Warner Brothers' Batman: The Animated Series is certainly one of the finest examples of animated film noir, sometimes expertly mimicking such fantastic noir precursors as German Expressionism, with its trademark long shadows, cramped sets, and angular production design, underscoring the senses of paranoia and morose destiny. Actor Kevin Conroy is brilliant as the voice of the Dark Knight and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, while Mark Hamill (yes, that Mark Hamill) is unrecognizable in an equally definitive vocal performance as the Joker (other celebrity voices here include John Glover as the Riddler, Roddy McDowall as the Mad Hatter, and Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman). A landmark Emmy award-winning series, Batman: The Animated Series makes its boxed set DVD debut with this four-disc, 28-episode compilation, written with adults in mind as well as children (each 22-minute episode has its share of athletic violence, but none of it should prove too much for kids who've taken in Spider-Man 2, etc.), featuring many episodes that don't circulate all that often on cable TV's Cartoon Network. Although Robin (voiced by Loren Lester) would become more prominent later, he appears here a few times, and those shows are always special as Batman's junior partner has a witty way of deflating the Caped Crusader's grim demeanor. DVD extras include the original pilot episode, audio commentary on two episodes, a retrospective featurette, and a "Tour of the Batcave." Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)
Batman: The Animated Series, Volume One
Warner, 4 discs, 625 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98 Volume 19, Issue 6
Batman: The Animated Series, Volume One
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