Before we dive into Season 2 we need to discuss another little item. In between Season one and two was a something very special- a full length theatrical movie. Yep, it went into cinema’s two months after the final episode of season 1. The big draw, besides being a big budget movie, was that it would be the first time all four main villains would team up!
Almost ten years ago (yikes) one of my earliest articles was a plot rundown of the movie. It was an experiment and one I obviously didn’t stick with. Still, I already discussed the plot at length so wasn’t sure if I should mention the movie. But I decided it was time to watch it again and briefly discuss it so that this little project is complete. So here is a brief over view.
Batman The Movie
Plot:Penguin enlists the aid of the Joker, Riddler, and Catwoman in a wild scheme to steal a dehydrator and use it to kidnap the security council in the United World Building (The UN, obviously)
Guest Stars:Cesar Romers as The Joker, Frank Gorshin as The Riddler, Burgess Meredith as Penguin and of course Lee Meriwether as Catwoman. Newmar was unavailable, and it always bugged me that the only time the four villains were in one product it was a fake Catwoman. I mean don’t get me wrong Merriwether was really good but it would have been Purrfect with Julie Newmar. And yes seeing these four interact is gold, I wish there had been more.
By the way all four villains have special theme’s in the TV show and those theme’s are beautifully used throughout the movie
Niitpick:That scene where the Batman, Robin, O’Hara and Gordon put together who the villains are is insanely forced. And while I get there are henchman, there are always henchman, why in the world did they need to should “Yo Ho” after every command? Is Penguin a pirate?
Bat Silliness:Lots of things but the big claim to fame for the movie is Bat,man trying to dispose of a bomb without hurting anyone, or anything. And the famous line “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”
Bat Gadget:Thanks to the higher budget we got a new Bat Cycle, a Bat Boat and a Bat Copter. I always loved how the copter is just sitting there at the air pad, waiting to be used. The Copter is on the side of the road, slightly camouflaged! The day is saved by the Super Molecular Dust Separator. And of course we get my all time favorite gadget : Bat Shark Repellent!! Well of course he’d happen to have that on hand. What gets overlooked is the other cans for other kinds of fish. Is this a big problem he has, a squid suddenly attacking? The down side even though there was a budget we still get some real lazy green screens.
Bat Trap:Batman and Robin tied to a buoy while a torpedo head straight for it. Surprisingly the movie had very few real death traps
Final Thoughts:If you accept that the movie is based on a campy TV show, you wont have any problems with it. If you expect something darker..yeah, no. It really is like an extended episode with a better budget and no commercial breaks. I like how since its a break from the formula, the opening isn’t the typical call on the Bat Phone. We see Bruce and Dick were out and had to come home, race into the mansion and down the poles. It’s nice to see they do go outside as Bruce and Dick once in awhile!
We also get more Bruce Wayne scenes which makes sense, though Alfred and Aunt Harriett are woefully underused. I just wish the plot was a little less convoluted and that Riddler and especially Joker had more to do. Joker is the only one who really contributes nothing, aside from placating the kidnapped Commodore. And why did Penguin kidnap him again? I get he wanted the dehydrator but why kidnap the Commodore?
Then the movie is padded with sequences of the villains trying to eliminate the heroes before enacting their master plan. Including an exploding Octopus and Penguin infiltrating the Bat Cave. Which starts the fastest fight ever when the goons simply dehydrate when touched. I always felt like the creators didn’t have the money left on a fight so they used an easy way out.
I do give credit that the stakes are larger, not the usual “robbing some silly thing in a museum” even if it is just about money in the end. The potential ransom would be in the billions! There’s only one big bat fight on a submarine (with Pow!’s and all) which is long but I understand that. The love story is boring because we know how it will end. Catwoman masquerades as Russian reporter for..reasons. I know later it’s to kidnap Bruce Wayne but initially why was she doing the reporter thing? The ending, I think, is supposed to be social commentary but it’s…weird. Like the movie itself to be honest.
One criticism is that there isn’t as many character scenes as the show has. The duo spend most of the movie running from one thing to the next. Which is weird you’d think with a feature film there would be more character moments not less. But aside from Bruce romancing Ms.Kitka its almost nonstop action. Aunt Harriett never gets a line!
Grade:A, it accomplished exactly what it wanted to.. Season 2 Begins Tomorrow. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!
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