"How was I to know they'd have a can of shark repellent Bat-spray handy?"
"Holy jumble! Where's the hope of the world now"
The citizens of Gotham know that the "Caped Crusader," Batman (West), and the "Boy Wonder," Robin (Ward), are around to take on any evil doers. But what happens when four fearsome foes team up to take down the heros?
The costumed criminals: Penguin (Meredith), Joker (Romero), Riddler (Gorshin), and Catwoman (Meriwether), plot to use their combined skills to achieve world domination! First, they kidnap the oblivious Commodore Schmidlapp (Reginald Denny), who believes he is on a luxury yacht, to steal the his latest invention: the dehydrator. The dehydrator has the ability to remove all liquid from a human, turning the person to dust.
The crafty criminals set a trap to dispose of Batman and Robin... using what each brings to the table:
"I see the way to do it! We'll play each of our treacherous trumps in one hand, and we'll do it right here!"
"How?"
"How? The end! The end, oh... [giggles] We shall spring them from The Joker's Jack-In-The-Box, through that window, out over the sea, and into the waiting arms of The Penguin's Exploding Octopus! [giggles again] The trigger: one of my riddles, of course, and the bait: Catwoman!"
And then there will be no one to stop their plans. Will our heroes figure out the plans in time, or will their future be wiped away like dust?
Who knew Batman could be so much fun? Yes, it's campy, but it works here and in the TV series that started the Batman craze. I like the modern incarnations (particularly the revamped Batman directed by Christopher Nolan), mostly because I like Christian Bale and Nolan, and the writing is good... but I still enjoy the 60s version.
The villains look like they are having a blast, and deliver iconic performances. Burgess Meredith is a sneaky Penguin, complete with evil (memorable) laughter. Cesar Romero's Joker doesn't get to do much, but has a great laugh. Frank Gorshin is the arrogant Riddler, who always has to leave clues "Outwitting Batman is my sole delight, my heaven on earth, my very paradise!" And Lee Meriwether makes Catwoman slink across the screen, while still proving that she is a formidable foe (taking over the role from Julie Newmar from the TV show). The heroes take a more serious tone. Adam West's Batman spouts facts and life lessons with a serious expression, while Burt Ward's Robin gets the crazy outbursts "Holy heart failure, Batman!" and makes brash judgements. Overall, they make a good team.
It's good for a laugh, especially the scene with the bomb... or the shark attack (trust me, funnier than it sounds), regardless if you are laughing at the film or with the film! Check out the 1966 TV show, and it's slew of celebrity villains.
Batman (1966) 105 minutes
Director: Leslie H. Martinson
Starring: Adam West as Batman / Bruce Wayne
Burt Ward as Robin / Dick Grayson
Lee Meriwether as Catwoman / Kitka
Cesar Romero as The Joker
Burgess Meredith as The Penguin
Frank Gorshin as The Riddler
Alan Napier as Alfred
Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon
Stafford Repp as Chief O'Hara
No comments:
Post a Comment