Clevercell Very disappointing...

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

StuOz The first Batman adventure put on film everInteresting is the word for this...but I personally think the next serial, titled Batman And Robin (1949), is better. The second one had better casting/scripting/action/music. But many don't agree with me and some even get angry when I say this.I once viewed this 1943 version in an Australian movie theatre and the mostly 20something crowd was just so surprised that racist language like this was once used in Hollywood shows. As for showing this serial to today's kids? It should be fine for them, however adults might need to explain to them why the racist comments are present.

poe426 Comics as we know them today owe much to the pulp magazines that preceded them. Case in point: BATMAN. Like the original Dark Knight himself (The Shadow), The Bat-man was a product of the Pulps- although he debuted in what I've referred to elsewhere as "the Pulps with pictures"- comic books. The early movie serials often featured characters from both. This "Natural Evolution" led to the very first BATMAN serial. While the minimalist Budgets were often blamed for the Below Average result(s), it was, more often than not, the relative skill(s) of the director(s) that determined the true worth of what we saw. Thanks to the often atmospheric direction of Lambert Hillyer, BATMAN evokes an air of dark mystery from its opening shot: we see The Bat-man seated in "the bat's cave," brooding pensively, staring directly at us. The camera eases in closer as bats flitter about the cave: we see their shadows on the wall. It's an impressive opening and Lewis Wilson as The Bat-man is believable both as the playboy alter ego and as the Revenge-driven masked man. It would be hard to imagine a better Robin than Douglas Croft: he's young enough (and small enough) and athletic enough to be believable as a crime-fighter's sidekick. True to his True Nature as a man obsessed with setting wrongs right, The Bat-man this time around is in the employ of the U.$. Government (it is, after all, War Time). The dastardly Dr. Daka proves a formidable opponent, but The Bat-man has a trick or two up his own sleeve: when he's outed in Chapter 11, it turns out he's wearing a disguise under his mask. There are one or two gaffs along the way, but they're relatively minor. BATMAN is definitely one of the better serials (though I don't see why they didn't paint one of the cars jet black and affix a bat-fin to it) and well worth a look.

Coolestmovies Bereft of the budgets and storytelling ingenuity Republic Pictures brought to their chapter plays, Columbia's first stab at DC Comics' Batman franchise is a drab, exceedingly repetitive bore, with J. Carroll Naish's "oriental" villain Prince Tito Daka dreaming up some of the most inane--and easily survivable--traps for heroes Batman (Lewis Wilson) and Robin (Doug Croft), who change clothes so frequently in odd places together (in the backseats of cars, in alleyways, even behind trees!) that it's not surprising Frederick Wertham would later blow a head valve over this stuff. Hell, Bruce Wayne's "excuses" for missing time with girlfriend Linda Page (Shirley Patterson) are almost brazenly gay, even for the period. The cliffhangers that cap certain episodes--usually after yet another poorly staged fistfight between the heroes and Daka's goons--are woefully under-realized (a car wreck is heard but not seen, as is a building explosion), usually with the heroes simply emerging in the next episode from wreckage we never saw happen. Skip this one.

crazychap Every superhero has to begin from somewhere. In 1939, Batman makes his debut in the comic world as a violent and somewhat ruthless superhero (He actually uses a gun in the early strips). 4 years later, this superhero, along with his sidekick Robin, make their screen debut in Batman.In here, the Caped Crusader (Lewis Wilson) and Robin (Douglas Croft) do their business as usual when they gradually discover a criminal plot by Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), a Japanese spy who runs a covert operation in the Metropolis's (Gotham City's) now-deserted Little Tokyo. His purpose: to create a "new order" in which Japan and Germany are the two rulers of the world.As far as production values go, it's not worth complaining how tight the production budget was, but it surely was put up to better use than most Republic serials with more money to spend. The set pieces are creative and well done and the costumes are acceptable, considering that this is the character's debut on the silver screen and, unlike subsequent Batworks, has nothing else to back itself with save the comics. The acting is quite good, and the two leads set the standard that would be used later on, and you sure love to hate the villain. Most of the cliffhangers are great and keep you anxious for the next chapter. And most importantly, it set up the format that would be re-used in the sequel serial of Batman and Robin 6 years later and the 1960s TV show, both with significantly bigger budgets but with a little less imagination.I know many people will complain about the anti-German, anti-Japanese tone of this show, but, let's face it, the year date says it all: 1943. Made at the height of World War II, with Pearl Harbour still a raw wound and both the Germans and Japanese represented the rival camp that by then were so close to achieving world domination, so it was definitely appropriate for its time. Besides, you can look at almost any other serial or movie of the day and almost all of them have the same message. That being said, this is perfect escapist fun, despite the overt patriotism, and is a must for Bat-fans and serial collectors. Those who are put off a bit by the campy Adam West romp will be amused that this one is less so!