Bonus Weekly Review: Batman Unburied Was Clearly Buried for A Reason

I checked out Batman Unburied, the new audio fiction that’s all the rage right now. I was cautiously optimistic because I love podcasts, obviously, and even on occasion enjoy a good audio fiction (although I prefer nonfiction shows normally). And I grew up a Batman fan thanks to Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Danny DeVito. Although I haven’t been much of a fan lately. The last Batman iteration I saw was the first Justice League movie and… meh. We are, in a word, oversaturated with Batman.

But this show is so popular I had to check it out. And, while I hate to say it because I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews, this podcast may be in competition with the nipples on George Clooney’s Batman suit for the worst thing to happen to the franchise. Which, I guess, when you think about it, makes sense. In fact, when I told my wife I was going to check out this show, her first words were “that sounds awful because the best part of Batman is seeing it! All the toys and the cars and such.” Which, yeah, duh! Batman is visually necessary. But anyway.

The cast is stellar, full of some of my favorite actors. And as someone who does voice work himself, I was particularly excited to hear what Winston Duke, best known as M’Baku in Black Panther, would do with the role. While I was happy the minute I heard his distinctive voice, the typical umpth that he brings to his roles was missing. Like the rest of this show, his portrayal of Bruce Wayne, (Doctor, in a new and curious twist), was missing its soul.

Even Jason ‘Lucious Malfoy’ Isaacs wasn’t spectacular which, I know, is like saying Duke Ellington missed a note. To be fair, I’ll say this; it had time to get better. I only listened to the first episode before I’d decided I’d heard enough. Two minutes into the show I sent a text to someone and said “yo this is BAD.” Five minutes in I was cringing so hard my dog stopped on our walk and looked at me like “you good bro?” Ten minutes in it hit the lowest point, and my brain actually checked out because it couldn’t take it anymore. I made it through the first episode, but I was already done.

So that’s my caveat. Maybe it gets better. But personally, I couldn’t take the chance. There are so many good podcasts out there and while this cast was enough to give it a shot, it’s not enough to make me push on through that first episode which, sadly, can only be described as Son Of The Mask bad.

Unless you have unlimited time, this one isn’t worth your time.

2/10… for the cast alone. And even that seems generous.

Listen (if you must or have to or hey if you are into torture and want a new method!) on Spotify or check it out on Great Pods!