With the release of The Dark Knight Rises coming, I felt some kind of need to take a look at the path that led to what very well could be the most highly anticipated movie in recent memory. The problem comes with where to start. There have been a lot of Batman movies done over the years. Most of them animated and voiced by Kevin Conroy, the same person who voiced the Batman animated series. While such movies like Mask of the Phantasm, Under the Red Hood, and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker shouldn't be overlooked, I feel for my purposes here I should show a little more restraint and focus on the live action Batman movies. But I'd say there are worse ways to spend an evening than watching some of these animated movies. They are phenominal and Mark Hamill as the Joker is priceless.
To start our retrospective on the live action Batman movies, we might as well start at the beginning. All the way back from 1966, it's Batman: The Movie!
Back then there was a very popular television series called, Batman. It was a largely tounge-in-cheek style comedy starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the fabled caped crusaders. In the tv series, Batman played by Adam West, is your classic good guy. He helps out the police, he doesn't swear, no guns, and always has a quick quip to share. And with Batman was of course the Boy Wonder, Robin played by Burt Ward. Much like The Dark Knight himself, he's quick with his signiture catchphrase "Holy_________ __________, Batman!" Just fill in the blanks with something barely coherent and there you have a catchphrase. The dangers faced by villians like the Riddler, Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, or even Mr. Freeze were never quite wrapped up in time leading to our narrator's catchphrase, "Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!"
Despite how rediculous the series was and how mind blowingly different it was to the Batman comics, the tv show was a huge hit. It lasted three seasons because while it was popular, the episodes became absolutely bat squeak insane. Budget cuts also led to poor set designs and half hearted efforts at reoccuring characters.
But during the high point in the show's popularity, we had the 1966 movie starring Batman, Robin, and all his greatest villians. The plot is about as silly as the tv show. Four villians get a machine that dehydrates people and hold the world hostage. So, Batman has to save the day. And he does.
This is a movie that definately is a product of it's time. It is brightly colored, an emphasis on comedy and slapstick, but a cast of acting talent that would make any director jealous. With Caesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Lee Meriwether, and Frank Gorshin acting as the villians to Adam West and Burt Ward's heroes, while a cheesy, silly, and sometimes annoying film, it still has a charm unlike any other. It's the kind of movie that just doesn't work in the 21st century but for a little nostalgia, it's a fun piece to laugh at.
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