Amazon.co.uk Review
Batman: The Movie carries the high camp absurdity of the 1960s TV show to gleeful new heights. Shark Repellent Batspray, costume-removing Batpoles, a contraption that dehydrates political figures into coloured powder, and endless childishly easy conundrums. Bringing the primary-coloured show to the big screen was a natural move, since sets, costume and casting were all in place. But what elevates the movie above the series? Is it the wonderful new toys--the Batcopter, Batboat and Batbike? Is it the OTT direction, taking the Dynamic Duo on location far more than usual? Or is it the electrifying one-upmanship between Burgess Meredith (Penguin), Cesar Romero (Joker), Frank Gorshin (Riddler) and Lee Meriwether (a new Catwoman since regular Julie Newmar was busy elsewhere)? As Commissioner Gordon says, "The sum of the angles of that rectangle is too monstrous to contemplate!" Really, the best of the movie's magic is to be found in the sheer glee Adam West and Burt Ward exhibit in playing for the big screen. This was the most exciting event in their careers. And it shows in their colourful, zestful performances.
On the DVD: Batman: The Movie on disc includes an affectionate commentary from the two stars ("Oh lookee!" says West repeatedly), after which the duo are heavily involved in the wealth of additional material, even recording dialogue for the interactive animated menus. Seeing them on screen in the 16-minute featurette might be a shock, though. In the restored 1.85:1 film print they look much better! Additionally there's a five-minute "Batmobile Revealed" featurette with designer George Barris, a trailer page with some very humorous inclusions and two large galleries of behind-the-scenes photos.--Paul Tonks
Customer Reviews:
Batman.......2008-01-25
I disagree with the review below titled "They don't make 'em like they used to..."
That review is guilty of historical arrogance and condescending in the extreme. We do not know better now, and in any case 30 years ago was not a fluffier and more innocent time.
60s programme makers saw the story of a man dressed up in a batsuit as a bit of a joke and treated it as such, whereas now we know better and suppose that we should be serious about such things - see Batman Begins for evidence of this. The humour here is amongst the best that the USA produced in the twentieth century. It's the opposite of modern po-faced trash, and better, but it is not kitsch and does not need sympathy. It's much sharper and more immune to criticism than any other Batman film that's emerged since.
"Robin pass me the Bat shark repelant spray"...............2008-01-16
Brilliant,Brilliant film that obviously did not take itself seriously,an excellent cast from the caped duo to the fabulous villains,the number one Batmobile that has ever been, a brilliant extras feature the film is an absolute steal.
Hilarious.......2007-11-09
I loved the Batman series in the 70's but this film especially the bit with the shark had me crying with laughter. Just Excellent.
THE ORIGINAL BATMAN MOVIE.......2007-10-20
1966 was, among many other things, the year of "Batman". This campy color TV series (very) loosely based on the classic comic strip, was originally planned for a fall debut. But the ABC network which commissioned the show, had already seen several of their new programs fail dismally in the ratings. Desperate for some promising new material. they gave "Batman" the green light, and it premiered in January. Thanks to it's 'hip' humor, an eye-popping kaleidoscope of bizarre color backgrounds and a cast of "guest villains" second to none: Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, Anne Baxter, Burgess Meredith (the list goes on and on) the show was an immediate smash. Suddenly, America became "batty" and it's popularity was so great that stars scrambled for a chance to appear on the program. Along with its ratings, success came the brilliant merchandising campaign - everything from bubble gum cards and records to underwear and cereal. Inevitably, a movie was planned, supposedly either to introduce audiences to the show (which wasn't necessary after all, because the program was picked up first) or to sell the series overseas. It's main function, of course, was to cash in on the Batmania flooding the country while it was still hot. So, with a slightly bigger budget - mainly to accommodate the construction of the batboat and the batcopter, a feature version of the show was quickly filmed between the end of the first season and the beginning of the second. By the time of the movie's release in August 1966, however, the Batman craze had already begun to fade. The critics, for the most part, dismissed the film and audiences chose to ignore it. And, in recent years, there has been some speculation as to what happened. Although it has been written that Twentieth Century-Fox did little to inform the public that this was a project made exclusively for the big screen and not (as with "The Man from Uncle") a compilation of previously seen television episodes edited into a feature. In fact, the movie was promoted both in advertising materials (trailers, posters, etc) and magazine features as being "All New, Made Especially for the Giant Motion Picture Screen". It appears that the viewing public felt that it was probably just more of the same, figuring there was no point in paying to see what they got for free at home. So, despite mass bookings in every theater available, the film came and went. But, seen today, "Batman" holds up well, capturing perfectly what was one of the biggest fads to come along in the sixties.
Adam West and Burt Ward personify the clueless but virtuous Superheroes - always ready for a challenge, and, as usual, lionized by their puny police force led by Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp). Alfred, alter-ego Bruce Wayne's faithful butler (Alan Napier) and Harriet Cooper (Madge Blake), aunt of Robin's alter ego Dick Grayson are on hand as well. The chief delight here though, are the four Supervillains - The Catwoman (Lee Meriwether, subbing for Julie Newmar), The Penguin (a rakish Burgess Meredith), The Joker (onetime Latin lover Cesar Romero) and The Riddler (a manic Frank Gorshin). The plot, the usual nonsense involving this crew's attempt at world domination, serves as a suitable background for sight gags and pratfalls galore. Meriwether and Meredith are the Villains with the most footage, each getting to disguise themselves during the course of the story. Posing as Russian reporter Miss Kitka, and sporting a commendably convincing accent, the incredibly lovely Meriwether is (understandably) successful in a scheme to lure Bruce Wayne into a kidnapping, hoping Batman will dash to the rescue! Meredith is not quite as able, in his guise as the villain's hostage Commodore Schmidlapp, though he does manage to get into the secret Batcave. And the plot thickens...West and Ward perform their chores with appropriately deadpan dispatch, but, as usual, the devils have the best parts, with Lee Meriwether offering a deliciously different interpretation of The Catwoman, and Burgess Meredith, who was born to play The Penguin, standing out. Batman is great fun both for younger viewers (who won't pick up on the intentional parody) and older ones (who will). "Holy time capsule!" Sevaral years ago, a wide screen DVD was released. It boasts an excellent transfer, Stereo sound and many extras, including a running commentary track with West and Ward, trailers, still galleries, and new featurettes about the film, and the Batmobile, with creator George Barris. A MUST for Batfans!
They don't make 'em like they used to. Is that a good thing?.......2007-08-08
The original 1966 Batman movie is, by far, one of the cheesiest and camp movies you'll ever watch. However, I don't intend to slate a film from the 60's that had kids excited and amazed - this is 2007 afterall. We love this film now, thankfully, because it is dated.
And by that I mean what? Who can not smile and grin at the sheer fun of this film! The fact that its so innocent makes us laugh now, but the bright colours and well-spoken people involved can only make you happy after a hard tiring day!
It would be silly to explain the plot - you've probably already got an idea of the structure involved! But present in the film, we see Adam West playing good ol' Batman, with an array of transportation, from his 'Bat-copter' to his 'Batmobile', not to mention the many other items he owns - all just standard things, made special by the fact they have 'Bat' in front of it. I may be mistaken... he does have a "Shark-Repellent-Bat Spray". Its just as well he doesn't spray it at himself then!
The best bit? Its not even worth questioning - West may come with some woppers, such as his truly viscious "You........CRIMINALS!", but the best scene was always going to be the funniest by todays standards. We see Batman and Robin in their Batcopter, flying over a boat. Batman releases his 'Bat-ladder' so he can try and board the boat. However, Robin rather foolishly lowers him too much, and so he goes waist-high into the sea - Cue a stiff looking model of a shark to be attatched to Adam West's leg, as he gets raised from the water. "Holy Sardines!" cries Robin, but the flustered Batman grunts, spits, stabs, and attempts to thump this shark. Cue once again, 'Shark-Repellent-Bat Spray'. And to top it all off, after a long spray on the shark, its blows up when it hits the water! Very handy indeed....
More laugh out loud moments are included in what would be considered by many now, a rather camp film. Its the truth! Society has changed massively. But if you can find it in your heart to try and treat it as a big-kids adventure, you might stop your self from becoming a Mr or Mrs Sarcastic!
I thought I'd end on some of Batman's most noble & dedicated quotes... Enjoy!
"We must leave inconspicuously... through the window!"
"How lucky it was that such a brave sea animal gave his life for ours, to prevent that torpedo from hitting us. One can only honour"
"Surrender! You.... Criminals!"
"Luckily this corrugated sheet of iron was the perfect retreat from that fiendish bomb"
"Who would dare gamble that we would crash land on this pile of foam mattresses? Luckily... I was able to see it in the corner of my eye"
B.M - "Say.. no more.. Robin. It... would only be compromising..."
ROB - "Of course Batman..."
"Batman to Coastguard - we have have infiltrated the enemy sub, its filled with human jetsam...
BATMAN "Look Robin, another Riddle!
What gobbles, and flies upside down?"
...
ROBIN "A sparrow with a machine gun!"
...
COLONEL "Yes of course!"
Amazon.co.uk Review
Batman: The Movie carries the high camp absurdity of the 1960s TV show to gleeful new heights. Shark Repellent Batspray, costume-removing Batpoles, a contraption that dehydrates political figures into coloured powder, and endless childishly easy conundrums. Bringing the primary-coloured show to the big screen was a natural move, since sets, costume and casting were all in place. But what elevates the movie above the series? Is it the wonderful new toys--the Batcopter, Batboat and Batbike? Is it the OTT direction, taking the Dynamic Duo on location far more than usual? Or is it the electrifying one-upmanship between Burgess Meredith (Penguin), Cesar Romero (Joker), Frank Gorshin (Riddler) and Lee Meriwether (a new Catwoman since regular Julie Newmar was busy elsewhere)? As Commissioner Gordon says, "The sum of the angles of that rectangle is too monstrous to contemplate!" Really, the best of the movie's magic is to be found in the sheer glee Adam West and Burt Ward exhibit in playing for the big screen. This was the most exciting event in their careers. And it shows in their colourful, zestful performances.
On the DVD: Batman: The Movie on disc includes an affectionate commentary from the two stars ("Oh lookee!" says West repeatedly), after which the duo are heavily involved in the wealth of additional material, even recording dialogue for the interactive animated menus. Seeing them on screen in the 16-minute featurette might be a shock, though. In the restored 1.85:1 film print they look much better! Additionally there's a five-minute "Batmobile Revealed" featurette with designer George Barris, a trailer page with some very humorous inclusions and two large galleries of behind-the-scenes photos.--Paul Tonks
Customer Reviews:
Batman.......2008-01-25
I disagree with the review below titled "They don't make 'em like they used to..."
That review is guilty of historical arrogance and condescending in the extreme. We do not know better now, and in any case 30 years ago was not a fluffier and more innocent time.
60s programme makers saw the story of a man dressed up in a batsuit as a bit of a joke and treated it as such, whereas now we know better and suppose that we should be serious about such things - see Batman Begins for evidence of this. The humour here is amongst the best that the USA produced in the twentieth century. It's the opposite of modern po-faced trash, and better, but it is not kitsch and does not need sympathy. It's much sharper and more immune to criticism than any other Batman film that's emerged since.
"Robin pass me the Bat shark repelant spray"...............2008-01-16
Brilliant,Brilliant film that obviously did not take itself seriously,an excellent cast from the caped duo to the fabulous villains,the number one Batmobile that has ever been, a brilliant extras feature the film is an absolute steal.
Hilarious.......2007-11-09
I loved the Batman series in the 70's but this film especially the bit with the shark had me crying with laughter. Just Excellent.
THE ORIGINAL BATMAN MOVIE.......2007-10-20
1966 was, among many other things, the year of "Batman". This campy color TV series (very) loosely based on the classic comic strip, was originally planned for a fall debut. But the ABC network which commissioned the show, had already seen several of their new programs fail dismally in the ratings. Desperate for some promising new material. they gave "Batman" the green light, and it premiered in January. Thanks to it's 'hip' humor, an eye-popping kaleidoscope of bizarre color backgrounds and a cast of "guest villains" second to none: Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, Anne Baxter, Burgess Meredith (the list goes on and on) the show was an immediate smash. Suddenly, America became "batty" and it's popularity was so great that stars scrambled for a chance to appear on the program. Along with its ratings, success came the brilliant merchandising campaign - everything from bubble gum cards and records to underwear and cereal. Inevitably, a movie was planned, supposedly either to introduce audiences to the show (which wasn't necessary after all, because the program was picked up first) or to sell the series overseas. It's main function, of course, was to cash in on the Batmania flooding the country while it was still hot. So, with a slightly bigger budget - mainly to accommodate the construction of the batboat and the batcopter, a feature version of the show was quickly filmed between the end of the first season and the beginning of the second. By the time of the movie's release in August 1966, however, the Batman craze had already begun to fade. The critics, for the most part, dismissed the film and audiences chose to ignore it. And, in recent years, there has been some speculation as to what happened. Although it has been written that Twentieth Century-Fox did little to inform the public that this was a project made exclusively for the big screen and not (as with "The Man from Uncle") a compilation of previously seen television episodes edited into a feature. In fact, the movie was promoted both in advertising materials (trailers, posters, etc) and magazine features as being "All New, Made Especially for the Giant Motion Picture Screen". It appears that the viewing public felt that it was probably just more of the same, figuring there was no point in paying to see what they got for free at home. So, despite mass bookings in every theater available, the film came and went. But, seen today, "Batman" holds up well, capturing perfectly what was one of the biggest fads to come along in the sixties.
Adam West and Burt Ward personify the clueless but virtuous Superheroes - always ready for a challenge, and, as usual, lionized by their puny police force led by Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp). Alfred, alter-ego Bruce Wayne's faithful butler (Alan Napier) and Harriet Cooper (Madge Blake), aunt of Robin's alter ego Dick Grayson are on hand as well. The chief delight here though, are the four Supervillains - The Catwoman (Lee Meriwether, subbing for Julie Newmar), The Penguin (a rakish Burgess Meredith), The Joker (onetime Latin lover Cesar Romero) and The Riddler (a manic Frank Gorshin). The plot, the usual nonsense involving this crew's attempt at world domination, serves as a suitable background for sight gags and pratfalls galore. Meriwether and Meredith are the Villains with the most footage, each getting to disguise themselves during the course of the story. Posing as Russian reporter Miss Kitka, and sporting a commendably convincing accent, the incredibly lovely Meriwether is (understandably) successful in a scheme to lure Bruce Wayne into a kidnapping, hoping Batman will dash to the rescue! Meredith is not quite as able, in his guise as the villain's hostage Commodore Schmidlapp, though he does manage to get into the secret Batcave. And the plot thickens...West and Ward perform their chores with appropriately deadpan dispatch, but, as usual, the devils have the best parts, with Lee Meriwether offering a deliciously different interpretation of The Catwoman, and Burgess Meredith, who was born to play The Penguin, standing out. Batman is great fun both for younger viewers (who won't pick up on the intentional parody) and older ones (who will). "Holy time capsule!" Sevaral years ago, a wide screen DVD was released. It boasts an excellent transfer, Stereo sound and many extras, including a running commentary track with West and Ward, trailers, still galleries, and new featurettes about the film, and the Batmobile, with creator George Barris. A MUST for Batfans!
They don't make 'em like they used to. Is that a good thing?.......2007-08-08
The original 1966 Batman movie is, by far, one of the cheesiest and camp movies you'll ever watch. However, I don't intend to slate a film from the 60's that had kids excited and amazed - this is 2007 afterall. We love this film now, thankfully, because it is dated.
And by that I mean what? Who can not smile and grin at the sheer fun of this film! The fact that its so innocent makes us laugh now, but the bright colours and well-spoken people involved can only make you happy after a hard tiring day!
It would be silly to explain the plot - you've probably already got an idea of the structure involved! But present in the film, we see Adam West playing good ol' Batman, with an array of transportation, from his 'Bat-copter' to his 'Batmobile', not to mention the many other items he owns - all just standard things, made special by the fact they have 'Bat' in front of it. I may be mistaken... he does have a "Shark-Repellent-Bat Spray". Its just as well he doesn't spray it at himself then!
The best bit? Its not even worth questioning - West may come with some woppers, such as his truly viscious "You........CRIMINALS!", but the best scene was always going to be the funniest by todays standards. We see Batman and Robin in their Batcopter, flying over a boat. Batman releases his 'Bat-ladder' so he can try and board the boat. However, Robin rather foolishly lowers him too much, and so he goes waist-high into the sea - Cue a stiff looking model of a shark to be attatched to Adam West's leg, as he gets raised from the water. "Holy Sardines!" cries Robin, but the flustered Batman grunts, spits, stabs, and attempts to thump this shark. Cue once again, 'Shark-Repellent-Bat Spray'. And to top it all off, after a long spray on the shark, its blows up when it hits the water! Very handy indeed....
More laugh out loud moments are included in what would be considered by many now, a rather camp film. Its the truth! Society has changed massively. But if you can find it in your heart to try and treat it as a big-kids adventure, you might stop your self from becoming a Mr or Mrs Sarcastic!
I thought I'd end on some of Batman's most noble & dedicated quotes... Enjoy!
"We must leave inconspicuously... through the window!"
"How lucky it was that such a brave sea animal gave his life for ours, to prevent that torpedo from hitting us. One can only honour"
"Surrender! You.... Criminals!"
"Luckily this corrugated sheet of iron was the perfect retreat from that fiendish bomb"
"Who would dare gamble that we would crash land on this pile of foam mattresses? Luckily... I was able to see it in the corner of my eye"
B.M - "Say.. no more.. Robin. It... would only be compromising..."
ROB - "Of course Batman..."
"Batman to Coastguard - we have have infiltrated the enemy sub, its filled with human jetsam...
BATMAN "Look Robin, another Riddle!
What gobbles, and flies upside down?"
...
ROBIN "A sparrow with a machine gun!"
...
COLONEL "Yes of course!"
DVD:
- Battle Of The Bulge [1965]
- Beowulf and Grendel [2005]
- Blade Runner: The Final Cut (5-Disc Ultimate Collectors' Edition Tin) [1982]
- Bonnie And Clyde [1967]
- Boyz 'N The Hood [1991]
- Bullet Boy
- Cockleshell Heroes [1954]
- Collateral - 2 Disc Collectors Edition [2004]
- Con Air [1997]
- Deadwood : Complete HBO Seasons 1-3 (12 Disc Box Set) [2004]
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