Batman turned 75 years old earlier this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Bat… and focusing on the blockbusters, the smaller films, the comics and the video games that feature the Dark Knight.
140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Holy 75th birthday, Batman! Let’s do the Batusi to the film version of the wildly popular camp tv show. As good today as it was then. Umm…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Batman: The Movie:
This is probably hard to explain if you didn’t grow up with it. A tv then film treatment of the darkest comic hero of all time with a huge, campy garishly approach. It’ll be purposefully ridiculous and mocking of the whole franchise. So that means it must have been awful, right? Well, actually…
Look, if you grew up watching the Tim Burton Batman movies, or the Christopher Nolan films, or any of the great animated shows, you’re probably not going to get the appeal of the Batman 1960’s tv show. But trust me, it was really funny. It wouldn’t work today, but at the time it was hugely popular whether you were an adult who got how absurd it was trying (and succeeding) to be, or if you were a kid who was just happy to see Batman & Robin mix it up on tv.
They first tried to make the movie to kickoff the tv series, but the studio wouldn’t foot the bill, so they ended up making the motion picture after the first season of the show.
The plot, such as it is, concerns four of Batman’s greatest super-villains (Catwoman, Joker, Riddler & Penguin) teaming up to take out the Caped Crusader and take over the world by, ahh, who cares.
The delight in Batman: The Movie comes two-fold: the hilarious script and the hilariously awful acting. The casting follows that of the tv show, and is brilliant.
Adam West as Batman – even more affected, over the top and easily imitated than William Shatner’s Captain Kirk delivery, if such a thing is possible.
Burt Ward as Robin – holy <insert acting noun here>, Batman!
Cesar Romero as the Joker – forget what Heath Ledger did with the character, Romero showed his commitment to the role by not even bothering to shave off his mustache…
Burgess Meredith as the Penguin – for many people he IS the Penguin. One of those performances that seems like it leapt straight off the comic book page.
Lee Meriwether as Catwoman – she replaced Julie Newmar from the show. Ehh, I still prefer Eartha Kitt.
Frank Gorshin as the Riddler – really got into the spirit of the thing, maybe too much. He’s intensely manic and may not have realized this wasn’t a serious gig.
Robin: “A sparrow with a machine gun!”
The writing by Lorenzo Semple Jr. is simply spectacular. In addition to writing the pilot and first four episodes of the show, he remained Executive Story Editor for all of the first season and wrote the film. He must have used up every joke for the rest of his life in that first year, as he would go on to make serious pictures for the rest of his career.
I can think of no funnier way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the release of the first Batman comic than to watch Batman: The Movie…
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Fail
The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
[schema type=”movie” name=”Batman: The Movie” description=”The Dynamic Duo faces four super-villains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people.” director=”Leslie H. Martinson” actor_1=”Adam West” actor_2=”Burt Ward”]
| Main Cast | Adam West Batman/Bruce Wayne, Burt Ward Robin/Dick Grayson, Lee Meriwether The Catwoman/Kitka, Cesar Romero The Joker |
| Rating | PG |
| Release Date | Wed 26 Oct 1966 UTC |
| Director | Leslie H. Martinson |
| Genres | Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Sci-Fi |
| Plot | The Dynamic Duo faces four super-villains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 105 |
| Tagline | He’s Here Big As Life In A Real Bat-Epic |
| Writers | Bob Kane (comic books), Lorenzo Semple Jr. (written by) |
| Year | 1966 |