Adam West

  • Batman: The Movie (1966)

    Batman: The Movie (1966)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Second Viewing, July 2020) I recall seeing both Batman: The Movie and the TV series as a kid, and while I haven’t seen the TV series since roughly that time, it’s easy to go right back in the consciously campy tone of the film. The film’s bigger budget, compared to the TV series, means a few expansive exterior shots and slightly better production values. But the core remains the silliness—it’s ridiculous, intentionally ridiculous, consciously ridiculous and everyone is out to make it as ridiculous as possible. The plot is clearly not supposed to make sense: Highlights include the shark and the bomb, of course, which I remembered from decades ago. But what I did not remember were the dehydration or the heavy water or the deadpan delivery of inane dialogue that made it all better. The film also features a good opportunity to see some of the classic villains (Cesar Romeo’s Joker, notably—too bad it’s not the Eartha Kitt Catwoman) in high-definition widescreen alongside Adam West and Burt Ward. All in all, Batman: The Movie is an exemplary camp classic: inane in all the right ways.

  • Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

    Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, February 2020) One amusing quirk of Batman’s decades-long history is not only the variety of interpretations of the characters according to the obsessions of their era, but the relationship the franchise has had with those earlier portrayals. The grimdark Batman of the 1980s and 1990s would barely acknowledge the wildly different interpretations of the 1960s, whereas corporate overseers of the 2010s seemed positively eager to showcase the Adam West Batman alongside the others. (But not in the same movies—that would be weird.) That, I guess, is how we end up with the Batman ’66 comic books and the animated Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. Produced just in time to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of that Batman era and record West’s voice alongside Burt Ward (as Robin) and Julie Newmar (as Catwoman), it’s a conscious homage that generally succeeds. Being able to rely on animation and original voices is a clever way to revive that Batman era, and being able to self-consciously write in a campy tone is just purr-fect. There’s a fun blend of upbeat earnestness, conscious homage and competent filmmaking here that works really well. It’s a welcome counterpoint to many more downbeat takes on the Batman mythos, and that’s why I wouldn’t count on Return of the Caped Crusaders remaining an only-once revival of that specific era.