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Batman: The Movie


Reviewed by: Justin Sallows
Genre: Action
Video: Anamorphic 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Language: English, French
Subtitle: English, Spanish
Length: 1 hr. 45 min.
Rating: G
Release Date: August 21st, 2001
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Commentary: Adam West and Burt Ward
Documentaries: None
Featurettes: "Batman Featurette" (16 1/2 min), "Batmobile Revealed" (5 1/2 min.)
Filmography/Biography: None
Interviews: None
Trailers/TV Spots: 3 trailers, plus 1 for Planet of the Apes box set
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: None
Music Video: None
Other: 2 Still Galleries
Cast and Crew: Adam West, Burt Ward, Ceasar Romero, Lee Merriweather, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin
Screenplay by: Written by: Lorenzo Semple jr.
Produced by: William Dozier
Directed By: Leslie H. Martinson
Music: Nelson Riddle
The Review: I realized somthing watching this disc. I didn't "get" the show when I was a kid. I liked it, and watched it all the time, but I didn't understand at the time that it was a farce. I just thought it was cool superherop action. Now, as an adult, the jokes are plain to see. For example, Batman is going over a riddle with Robin in the Batcave. ""What has yellow skin and writes?" he asks. Robin immediately shoots back "A bananna pen!". Then, "What people are always in a hurry?". "Russians!" Robin exclaims. Batman leads him by asking "so what does a bannana have to do with a russian?" Almost immediately Robin spews out "A Russian is going to slip on a bananna peel and break their neck!" Batman is pround and says "excellent, the only possible explanation". As a kid I probably thought, "wow, those guys are smart", now I get it. So watching this film was like a whole new experience. The extremely obvious sexual innuendo between Bats and Catwoman was enjoyable. All the baddies were great fun to watch. There are two distinct acts in the film, no doubt so it could be split apart and shown as seperate episodes. The first act deals with the plot to kill Batman. Bruce Wayne is lured away by Catwoman in disguise and used as bait to trap the Bat. Bruce escapes of course, still beleiving the Russian Kitka (Catwoman) to be their prisoner. The second act deals with a dehydrating ray stolen from an inventor and used by the fearsome foursome to dehydrate the United World Organizations leaders and store them in test tubes for ransom. Will Batman foil the fiendish plot? Will he consumate his love for the brazen hussy? Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel!
Image and Sound This looks like a brand new release so it must have been stored under excellent conditions, or dramatically restored. There are literally no dust, scrathes, compression, softness, color waning or any other distraction from the story. There is light grain throughout of course, but you have to be looking for it to even register it. The sound could have been more dynamic. To tell you the truth, I couldn't even tell it was stereo because there wasn't any panning or directional effects that I noticed. It was, however very crisp and clear.
The Extras The two featurettes are surprizingly cool. I was expecting the typical EPK junk, but this is all new. The Batman featurette consists mainly of new interview footage with Adam and Burt discussing the making of the film. There's some good stories mixed in here as well as some revealing insights about the show. The batmobile featurette is also cool. It's an interview segment with the designer of the car. And what a beautiful car it is! He stnds leaning against it, and you just can't take your eyes off it! They look around the car a bit and talk about the engine, and the concepts behind the design. I don't think I ever conciously realized that the whole front of the car is a bat face. It's so starkly obvious now I don't know how I could have missed it, even as a kid. This section feels a little short at 5 1/2 minutes, but a welcome feature nontheless. The still galleries are interesting, as still galleries go. There's some goofy shots of Adam posing in the costume, but mostly their just shots of actors before, after or during a scene with the requisite lights and cameras nearby. Yawn. The trailers, on the other hand, are a gas. Check out Adam's William Shatner impersination (or maybe it's the other way around) as he, Robin and all the villains address the audience directly. This is hokey fun.
Commentary This is a fun commentary, though probably not as full as you would think. 2-3 minutes will go by without remark. Adam West is almost insulting, always pointing out the "rediculous" and "absurd". Burt Ward is mostly complaining about the costume and his frequent injuries. I was expecting these guys to be yukking it up and relating all kinds of sexual stories. That doesn't really happen. It was enjoyable going back in time with these two guides to examine ancient pop culture, but truthfully they seemed a little bored, missing the fame they once had.
Final Words: This is a fun time capsule to the 60's as seen from 2001. It has a fond representation of the film and characters through 20/20 hindsight. It was kind of the Austin Powers of it's day, with the loud colors and absurd dialogue. As I look back at the film and series I see a campy romp, but I, probably like most Batman fans, wish it was more serious. Wouldn't a dark serious live action Batman series be cool? Oh well, that seems like a completely alien concept when compared to the schtick of the sereis. What is up with those eyebrows and weird "nose square" on Batman anyway? That always bothered me and it still does today. The commentary is fun, if a little less full and lively as I had hoped, and the featurettes are great if a little short. The visual presentation is awesome and the sound is clean. For $14.99 this isn't a bad way to spend an evening.


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 August 26, 2001