BATMAN: RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS (2016) Bluray

BATMAN: RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS (2016, Warner Bros) Bluray

 

Batman and Robin (voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward) find themselves caught up in a delightfully goofy plot devised by four of their greatest arch nemesises to conquer Gotham City.  Along the way, Aunt Harriet wonders if she might just be a beard in her relationship with Bruce Wayne and his youthful ward, Dick Grayson, Batman turns evil and takes over Gotham via the use of a matter replication ray,  Robin is forced to team up with Catwoman (vocals by Julie Newmar), and the Dynamic Duo take a ride into outer space in a Bat Rocket.

All in all....a pretty typical day in campy 1960s Gotham City....

Being a child of the 1970s growing up in the '80s as a comic book fanboy, it was admittedly a dry period for those of us who also enjoy film adaptation of superheroes.   Sure, there were the Christopher Reece SUPERMAN films and HOWARD THE DUCK, but that was about it....

 So, we had to seek solace in television, and luckily there was BATMAN (1966-68).  Much like classic STAR TREK, the show 's popularity as syndicated packages of reruns was at it's height.  You practically could trip over an episode on a daily basis on numerous channels in any given market.  As a kid, I loved the show, drinking it's particular brand of Bat Kool-Aid and fell for the hyperbole laden melodrama, caught up in the action.  As an adult, my appreciation changed gears when I finally came to the realization that it's all an elaborately staged campy sitcom.

Equal parts loving homage and biting parody/ satire of not just the 1960s TV series, but of all things Batman....keep an ear out for lines of dialogue slyly criticizing everything from Aunt Harriet's role in Bruce and Dick's life to the ending of Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT RISES....BATMAN: THE RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS is a fun little romp that manages to capture the spirit of the original show and finds witty ways to poke fun of itself.  It's all good natured fun, and hats off to the production for rounding up the surviving cast members of the original show and giving them the chance to shine once again in the roles that they made so iconic in live action five decades ago.

Adam West: Iconic Gotham Guardian

Things I've learned watching RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS?  It's incredibly disturbing to hear hear Adam West deliver lines from Tim Burton's 1989 BATMAN or those written by Frank Miller from DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.
And, the best line of dialogue...ever?   "Holy Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"

Be sure to check out this little gem of goofy entertainment. ....same Bat time, same Bat Bluray release....at a retailer near you.