Batman: The Movie

Dir: Leslie H. Martinson

1966

****

Two months after the last episode of the first season of the 1960's Batman TV series aired, Batman saw his big screen debut. William Dozier thought a film version including all of the villains seen so far would generate more interest in what had at that point received only a moderate response. It worked, but then producer Dozier (who was also the narrator of the TV series and creator of Barbara Gordon Bat-fact fans) knew what he was doing. However, the film version came across as even more camp and over the top then the TV show, many suggested that this was in fact in keeping with the Batman comics of the Golden era and the 1960's in general but far too much of the humour is self-aware for this to really ring true. I have no complaints. I love Adam West and Burt Ward's Batman & Robin and Frank Gorshin, Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith are all wonderful as The Ridder, The Joker and The Penguin. They were joined by Lee Meriwether who took over the role of Catwoman from Julie Newmar who was unavailable to return for the film and all three of them looked like they were having the time of their lives, which really helped with my enjoyment of the film. The set pieces are a mix of awful and brilliant, the script is often so bad it's good and the story is both ridiculous and wonderful. Fairly early on in the film Batman is seen hanging from a rope ladder above the sea (hanging from the cool as hell Batcopter) when a shark jumps up and attacks him. He then spends several minutes wrestling the killer fish before he remembers his secret weapon, Bat-Shark repellent, that he quickly pulls out of his utility belt, squirts in the face of the beast (rendering it powerless) before it sinks into the sea and explodes. It is as stupid as it gets but it is pure indulgent nonsense and rather wonderful too. The entire film is non-stop nonsense but it never gets tired, the 'Pow' 'Crash' 'Thwak' fight scenes are still lots of fun and the more over the top the better it is. It's an extended TV episode with everything you could possibly want from the show. The idea of turn the world's leaders into dehydrated dust is so bizarre and ridiculous, I wonder why Joel Schumacher never stole it for his films?