Batman: The Movie (1966)


Long before there were superhero universes there were comic books.  Detective Comics featured a tragic figure in the form of Batman, a rich playboy turned vigilante after witnessing the death of his parents.  It was dark and brooding with a host of unforgettable villains that Batman was constantly keeping from destroying Gotham City or, in some cases, the world.  So, when it finally came time to bring him to the small screen, the writers decided to go all-in on the comic aspect.  

It worked, at least for the first couple of seasons before budgets were cut and actors started rotating out of their roles.  It made Adam West and Burt Ward instant superstars for a time, although it pretty much typecast them as the Dynamic Duo for the rest of their lives.  The Batmobile became an iconic vehicle.  The sets were perfect for newfangled color televisions, full of bright colors, while the fights were enhanced by comic sound effect balloons.  It was corny, but it was unique and groundbreaking television.

Because of this Batman got something that the early television incarnation of Superman never got: a feature film.  The first season was one of the most popular shows of 1966 so 20th Century Fox gave director Leslie H. Martinson a decent budget to make what is arguably the first major superhero film.

Commodore Schmidlapp (Reginald Denny) has a new invention that will revolutionize the distilling industry in Gotham City.  Batman (West) and Robin (Ward) get wind that some of the usual suspects may also be after the device, so they try to make sure it gets to Gotham safely.  However, the ship they are sent to protect is merely a projected image, and Batman is almost killed by an exploding shark.  It turns out that four of Gotham's most notorious villains - the Joker (Cesar Romero), the Riddler (Frank Gorsham), the Penguin (Burgess Meredith) and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) - have stolen the real boat and the invention, which can dehydrate people and rehydrate them when needed.

The goal of the group is to kidnap the top diplomats from the United Countries and hold them hostage.  The only thing is that, to succeed, they need Batman and Robin out of the way.  In order to do this they come up with a number of plans, including Catwoman going sans mask as a Russian reporter named Kitka, who proceeds to seduce Bruce Wayne while trying to lure Batman.  As this goes on Batman and Robin come up with their own plan to protect the diplomats and bring the bad guys to justice. 

I remember watching Batman in syndication and, as a child, it was always pretty neat.  There weren't a lot of superhero shows or movies and I didn't understand that the episodes were about a decade or so old when I was watching them.  Over the years I remembered how cheesy they actually were and fully understand why Tim Burton wanted a more serious tone with Batman 23 years later.  However, the two Burton films are their own kind of corny, while the ones with George Clooney and Val Kilmer are barely watchable. 

I was wondering how Batman: The Movie was going to hold up and, to my surprise, it did so quite well.  It is a product of its time, but it has plenty of humor that modern audiences would love, especially with many of the meta jokes.  Everything is labeled, down to the most insignificant items, while everything the villains do is comically incompetent.  For those who remember Adam West more for voicing the mayor of Quahog on Family Guy one can find a lot of that same hilariously over-the-top delivery here.  West was quite aware of what the role demanded and dove into it with glee, although his main demand for making the movie was more time as Bruce Wayne.  This he gets and, rather than the brooding versions we get in later films, he is very much a bumbling fool who is easily led on by a pretty woman - neither of whom recognize the other without their masks. 

The entire scene of Batman trying to safely dispose of an oversized bomb is classic, as is the rubber shark and the submarine fight at the end.  It even says at the beginning that the whole film is meant to be just lighthearted entertainment.  To be fair I have not seen an episode of the television series in close to 50 years, so the nostalgia isn't there as it would be for others, but I still enjoyed this for what it was.  I was also surprised at how much this wasn't aimed at the younger market, although it was still fit for them. Also, to my surprise, the Joker, the most famous villain, pretty much takes a backseat.  Burgess Meredith and Lee Meriwether are given most of the villain duties, while Frank Gorsham proves that the Riddler is quite a bit more than just a Joker knockoff. 

Batman: The Movie (1966)
Time: 105 minutes
Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Frank Gorsham
Director: Leslie H. Martinson

 

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