Holy Blu-ray, Batman! The camptastic 1966 ‘Batman’ film based on the TV series gets a spiffy high-def debut courtesy of Fox who saw the perfect opportunity to cash in on the Batman fever surrounding Christopher Nolan’s upcoming ‘The Dark Knight’ - a decidedly different take on the material.
Originally meant to start off the television series with a ‘kabang!,’ the film actually hit theaters just after the first season ended, a nice move as it gave the movie that much more of a coolness factor since it had not one, not two, not three, but all four major villains banding together to rid the world of Batman and that pesky Robin!
A perfect representation of time and place, this very 60s camp, zany take on the comic is a lot of fun for those willing to accept a less brooding , downright goofy Batman before the franchises that Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan built (Joel Schumacher’s day-glo attempts admittedly borrowed a few pages but left out a crucial ingredient: fun!).
Although Adam West doesn’t get the distinction of being the first Batman on the big-screen (Lewis Wilson in the 43’ serial for those interested), I will say he’s definitely the most amusing. Bringing a faux-humorless stoicism to the role, his delivery is not unlike what Shatner brought to Captain Kirk the very same year. The key difference being that Adam West and Burt Ward as Robin knew full well the tone of the show and played to it.
The plot is inconsequential, of course - the major attraction consisting of getting all the villains together in one painfully labeled and segregated lair. Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin and Burgess Meredith all reprise their roles from the show as The Joker, The Riddler and The Penguin respectively and every one of them are quite good in their own ways. Miss America winner Lee Meriwether took over for Julie Newmar as Catwoman and proved just as felineiscious.
At 105 minutes, this pic screams for a light shave of about 15 minutes – there’s only so many shenanigans I can take before I start looking at my watch – but the spoof-like humor, ridiculous dialogue, and Ed Woodish special f/x (and the 1080p transfer doesn’t do the f/x any favors!) all provided fairly consistent laughs throughout.
Within the first fifteen minutes, Batman gets a shark (or a rather pathetic foam facsimile rather…) attached to his leg and Robin hands him some shark repellant spray – it’s always good to keep a can handy apparently – and then finds Batman rushing around with one of those spy vs. spy bombs and never quite finding the right place to dispose of it – not the ducks! The utter silliness of these scenes combined with any number of asinine “riddles” and “answers” will have camp enthusiasts returning again and again.
Despite a low-budget, even for 1966, this 1.85:1 AVC/Mpeg-4 encode is actually quite nice with good detail and bright, vibrant colors. Since this version of ‘Batman’ was all about colorful costumes and sets, this was actually a smart catalog pick by Fox to present in high-def.
There’s some minor grain and some source footage that doesn’t hold up as well but overall a clear upgrade from the DVD. Audio is presented with a DTS HD 5.1 lossless track and fall s in line with expectations for a 40-year old film.
Special Features on this special edition start off with two audio commentaries, the first from Adam West and Burt Ward. A no-brainer for fans, it’s nice to be able to watch the film as they reminisce. The second commentary belongs to Screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. and is a little dry but worth a listen. We also get Nelson Riddle’s score as an isolated track in DTS-HD.
The almost half-hour ‘Batman: A Dynamic Legacy’ featurette takes a look at both the show and film and generally how fits into the history at that point. ‘Caped Crusaders: A Heroes Tribute’ is 12 minutes and takes a look at the heroes and costumes and how they ushered in a new era of color TV. ‘Gotham City’s Most Wanted’ takes the contrasting look at the villains.
Next is a ‘2001 featurette’ which runs 17 minutes and looks at the 25th anniversary of Adam West and Burt Ward, ‘The Batmobile Revealed with George Barris’ looks at the famous Batmobile and its creator. We know get some interactive features: ‘The Batmobile Interactive Tour’ allows the user to navigate around the famous car and highlight various features.
‘Batman on Location: Mapping the Movie’ shows a geographical map with various facts and directions that can be selected while watching the film. There’s a ‘Holy Trivia Trick, Batman!’ that has trivia pop up during the film and we finally end with trailers and galleries.
I’m sure most people discovered this ‘Batman’ in syndication over the years and found it a light and humorous addition to the comic book canon. I can’t say the film is enormously entertaining but I always find a lot to like when I watch it and the cast is excellent bar none.
For fans, this definitely comes recommended as the high-def presentation is impeccable and there’s even a few new features to boot. For Adam West newbies brought up on a brooding Batman, I might suggest a rental first.
Batman: The Movie [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
Jeff SwindollJul 1st, 2008 - 19:02:43
Watching this camp classic again only made me wish that the series wasn't tied up in rights hell and someone would start pumping them out onto DVD or Blu-ray. Holy sigh Batman ;)
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