Directed by: Leslie H. Martinson
Premise: A feature length version of the 1960s
television series. Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) must stop super
villains The Joker (Caesar Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman
(Lee Meriwether), and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) from extorting the world under
the threat of a device that dehydrates people.
What Works: Batman: The Movie is a very good
adaptation of a television series, as it incorporates all of the successful
elements of the show while expanding the action set pieces and the story to
justify a feature length. The film uses the same costumes, sets, and props as
the show and nearly every major character appears in the film at some point,
including Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, Madge Blake as Aunt Harriet, and
Alan Napier as Alfred. Despite the darker—and admittedly better—versions of
the Caped Crusader that have come since, this is Batman at his most iconic; the
music and themes of the Adam West and Burt Ward Batman and Robin have carved
their own niche in pop culture, particularly pop culture of the television in
the 1960s. Nostalgia aside, Batman: The Movie holds up pretty well. Some
of the action sequences of the film version are impressive for their time and
for the scale of the film, especially a sequence in which Batman and Robin take
on a submarine crewed by the villains. Most importantly, the film preserves the
tenor of the show, including the 1960s-era codas and the cheesy dialogue and
music while delivering thrills at a regular pace, and it is a great sample of
most everything the show had to offer.
What Doesn’t: The film matches the intentionally
cheesy style of the television show, so those who are accustomed to the darker
incarnations of more recent Batman adventures might be put off by the tone here.
Also, humor generally does not age well and although Batman: The Movie is
fundamentally a serious film it’s not meant to be taken seriously.
DVD extras: The
Special Edition includes a commentary track, a tour of the batmobile,
featurettes, and a still gallery.
Bottom Line: Batman: The Movie is an extremely entertaining film. It’s cheesy and does not take itself very seriously, but that is exactly what it is supposed to be, and it works as an addendum to the television show and as a film in its own right.