Batman: The Movie

Review by Jason Gaston

When talking about Batman, it wouldn't be fair to start with Tim Burton's brooding anti-hero. Instead, you must go all the way back to the swinging sixties when pot-bellied Adam West bore the sign of the bat and the leggy man-child Burt Ward flew beside him as Robin.

The story of the appropriately titled Batman: The Movie is simple. So simple, even a child could understand that. So simple, a child could have probably written it. The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Riddler have teamed up and, armed with a dehydrator beam, they intend to turn the world congress into powder and hold the whole bickering lot of them hostage.

Interestingly, Batman: The Movie was supposed to have been released in theaters before the advent of the sixties Batman television series. Instead, it was actually released the summer after the first season making Batman one of a handful of television series to have a big screen adventure while the series was still on the air. Something that, years later, Batman: The Animated Series did with Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Holy camp, Batman! This movie is about as cornball as they come but, then again, nothing can be this campy without intending to be. That's where much of the humor of Batman: The Movie comes in. From the hammed up performances of the bat-villains to the strange spacey method acting of Adam West, Batman: The Movie is a bizarre, campy, and kid friendly treat for the whole family.

Besides any movie where Batman asks for a can of Bat-Shark repellant and manages to keep a straight face while doing it... you know it has to be a good time... even if it is a little dumb.