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Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
2016 | Action, Animation, Crime
A cheese filled nostalgia trip
For better or for worse... The 1960s Batman tv show exists, and it will always be part of our comic book culture.

This recent animated film takes everything from that original show, and runs with it with unrelenting pride...and it's pretty damn entertaining.

Just the fact that Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar all returned for this animated adventure is absolutely fantastic, and it really plays out well.
The absolute absurdity of the 60s show lends itself well to cartoon form.
The movie is filled with silly one liners, ridiculous Bat-Gadgets, and enough charm to make even the most serious Batman fans step back and enjoy.

The only reason I didn't score this higher is purely because some of the more recent DC animated movies such as The Dark Knight Returns are genuinely fantastic, whereas a lot of this movies qualities rely on the viewer understanding and respecting the silliness of the source material. I for one am happy that this exists.

The credit sequence involves a dance off between Batman and Catwoman. Do you really need another reason to check it out!?
  
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
2016 | Action, Sci-Fi
Martha!
The secind entry in what-was-then the burgeoning Extended Universe, following on from 2013's Man of Steel - the finale of which (re. seemingly half of Metropolis getting destroyed) has repercussions in this.

I remember the film was also hotly anticipated, with lots of speculation on who it would adopt the graphic novel 'The Dark Knight Returns', a portion of which features a showdown between the Man of Steel and Batman.

So, this introduces Ben Affleck's (aka 'Batfleck') during the prologue.

It's also - unfortunately - the movie with the infamous 'save Martha!' scene, and with the very ineptly handed expansion of the DCEU via video clips played on a laptop.

This version of Batman also seems to have completely abandoned his famous 'no killing' rule, dispatching goons left, right and centre during several key moments of the film, while Henry Cavill's Superman still needs to, well, 'lighten up' quite a bit to be closer to how the Man of Steel is more commonly viewed.

And don't start me on Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor, or on the completely extraneous final 'Doomsday' act ...

(still, at least the Directors Cut manages to salvage it somewhat)