Eccentric Cinema | BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1966)

Batman: The Movie

U.S.A. / 1966
Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Starring
Adam West
Burt Ward
Cesar Romero
Color / 104 Minutes / PG
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC)
20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment

Hold your mouse pointer over an image for a pop-up caption

A villainous cabal: The Penguin, the Joker, and the Riddler.

New 2008 Edition

10 = Highest Rating

Guest Review by Lucas Micromatis

POW! BIFF! KABLAM! Holy DVD, Batman! Leaping from the small to the silver screen, Batman: The Movie is derived from the popular 1966 television series that introduced the Caped Crusaders to a new generation of fans. Like Dino De Laurentis' 1980 adaptation of Flash Gordon (also written by frequent Bat-scribe Lorenzo Semple, Jr., who penned the script for this film), Batman divided comics fans. Die-hard Batman fans scorn the film and television series for their campy treatment of the solemn character, while others thrilled to the celebrity guest villains, bright colors, and outlandish plots. The film, although planned initially as the starter for the series, was not made until after the first season; already successful in the U.S., the producers felt a feature film would help sell the series overseas.
    Gotham City's most powerful baddies — Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Joker (Cesar Romero), Riddler (Frank Gorshin), and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether, filling in for Julie Newmar, who was filming MacKenna's Gold at the time) — team-up with a diabolical scheme to take over the world. Using a stolen dehydration machine from British inventor Commodore Schmiddlapp (silent screen star Reginald Denny, in one of his last roles), the villains plan to reduce the members of the United World Security Council to powder and hold them for ransom from their respective countries. Of course, it falls to the Dynamic Duo of Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) to halt the United Underworld's nefarious quest for world domination.
    Victim of a paper-thin plot, Batman: The Movie is not nearly as good as some of the first and second season two-parters. While fun on a surface level, Semple's script tries hard to cram too many humorous set-pieces into the bloated 104 minute running time, many of which fall flat, unfortunately. That's not to say there aren't some fine moments in the film, such as Batman's now-classic failed attempts to get rid of a bomb. Fight sequences are as memorable as some of the best from the series, notably the final battle on the Penguin's submarine (an ingenuous creation and one of our favorite gadgets, complete with beak, wings, and propulsion flippers). While it's great to have the film available in DVD format, it's really no substitute for the stronger episodes.
    Of course, one of the main draws of '60s Batman were always the villains, and here we are treated to four of the finest (it seems as though, thanks to the movie's teaming of them, that the Rogues here have often been considered the "big four" of Bat-villains; interestingly, the Riddler had only made two minor appearances in the comics series before being catapulted to popularity on television). Meredith's Penguin comes off best of the bunch; whether quacking orders in the bowels of his submarine (his rebuke to the Joker when he tells him not to "sound so bossy" is "on land you may command, in the sea, it is me!") or impersonating Schmidlapp to trick Batman into taking him to the Batcave, Meredith is, perhaps, the definitive Penguin, throwing himself completely into the role. Gorshin's maniacal, hyperactive Riddler wears on the nerves after a bit, but his verbal spars with Penguin and Joker are amusing. Romero's Joker is a bit of an embarrassment to some fans, but he's fine too, although he's unfortunately not given much to do outside of bringing prisoner Schmidlapp his tea and firing off torpedoes. Alas, former Miss America Meriwether (4D Man), while undeniably fetching in her cat-suit, is the least of the actresses to play Catwoman (Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the series, Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, and the lusty Adrienne Barbeau offered seductive vocal work in the Animated Series).
    Then there's Batman and Robin. Love 'im or hate 'im, there's just something appealing in Adam West's stoically dead-pan characterization. He's just so serious and unflappable that he's almost convincing. Almost. Burt Ward, on the other hand, is simply dreadful. Series regulars Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton, Stafford Repp, and Madge Blake in two ultra-brief, silent cameos round out the cast as Aunt Harriet.

The DVD looks flawless; the colors are incredibly vibrant and so clear is the transfer that you can actually see the painted backdrop bubbling up during the ocean scenes. The disc is rounded out by some perfunctory and unexceptional extras. There's an audio commentary by West and Ward (the lack of the two surviving villains from the film, Gorshin and Meriwether, is baffling) which unfortunately offers little of substance. (For example, when Meriwether trots out onscreen at one point, West lets loose with his tried and true line, "I feel a strange stirring in my utility belt." It wasn't funny in the '80s on Win, Lose or Draw and it ain't funny now.) Batmobile designer George Barris gives us a 6-minute, rushed tour of the famous car, a couple of trailers are included, as are two photo galleries — one of which offers an unsettling shot of Cesar Romero in his Joker makeup, wearing his street clothes and minus the wig, that just creeped me out.
This disc is a must for fans of the TV series, in spite of the disappointment of the film. Who knows, maybe if we're lucky we can look forward to a future release of the series? 10/02/01

UPDATE The disc reviewed here went OOP in 2007. In July 2008 Fox released new Standard-Def and Blu-ray editions of the movie.

HOME | REVIEWS | TOP