THE

'S

Return to the Batcave

(2003)  Artisan/ Foxsearchlight Pictures  Director:   Starring:  Adam West, Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar, Jack Brewer (Batman, circa 1960s), Jason Marsden (Robin, circa 1960s)

Ya know....for a guy who absolutely hates bad comedy...I really dig camp.....

Not yer typical "Caberet" style hi-jinx....but instead, Camp of the 1960s Pop-Art variety.  I love flicks such as "Barberella", Frankie and Annette beach movies, some of Elvis' goofier celluloid adventures (such as CLAMBAKE oe SPINOUT) for a reason I believe may be too scary to try and figure out.  Maybe it says more about me than even I know...

Now, I'm not old enough to have experienced that first wave of Batmania during the television show's origianl network run (having been born in 1974, I was born a few years too late) but I did become a fan through syndicated re-runs as a child.  My Bat-Story is similar to alot of baby-boomers....I discovered west and Ward's spandex adventures at a young age, when I actually bought into the cliffhangers and the nefarious plots of whatever guest villian who was loose that particular episode, and stayed a fan as an adult because of the sheer goofiness and absurd humor that the show was steeped in.

Jack Brewer and Jason Marsden...in a role they'll probably not talk about on their resumes.

The Plot:  Adam West and Burt Ward are invited through mysterious means to a charity fundraiser for some orphans that is displaying the Batmobile.  The famous car is stolen, and the two amateur sleuthes give chase (imagine if you will the typical episode, sans the cape and cowl).  Then, throughout their "investigation"...these guys make Barney fife look like Judge Dredd...we are given a series of flashbacks back to days of the show's production. Frank Gorshin and Julie Newmar are revealed to be the bad guys, West and Ward escape the plot to do them in, the actors are really (I mean really ) starting to show their age, and laughs are had by all.   The End. I found the scenes with West and ward to be tedious....I mean, I appreciate the fact that they were given the chance to do this film, but the script for their scenes was just terrible.... So much forced humor.

I actually enjoyed the flashback scenes, with Jack Brewer and Jason Marsden as the younger West and Ward.  I almost wish that the whole film would've used this device..they shoulda made it a period piece.  Hell, much of the script seems to ahve been lifted from West's and Ward's books on the subject (Back to the Batcave and My Life In Tights, respectively) anyways.  Sure...alot of the in-jokes during the older duo's sequences are funny, but still...a hell of alot more could be done with this material (theie on-set lives during the production of the show). Not bad...I taped it.  Would provide an interesting double feature witht he 1966 theatrical film (which Fox Home Video recently released an excellent DVD) .  Hopefully, either Artisan or Fox will provide us with a disc of this flick soon.

Julie Newmar, vamping it up...

Frank Gorshin, presented in this flick to have been a real wiseass...bless his little heart.