I’m not sure what this is doing in the “Movies of the 80s”; this actually came out in the 60s. But never mind.

Probably the fact that it did come out in the 60s and thus has an even greater span of time between it and the Batman movies that follows goes a long way to explain this movie. First of all, it was based on the Batman television series which my brother used to watch every week. And the television series kept to the spirit of the Batman comics, including stylized superimposed words such as “Pow!” and “Crash!” that would flash on the screen during fight scenes. The acting is campy and over the top. The characters are cartoonish and flamboyant. There is nothing about the television series or this movie that even closely resembles anything that could or would happen in life.

But so what?

It’s a movie. An entertaining, fun movie and if you keep that in mind, you might find it fun and entertaining.

Go expecting the granddaddy of the Val Kilmer and Michael Keeton flicks and you are “Pow!” “Holy Torpedo, Batman!” doomed for disappointment.