continuing characters and plot threads who see some level of development for a later payoff. This is where The Batman's strength lies as a TV show, it feels like there's movement of something bigger in the background even if the villain of the week doesn't lead to much satisfaction. We see Bruce/Batman grow in his relationships with his friend/mentor Alfred, see him develop relationships with members of the police during his time as a wanted fugitive laying the groundwork for cementing their partnership, and we see his taking on new partners and becoming less of a brooding figure of myth and more a symbol of un relenting justice for those who've lost hope of getting it. Even some villains (such as Clayface and Hugo Strange) are introduced better here than in TAS because they're established over several seasons worth of development which makes their payoff all the more satisfying. I think in a way this boils down to the main criticism of this show which I also think is it's biggest asset that sets it apart: The Batman is about what it says, The Batman and his growth as a person and hero and this means there's less time devoted to establishing the villains and giving them depth (at least in villain of the week format).

The Batman is a complicated show. It stumbles in many areas (especially in comparison to TAS), but it also succeeds in many other areas not previously explored by giving us an overarching narrative that felt like it was building characters and situations. The development wasn't always as smooth as it could've been, but the show did find a unique approach to the characters and lore that I do think makes it worth a viewing. Like pop cultures staples of James Bond, Godzilla, The Universal Monsters, and too many others to mention, with a historied character like Batman there have been many interpretations of the character and I'm sure there'll be many more to come. This isn't the "definitive" Batman, but it's still a unique approach that deserves to be looked at for what it is, a different approach to classic material.

Have an open mind and you may enjoy this one

[virgocuspr · 7/10 · 18 February 2007]

No doubt you've read all the hate mail for this series by now from die hards who loved the 90's Batman TAS.

I loved that series also, great writing, good animation.

I grew up in the 60's and was running around in my favorite T-shirt with the batman logo on it and watching the "bam, splat, zonk" as Adam West bopped the bad guys and kept himself and the boy wonder form being made into everything from giant frosty freezes to the Mad Hatter's latest fedora..

Then I watched the cartoons patterned directly on the Adam West live action show, then the incredibly hokey superfriends of the early 70's when cartoons were heavily censored and couldn't have any violence of any kind for any reason, all the way through the "some violence is OK" superfriends of the 80's..

So yes, I've watched the TV Batman evolve considerably..

This new series to me is very enjoyable and contrary to some critics I like the portable computer linked back to the main system. "Batwave" is true to 21st century technology and will surely spawn fond memories in the kids getting their first taste of the Bat :) I also liked the new penguin. The added depth of the family history in my opinion give this Character more realism than I've seen in previous incarnations. That whole angry heir to the fallen fortune thing right down to the jealousy with Bruce Wayne for still possessing his family fortune and having a Pennyworth for a butler in my book counts for some very talented thought behind the storyline.

I must admit I stopped here and took the time to register just to write this because I was sadly disappointed after having watched this series for four seasons now to see it ripped to shreds by 20 somethings who are mad that this isn't "their" batman that they grew up with on Saturday morning back in the 90's.

This is Batman, 21st century style.. High tech gadgets.. Personal on-board computers in hand, Master criminals that are not only intelligent but can hold their own in a fight and are very well matched to this incarnation of the wealthy orphan raised by the butler that has more than his own fair share of personal issues after having lost his parents to street thugs as a small child..

This series really seems to bring that fact home very well but you'll need to watch it for awhile before you see the lengths to which the writers have gone in the development of the title Character.

You will not get that depth if you just watch a couple of episodes.

Granted, as one previous reviewer had mentioned I was getting a bit weary of Joker in every episode there for awhile but the writers grew out of it and have started a storyline for the kids of the 21st century that they can grow up with and be inspired by.

Some of them may actually get the message that I did from Batman.

That with self discipline, education, physical training and a little ingenuity even an ordinary human can be a superhero.

Perhaps more importantly so that if one choses the life of a vigilante there is a mighty fine line between hero and villain.

Of course the money doesn't hurt :) I really liked the way Batgirl was introduced in this series with a home made costume and home made Bat gear until she earned the respect of the big guy enough for her to be brought in as a true team member. The most realistic introduction of that character I've seen to date.

Hopefully at some point they'll take the time to watch the TAS from the 90's which I;m sure will remain as a classic for many decades to come.

In my viewing agenda "The Batman" is a regular feature and I enjoy it immensely :)

Not as good as BTAS, but its original.

[staticsaber · 8/10 · 15 September 2006]

I've heard all kinds of insults thrown at The Batman, and its just getting tiresome. It can't be the original series because its been done and as much as I love BTAS, its time to try something new.

This is not the Batman of the 90's, 60's 40's whatever. What we have here is an up to date Batman in the 21'st century. New gadgets, new suit, new Batman. Bruce Wayne, he's doing what he's supposed to being, being a playboy bachelor and acting as if he hasn't got a care in the world, while as Batman he's not at his darkest yet but he's getting there. He's still the serious Batman, just hasn't been pushed to his limits yet, give it time.

Alfred has more to do in this series this time around, appearing more in the episodes, getting involved with some of the villains and even getting some time in sub plots. He also has changed since first season. He no longer burdens Bruce about his alternate life but rather encourages it.

Batgirl, though not my favorite character has an interesting introduction to the story and tends to add some simple comic relief to the story here and there but shows she's a good partner.

Then we have his Rouge Gallery of villains. All right, some like 'em, some don't and I won't argue with your opinions. Though as I said, this is not BTAS. To recreate a famous story, you gotta makes some changes in both the plot and characters, change outfits and looks, give them new motives, keep it original. Joker, I do miss his suit and his entire figure, but that look has been around for over 60 years. When you think of Joker you think "insane", right? Well you can't get anymore insane then that and the motive is still the same, he's always a thorn in Batman's side. Or is that the other way around...?. Mr. Freeze has become more hi-tech and has gone back to his earlier roots as a average thief turned into a creature with a temp. below zero (with a small hint of his former wife). Bane, with his venom is a thug for hire and more dangerous than before with his gain in hight and his intelligence. Catwomen more or less is still like her BTAS self, now sporting an outfit inspired by her 80's look. A personal favorite is Ethan Bennett, the new Clayface. ******SPOILER****** Sporting a smaller body and new attacks, he wanted to get back at Joker who was the cause of his mutation but wanted his former boss dead for his harshness and his "Zero Tolerance for Freaks" rule. ******SPOILER****** There's many others I could go on about, Clue Master (One shot deal, not a great bad guy), Ragdoll (haven't seen that episode yet), Poison Ivy (Cool design, and her tie in with Batgirl's interesting), and the Riddler (don't mind the design to much, though great writing and voice actor) among others but you get where I'm going with this I hope...

This is not trying to be BTAS, this is trying to be its own show, such as The Teen Titan's. And an anime rip off? Yeah, its inspired by the style but tell me exactly what style its ripping off. Not one I can think of I'm afraid, besides they could have had a much worse style. And the childish writing? I've seen worse, and even BTAS had a some child friendly writing ("I've Got Batman In My Basment" and as much as I like Riddler and the episode to introduce him, "If You're So Smart, Why Arn't You Rich?"), but lets not forget the darker and more mature story's ("Feet Of Clay/2", "Clock King", "The Man Who Killed Batman", "Two-face/2", "Perchance To Dream", tell me when to stop). They both have some childish writing, but have some darkness throughout.

I don't care if its not like the comics, not like BTAS, not like the movies, was it ever trying to be? Its not the greatest thing ever, but its at least worth a look at. And even if you do despise the series, at the most give Batman vs. Dracula a chance and see how dark it can be. The Batman, 8/10

Another great animated Batman

[DerrickLyle2004 · 28 September 2004]

Batman is Batman - let's get that straight. Now for details - The Batman cartoon is a brand new animated incarnation of The Caped Crusader. The biggest difference between this take and Batman: The Animated Series from the 1990s is that this show relishes being a cartoon, and relies on action, while the previous Batman cartoons were heavy on story content, and wanted to be taken more seriously than the average cartoon.

People have a right to make comparisons, but this cartoon is great in its own right. Batman/Bruce Wayne is in his late twenties, and some of his foes are younger too. Wayne Manor looks like its in Gotham City and not on the outskirts. There's no Commissioner Gordon, but there is Chief Rojas. But all of the things that define Batman are present: the costume, the Batmobile, the Batcave, etc. This time around, Batman has his own operating system - The Batwave, that powers his headquarters and vehicles.

Rather than downing this version of Batman because its doesn't appeal to a mature crowd, take the time to see it for yourself. You might enjoy the show.

A masterpiece of a new era of batman

[sadik35 · 10/10 · 23 June 2006]

Dear fellow commentators(especially the bad ones) I think that you should be ashamed of yourselves how you commented on The Batman. Really, can't you people not understand the meaning of hard work to make The Batman great in its new fashion. This Batman shows a lot about Bruce's life as a young civilian. I'm not saying the older Batman series were uncool but this one is better to some and equal to other people. Why do people of the new generation behave this way. Batman has been a great legendary hero for years. Now that it has been brought to life after these long years why do people complain. How would you feel to be born since the 1930s and never get to see much of these series. The Batman series is an excellent way to display Bruce Wayne/Batman in his younger age. It also focuses on the other characters equally. This series even show where and how he got his technologies. I mean did the other Batmen before showed this quality. I've always wanted to know how Batman met Batgirl and the great attribute about this show is that the cops actually pay attention to Batman as a vigilante. The art and color are quite interesting and the music is spine chilling. The action, now This I like. I love the new Bat weapon the BatBot. This weapon's really cool. The villains are awesome especially Bane, The Joker( His jokes are funny and at least this time he puts up a fight),The Riddler and ManBat and Penguin. Now for Batwoman. Her costume looks really stupid but when you think about it she's a young kid. I mean really do you think someone who lives in an ordinary home design something like this costume. This show also portrays a lot about Bruce's past and present life. Also Alfred is now payed more attention to for once or maybe,actually twice but still. My last words are that this show is great and people should pay more attention but then again the show was made for children. 10 out of 10. Excellent plan Warner Bros.

The Batman

[themohels · 8/10 · 4 September 2007]

I fought this show for a long time. I would have been like all the others complaining about what they did wrong and this looks like jackie chan yada yada yada and hey I loved batman TAS as much if not more than everyone else bashing this series. I'm not going to write a book here but just consider the DC comics "elseworld" series. It take a different look at batman, superman etc. no one complains about that. Try reading dark joker the wild, batman red rain, gotham by gaslight all these show batman and the joker in a different light so why the harsh words here. Can't we just enjoy the show? If you can just get past TAS this cartoon really is not that bad.

John

A Knight's Beginning

[robertcrabtree3000 · 7/10 · 26 February 2005]

Other than the strange character designs, I don't see why so many people are bad-mouthing this show.

This is the lay down: Millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (good voice work from Rino Romano) witnessed his parent's brutal murder by an unknown gunman, and vows revenge against crime by donning the scary image of a bat. This series depicts Bruce in his third year as The Batman. The police still do not recognize him as a hero, but a criminal vigilante and are trying to capture him and find out who he is.

The famous James Gordon has yet to appear in the picture, so the GCPD is headed by a non-nonsense police chief named Angel Rojas (played by Edward James Olmos), whose top priority is to capture Bats. Batman is also pursued by police detectives Ethan Bennet (Steve Harris) and Ellen Yin (Ming-Na). Bennet thinks Batman is a hero, but Yin thinks otherwise.

Since this is Batman's "early years" as The Dark Knight Detective, the "costumed freaks are just now showing up. Our caped hero finds himself clashing with the likes of The Joker (brilliant voice talent from Kevin Michael Richardson), Mr. Freeze (a cold-hearted Clancy Brown), The Penguin (Tom Kenny), and Catwoman (Gina Gershon) and other familiar bad guys for the first times in his career.

The journey goes on as Batman struggles to elude police capture and save the city from evil rouge villains.

"Bring On The Batman!"

The first ever Batman cartoon I watched as a kid

[WeAreLive · 8/10 · 15 October 2017]

When I was about 8 this show introduced me to the character of Batman and the whole Gotham universe. I even remember arriving home after school and watching this in the evening alongside Ben 10.

The stories were well written, the animation quality was great, the character designs and we even had great voice actors. Even actors like Alison Mack (Smallville, Wilfred), Brandon Routh (Superman returns, Legends of tomorrow), Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids, Generator Rex), Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs, Ugly Betty), Chris Pratt ( Jurrasic World, Guardians of the galaxy) and many more took part in this fantastic show.

However, I wasn't happy that we never got to see other Batman villains like Two-Face and Scarecrow.

But I would still recommend this show.

Started OK, got better, got worse, and then got pretty good...

[CaptainAstro · 7/10 · 21 December 2006]

It's been an interesting run for this series.

In the 1st season, there were maybe 3 or 4 really good episodes, a few that were OK, and a few that were just terrible. The second season did a little better about not being bad. Then, in the 3rd season, they introduced Batgirl. Incidentally, the show started to get really bad. Save for the "Criminal Mastermind" episode, the season was filled with disappointment.

Then, at the beginning of the 4th season, they introduced Robin. My initial reaction was "considering how bad the show got when they brought in Batgirl, the introduction of Robin couldn't be good. But it was. The show started to pick up, and has become much more promising and watchable.

What I said about the show when it started, and I maintain I was right, was that the show needed a while to really settle into it's stride. If you watch the beginning episodes for "Batman: The Animated Series," Batman and Joker start out with a slightly more playful relationship, and Batman isn't nearly as dark. This show did take a while, but it seems to have gotten to a point where they can entertain people who are old enough to remember the first show.

The show is really intentionally different from any other incarnations of the characters, as obviously evidenced by the Joker redesign. I thought that making the Joker the version they did was such a bold statement, and the character still works.

The show is so different, that a lot of die-hard fans will be disappointed. But the show has gotten better, and is less of a guilty pleasure for me to watch now.

7 out of 10. Shaky start, but on more solid ground.

P.S. For all my tolerance of the extreme character redesigns, I will never be okay with the Mr. Freeze they settled on. Clancy Brown can't save it, it's just a stupid, poorly-written character with a pretty lame design.

a new action style

[sketchyninja · 8/10 · 11 November 2008]

Batman has a more slick animation in this series that focuses more on style and snazzy moves and action rather than heavy storyline. The Clayface storyline is one villain that is more in depth as far as plot and is well done taking a few twists and turns. Most of the villains he comes across know some martial arts which make for more formidable opponents. It is a change from Batman TAS and manages to have faster paced action and a few reinterpreted villains yet still maintains Batman's struggle to fight crime yet maintain his sanity. As one that loves Batman TAS, i still find The Batman lots of fun as it focuses on the action and gadgets a lot more and i find it quit amusing to even see penguin have a few martial art tricks up his sleeve (he does have an explanation) and i like his cronies. The series later turned a more camp style with an intro that sounded like the 60s Batman TV show which i wasn't too hip on yet the series still had some excellent episodes. I say quit fighting about which animated series is better and just enjoy both for what they give.

Liked the 1992 Batman cartoon and Batman Beyond better

[SonicStuart · 6/10 · 25 October 2004]

The Batman is okay but I liked the 1992 Batman cartoon and Batman Beyond better. Because this version on the other hand is totally different! Like this series is somewhat like Bruce Wayne in his younger days like in his 20's. Bruce Wayne is younger in this series and is trying to trying to establish himself as Batman, protector of Gotham City. He is in his mid-twenties, just finding his way as protector, defender and Caped Crusader, while balancing his public persona as billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. Living in Gotham, a metropolis where shadows run long and deep, beneath elevated train tracks, this younger Batman will confront updated takes of familiar foes - meeting each member of his classic Rogue's Gallery for the first time. From the likes of Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, Riddler and Man-Bat, among others, the war on crime jumps to the next level with a new arsenal at the Dark Knight's disposal, all operated and linked by an advanced remote-controlled invention he dubs the "Bat-Wave." I hate the way The Joker looks in this cartoon because he looks like It the killer clown and second of all The Joker fights like Toad from X-Men! I like the old way The Joker looks which was wearing a business suit instead of dressing like a clown! The Penguin looks mostly normal except for his teeth which are sharp. Catwoman looks okay. Mr. Freeze looks pretty cool except for the thing with his ice powers coming from his hands instead of a ray-gun. Bane looks really cool! I'm not sure about the other villains yet. Rino Romano (also did the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from Spider-Man Unlimited) is not bad at Bruce Wayne/The Batman at least he sounds rough when there are scenes where Batman is fighting crime. I wish Rino Romano could have done the same thing when he did the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: Unlimited". Some of the other voice actors are okay but some need to be replaced. But the animation design of all the characters are totally different compared to the 1992 cartoon. OK but the last two Batman cartoons were better.

Say what you want about "The Batman", it is NOT Joel Schumacher all over again

[thedisciplepeter · 10/10 · 22 October 2008]

I heard a lot of you out there are hearing terrible reviews of "The Batman". Some of the critics here call it "Schumacher all over again. If "The Batman" were Joel Schumacher all over again, this kind of stuff would be in it... 1. Nipples and arses would be on Batman's, Batgirl's and Robin's suits. 2. Mr. Freeze would be yelling out ice puns ALL THE TIME. He did a few lame one-liners in Season One, but don't let that stop you from at least renting it. 3. Robin would be super-whiny, asking for a Robin-signal in the sky, or reversing Batman & Robin to Robin & Batman, etc. 4. Batgirl would have been Alfred's niece. 5. Commssioner Gordon would have been a wimp. 6. Poison Ivy would do stupid things like spout one-liners while flirting with Batman. 7. Rino Romano would have played Batman gay. 8. Ther would have been giant statues of naked men ALL OVER THE PLACE! 9. Mr. Freeze would have hid in a neon-lit ice-cream factory, conducting his henchmen to sing "I'm Mr. White Christmas, I'm Mr. Snow." 10. Batman & Batgirl would have used some pieces of shrapnel from Maximillian Zeus's ship they cut an acetylene torch with to make flying surfboards.

Fortunately, none of that crap happens. Let's see what we've got. 1. The batsuit is just fine, your cape-and-cowl with the tights, utility belt, and boots batsuit. Only different thing is the emblem, which in my opinion, looks pretty dang cool. Batgirl's suit resembles the 60's Batman show a little bit, save the yellow cape. It's actually cool how she used her athletic wetsuit as her batsuit. Robin's suit totally resembles B:TAS, give 'em points for the lack of short shorts. 2. Mr. Freeze seldom uses one-liners after his debut in Season One. 3. I don't really care for Robin's actor for most of Season Four, but he gets better from the Season Four finale to the very end. 4. Batgirl is the Barbara Gordon we know, and her actress is good. 5. Commissioner Gordon kicked butt in a few occasions, but he's still not a wimp. 6. Poison Ivy's about 16 in the series. Batman's overaged for her, Robin's underaged. 7. Rino Romano does not play Batman gay. He's actually a very good voice actor, and is the highlight when it comes to voice acting in this show. 8. There aren't. Thank God. 9. He doesn't hide in a freezer factory, for cryin' out loud! 10. No, they don't ever do any type of crap like that in any season.

On a few more notes, Kevin Michael Richardson is no Mark Hamill, but he's in-character as the Joker. Any out of character Joker is a sane Joker. Alastair Duncan is a good Alfred. Also, why so many complaints about the new designs of the villains? Isn't that what you Obama fans want now? Change? Well there's some change for you! Mr. Freeze can shoot ice from his hands. The Penguin has an awesome laugh. The Joker lacks shoes. These are changes. They wanted to be a little different. Some are good, some are lame. The Batwave isn't dumb, it makes sense! It's a computer connected to everything in Batman's equipment that was electronics or computers. If you like action scenes, get this series. They are really cool and actually put B:TAS to shame in the categories of action scenes, animation, and fighting. And I have watched B:TAS. It's really good, as long as the dozen of stupid episodes like "I've Got Batman in My Basement" don't count. *SPOILER ALERT* All seasons have episodes worth getting for. You wanna see a whole Bane-centric episode where he has more than 3 minutes of screen time? Get Season One. You wanna see Batman take on the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler at the same time almost without getting hurt? Get Season Two. You wanna see Batman take on a cyborg 10x as powerful in strength, speed, agility, and mind? Get Season Three. You wanna see Batman take on a vigilante that captured all the villains, then take on all the ticked off villains next? Or Batman teaming up with Martian Manhunter to stop a global alien invasion? Get Season Four. You wanna see Superman, the Flash, Hal Joran, Green Arrow, and Hawkman in action? Get Season Five.

This was a fun series to watch. Every time I turned it on, I enjoyed it. Can't we just sit down, kick back, relax, and enjoy this show while drinking a soda? Why can't we just quit bashing it, get into a restful state, and watch "The Batman"? Because most of the people here are like bitter old farts who scream at youths on how they did it their day on the front porch. They want B:TAS back. I liked B:TAS once I started ordering DVDs with better episodes. But, as I have an opinion, I like "The Batman" better in a few ways.

Better than expected

[ZGMF-XS_Fate · 7/10 · 3 May 2007]

okay, so i haven't watched most of the Batman 1990's series. I've watched the movies, and the original series, the one with all the 'Wham! Bam! Shazam!' stuff. And in all honesty, i think this is the better one of all. Why do i say so ?? Mostly because the characters designs look better here than they ever did in the comics and series. Take the joker for example. In the old series, after a few minutes of analysis (for none batman fans), it was obvious that he was kinda crazy. But in this one, it takes it to another level. His looks, his style of speech, the way he dresses, etc..all make him look even crazier than most of the other series have portrayed him. Same goes for The Riddler. For those of you who don't know, he has a disorder of some sort. Obsessive compulsive disorder i think. And in this series, its shown a bit more than in the others, with his 'goth look', and his more cryptic voice. This version of the Batmobile is even better than most of the others as well. Instead of having that 'tank-like' look that the other versions had, this one has that 'extra high-tech, but still a car' look. Its like its sleek, but still an awesome weapon.

Sure, its a kids show. But don't let that stop you from watching the series. Its very good, the artwork is flawless, the animation is even better. I think you should give it a try before just saying 'Jackie Chan art style ? Bah'

"It's not Batman the Animated Series"

[Insomniac-By-Choice · 3/10 · 3 April 2005]

I think that can sum up this show about as well as anything. Batman TAS may be the worst thing to ever happen to cartoons based on comic books because everything that comes after will be compared to it and nothing has measured up yet. It's just too damn good. Was Batman Beyond good? "Yeah, but it was no TAS." Is Justice League good? "It's not too bad, but it's no TAS."

The Batman is certainly no TAS, either, but I won't hold that against it. It would be unfair and besides, it has plenty of other problems with it.

The concept of a younger, less experienced Batman fighting crime is a fine one, and at times the art is very nice. But all of the rest of the time, the art is worthless Americanime, and this betrays a lot of the flaws of the show itself. It is paced, written, and designed like an Americanime. If I wanted to watch Jackie Chan Adventures, I'd watch Jackie Chan Adventures. Or I could just bang my head into a wall any time and get the same effect. The Joker is a homicidal, mentally unstable clown in a suit who uses his wits, unpredictability, and clever gadgets to fight Batman. When he is forced to fight hand to hand, he will either resort to something cheap or be totally outmatched. He is not meant to be a monkey with dreadlocks who knows kung-fu and can leap into twenty feet into the air, accompanied by speed lines. If they had wanted to do that with a villain, there were other less important characters they could have used or *gasp* they could have created a new one entirely. And it's not that re-imaginings are a bad thing, don't get me wrong. TAS (there I go again) took Mr. Freeze from your standard icegun-wielding B villain and made him into a memorable and morally complex character. Of course Freeze wasn't exactly a classic villain at the time and they performed an upgrade, but the point stands. What The Batman does is it takes everything you liked about Batman comics and lore and takes a large, smelly dump on them. Guess what? They were eating corn.

It's obvious this show can't stand against TAS but stand it on its own legs and it still doesn't work for me. The plots aren't good and they don't develop any better. They've been written for the demographic of children under twelve. Should children be able to enjoy a show? Of course they should. This shouldn't be an adult show with swearing, nudity, and gratuitous violence. But the mark of a truly good show is that it can be enjoyed on different levels by all ages. This show misses that mark.

Is this show a TAS? No, of course not. The problem is it's not even a JLU.

Just doesn't measure up.

[src_y2k · 4 October 2005]

In 92 WB produced Batman the animated series. In terms of style, content and storyline it was revolutionary as far as (american) cartoons were concerned. Kevin Conroy WAS and IS the voice of Batman. It was deep, commanding and capable of great range and he has continued being the voice of Batman through all the animated incarnations of the character until this one; from the sub-par Batman Beyond (I still count Bruce as Batman even in that series) to the superb Justice League. Indeed, so strong was the style of TAS that it dictated the tone of all DCs animated heroes, again, up until this show.

The problem with this show from the start is their decision not to use Conroy as Batman. It speaks volumes that they did not. It says, "we don't want this to be just like the other Batman cartoons". And it isn't, that's the problem.

While I don't deny people the chance to reinvent or reimagine, there is a simple truth to storytelling which is this: the further away you stray from the core concepts of the original story and character, the less attractive and watchable that character is and the poorer the result. This show proves that.

A younger Batman fighting crime and meeting his signature enemies is fine, but its been done and with considerably more style. The artwork is bizarre, not necessarily a problem in and of itself, but this Batman doesn't carry the gravity he requires- he's a guy who actively tries to terrorise criminals and you don't do that with neon-glowing gadgets as the dire Schumacher Batman movies proved eloquently.

The biggest problem I have is the characterisation, and that grates on me severely. The actual scripts are terrible, with cheesy, unfunny quips being made at every turn. Every character except Batman, Alfred and (possibly) Catwoman has been taken away from their roots, mostly so they can add some pointless fight sequences. The Joker is the biggest example, and he's been singled out many times for just this reason. The Joker is not good in a fight. He relies on henchmen and insanely well-prepared plans to achieve his ends, he does not leap around like something out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The Penguin, while he sometimes fences with umbrellas is also not a hand to hand combatant. He relies on henchmen and his wits to try to stay ahead.

All in all, this reminds me less of Jackie Chan as others have mentioned, mostly because that looked so awful I avoided it, but of another terrible show, the new He-Man cartoon *shudder* Lots of gimmicky cuts to other scenes, a lot of empty space and bright colours and all the characters seems to spend half their time in mid-air with speed lines zooming past them. And the same three bad guys behind every single event.

I agree totally with others who have marked this as disappointing. It is the weakest thing to come out of the Batman franchise since the execrable Batman & Robin, and while not quite on that level of crappiness, it does count against the good work that was done in Batman Begins, a film I would expect this to try and stay as close to as possible given the proximity of their release and the inherent similarity in concept.

Very Underrated

[rcroft-38173 · 10/10 · 9 February 2021]

This was a brilliant show and I can't see why people don't talk about it more often. Great design, great music, great voice acting, etc. And possibly the best version of Batgirl so far! Definitely recommend

It's Batman from another perspective.

[koelsch575 · 8/10 · 11 November 2009]

One of the biggest disappointments to people is this show's animation and the radical looks of some villains (mostly Joker).

The animation was done very slick in a Japanese anime style to catch new audiences that are used to it these days. Let's be honest and remember that old DCAU shows changed their animation from "The New Adventures of Batman" to "Justice League" for the same reason.

The reason for more action is because of that stupid 65 episode rule. This gives limited time for story which I find disappointing, you can tell they were going for a story that would lead to a Dark Knight Returns kind of arc. The show seems campy at times(because of those damn rules child broadcasting has), but has more dark moments like it should. You can easily tell from the first two episodes that they had planned for a mob story-arc similar to Batman:Year One. Each season pretty much starts with a story that grows to a nice climax at the end(the same technique is done in Marvel's new series "The Spectacular Spiderman"). If you continue to watch the show, you can see how his detective skills grow over time. Remember we're watching a young Bruce growing into the Dark Knight the city needs him to be.

In BTAS he's been at it as Batman for a couple of years already, he's known as a detective, and is accepted by the police. This show has him on the vigilante side and Gordon doesn't come in until later. I love how we get to see more of Bruce having a social life and protecting his alter-ego, where in BTAS how do you not know he's Batman!? Kevin Conroy's awesome but his voice doesn't seem to change in and out of the cowl. The creators of the show took their own liberties to pay respect to BTAS and the shadow it will forever cast. The use of villains is good too, I like how they use the lesser known ones.

The visuals are stunning in the fight and chase scenes(you can tell they were pulled right out of Batman comics), sound quality is top of the line for an animated show too. You have a sense of life from Gotham too. Where in previous DCAU shows there would be so many fights in the city you'd ask yourself "where are the people?". I personally think Clayface was done well, but nothing beats how Dr. Hugo Strange is portrayed. I personally think this incarnation of him is used best (even better than BTAS portrayal). The fact that the villains can stand a fighting chance to Batman was always cool to me, I like how each one has their own fighting style. As a Bat-fan I disliked how the villains would do nothing but plot and you knew in the back of your head that in the end of the episode all it's gonna take is one punch from Batman to end it. Joker is always a subject of debate among people who see this show. To me not liking this Joker is like hating Heath Ledger's portrayal(his Joker was so radical that his skin wasn't even bleached), they both do a great job nonetheless. Personally I think Mark Hamill forever nailed the role.

Everything else was because of legal issues really. Robin appearing after Batgirl(because of Teen Titans ending), Batman not having a square chin and Kevin Conroy not doing the voice(because Justice League was still on at the time, Rino Ramano did a good job as a young Batman though), Scarecrow, Two-Face, and Ra's Al Ghul not appearing(because of them being in the new movies).

In a time where good cartoons are hard to find these days the creators of this show worked with what they had and did a great job at it.

it has some great episodes

[rumasuk · 7/10 · 11 January 2013]

this show isn't as memorable as the first one, but i don't see a vast difference between the writing in this show and the writing in the other DC animated shows. It really has some great great moments. I would say that its just not as legendary as other shows except for moments like when batman uses the green lantern ring or when the joker riddler and penguin decide to bet the city on who kills batman first, but the episode "Artifacts" is a must see for any batfan, is incredible, is one of the best animated love letters to the character and the bat community. the 2 episodes with superman are good too. most of the series get a 7, but the episode artifacts gets a 10 for me

brilliant

[mchollandmatthew · 10/10 · 13 August 2012]

this batman story is all about Batman's Early and young days as batman from worlds greatest detective to partner ship with dick Grayson and bat girl and how he met some of the justice league characters i always watched this when i was a wee five year old to 9 years old and now I'm 13 and i still like this TV show every day i couldn't stop watching it its so action packed and has tons of villains in the batman Sega also some cool hero's in this TV series jokers very evil looking quite cool and banes all red when he presses his button which was a good change to bane and also some new villains or maybe there from the comics or so awe ll but i still watch this some time this was on cartoon network from 2004- 2008 wish they made more but at least there's a batman the brave and the bold and beware the batman coming out next year and the 1960s series and the 1990s overall 10/10

Second rate Batman

[son_of_cheese_messiah · 6/10 · 13 February 2014]

IMHO the good seasons of this series are the even numbers 2 and 4 while the odd numbered seasons are variable to say the least.

The first series has a number of missteps such as unconvincingly redesigned villains, Mr Freeze reverted to his mediocre pre-frozen wife days and The Joker deprived of his now essential ally, Harley Quinn. This first season is largely forgettable but by season 2 the writing is stronger and there are a number of good episodes.

Unfortunately season 3 makes the biggest misstep of all: the introduction of Batgirl as sidekick. Rather than playing a sopporting role, she dominates the series so much that it should have been renamed "I was a teenage Batgirl".

Season 4 also adds a pubescent Robin which should have been a recipe for disaster, but. against all expectations, this season is a triumph. "Strange New World" and "artefacts" are my two favourite episodes, but others are memorable too. Harley Quinn puts in a belated appearance. Sadly the 5th season falls back into mediocrity and it is just as well the series was cancelled.

Best batman TV series

[leddicoatbailey · 10/10 · 18 August 2016]

I think that this show is the best because it has an excellent story line, the characters now how to fight back and Bruce Wayne is new at Being batman. It also introduces the villains very well. I love this batman the TV series it is a lot better then btas. This show introduces some new characters to the hole batman trilogy but I did miss some of the old villains like Ras al ghoul and two face but the characters that replaced them did really good. The batman also introduces batmans side kicks really well. Know for btas I think it doesn't have a good story line and the characters change a lot so that is why I prefer the batman better than btas. Well that's what I think but other people might have different feelings for this show.

Great if you like this Joker. I didn't

[willz187 · 6/10 · 6 December 2014]

Since the Joker is in this a lot, you have to like this interpretation if you're going to recommend this series. I cannot. I respect the guts it took to do what they did with many of characters and all their redesigning. But they went too far with some, namely, the Joker, the Riddler, and every character with a seemingly swollen, broken, block nose. Can't get behind Catwoman's floppy turtle-neck and giant ears neither. But the Joker takes the cake, and should've been given a different name - as this is a great departure from anything we've seen; a different essence completely.

If you can get past the characterization, and look at the writing and art, love the art, so-so about the writing.

Love how they try to keep it dark and spooky. The animation is top notch. So is the background art. This series has a lot to offer; Including a heaping of confusion, as to whether or not you approve of it. It had the meat to last 5 seasons. It's a toughie.

Perfect Batman

[faihamsiddik · 10/10 · 8 August 2020]

Great series.perfect Batman.perfect villians.this is the Batman we want in dceu

Not BTAS...and that's a good thing

[amsboethius1 · 7/10 · 22 October 2006]

This version of the Dark Knight is really an animated "Ultimate Batman" and should be regarded as such. No one loves the "Dini/Timmverse" more than I do, but they're gone now (fie on Warner for 86ing JLU!) and times move on. We should applaud the fact that The Batman's creators have stayed as far away as possible from BTAS in making their show, instead of churning out a cheap copy.

I've never been fond of the "nitpickers" of fandom, who harp on little trivia and ignore gross character discontinuities. For those of you who whine about Joker battling Bats on even terms physically, I refer you to his ORIGIN STORY, where he cold-cocks Batman, kicks him in the head, and pitches him into a handy river to drown. The Dark Knight himself comments on the fact that he has finally found someone who "can give him a fight." (Batman No. 1/2) The Clown Prince of Crime follows up on this by besting Batman in a sword-fight (Batman No. 2/1) This is just one example of the show's creators going back to basics. As for the designs, some, like the Joker's, can be annoying, other's, like the Riddler's (hey, if Bob Kane can cop Conrad Veidt (g)...) have a certain fun inspiration to them. Alfred is shown to have deductive skills like his comic-book counterpart and the decision to make Batman a true vigilante in the first 2 seasons adds an extra level of challenge to his confrontations with both the bad guys and the law. All in all, it's not a bad effort. If you really want to remind yourself of PUTRED efforts at realizing the mythos, just rent the serials and BATMAN AND ROBIN and really enjoy some "fine" entertainment.

addendum

[milkshakeboom · 1/10 · 11 September 2004]

I commented on this when it first debuted and gave it a "thumbs in the middle" review, remarking that I'd give it the benefit of the doubt beyond just the first episode. I've seen a total of six episodes now up to this point in June 2006. And as a lifelong Batman fanatic, I can say without hesitation: this show is utter crap.

Everything's wrong with it. Everything. Getting past just the lousy animation and design, the stories are ridiculously convoluted and with no character development or apparent interest by the writers of this dreck to give any substance to any stories.

And for God's sake...is it just me, or is the Joker in EVERY EPISODE?? Is Gotham that much of a revolving-door justice system? Or, again, is it just a complete lack of interest in the writers to put any effort into other villains (see "no character development", above).

And to make matters worse, every single Joker tale is the same 3-part formula.

1) Joker gasses people.

2) Joker sets out to gas the whole city.

3) Batman saves the day.

Pfeh.

There was one episode I saw that wasn't a Joker story. The title escapes me, but the villain was that nefarious Cluemaster...the "Think Thank Thunk" episode with the quiz show. That was the single-worst Batman story I've ever seen, heard or read. Yes, worse than "I've Got Batman in My Basement."

I can't really say what I feel this show is because it's probably against the ToS, but it starts with "B" and rhymes with "fastardization". Thank goodness for the existence of the Timm/Dini/etc. era of Bat-entertainment, back from the Fox and Kids WB days. Stuff that good, and I should have known this, just couldn't possibly have lasted forever, unfortunately.