Campy but Tolerable
Based upon the campy 60's Batman series, I had to admit that this movie had it all. Aside from Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their roles as Batman and Robin, the producers decided for a full on bonanza of super-villains; throwing in the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler into the mix as well as use of the infamous Batmobile but the Batchopper and the Batboat. That was huge to me when I was a kid! The only thing that could possibly have added to the appeal of this movie would have been the presence of Yvonne Craig/Batgirl.
To me, this was what a superhero movie should be—something bigger, bolder, and better than the regular television episodes. I don’t ever recall seeing supervillains teaming up before this movie, but I was sold on the fact that four of Batman’s greatest villains forming an alliance majorly ramped up their evilness and the threat they presented to the Caped Crusaders. Yet somehow, all of them all together wasn’t overwhelming either.
The screwy psuedo-science of the dehydration weapon aside, I thought this show was fairly entertaining. The actors were cheerfully cheesy and inherently silly, but I’m sure that all of them knew it too. It’s been at least over a decade since I last saw this film, but I can still remember Adam West frantically running around trying to dispose of an explosive in his arms and remarking to the camera, "Somedays you just can't get rid of a bomb."
One of the weaknesses of this movie was the special effects. The underwater submarine scenes looked pretty fake to me even as a kid, but even the cartoonish fight scenes and the BIFF! BAM! POW! splashing over the screen still manages to hold up to the test of time. I’m not sure that others would agree, but I enjoyed those comic like effects. If nothing else, seeing really old fashioned FX never ceases to amaze me as to how far and advanced the stuff has developed since those days.
Personally, this movie gleefully celebrates the campiness of the 1960s Batman series, but that is it’s strength as well with the straight-faced hammy statements, absurd super-science gadgetry, and Bat-themed and labeled tools and devices. It’s mindless entertainment at it’s best and Batman the Movie was pretty good.
RATING: 3 STARS.