Description

Adam West and Burt Ward are taken on a crazy adventure when the Batmobile is stolen from a car museum and they must track down the thief and return it. After solving a puzzle, they realize that the clues to finding the fiend who stole the Batmobile are hidden in their past ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Hilarious, Emotional and Action-Packed!
Return to the Batcave is the most funny true-story film ever to be shown on TV. Adam West and Burt Ward are truly the best portraying themselves as heroes searching for the stolen Batmobile. Frank Gorshin(who, sadly, has passed away)is great as himself being the spurned co-star who blamed Adam and Burt for the cancellation of the 1960's Batman TV show, and Julie Newmar is still as sexy as ever as Frank's co-hort. Also, Lee Meriwheter was a gem as the nice waitress who surprised Adam and Burt as the young lady who got an autograph from Adam on her breast back in 1966, and she showed them that she still has the autograph. Jack Brewer and Jason Marsden were excellent was West and Ward back in the 60's during the Batman series. There were some revellations of the movie that was new to me, like Burt(portrayed by Marsden)and a young Newmar(portrayed by an actress)made love which turned out to too dangerous for Ward. also, Adam(portrayed by Brewer)tries to patch things up with his ex-wife(played by Stacy Kamano of Baywatch Hawaii). The other Co-stars were perfect in the roles of the late Cesar Romero, the late Burgess Meredith, Yvonne Craig, Bill Dozier(the Producer of Batman),and the late Vincent Price(Egghead).There was also a lot of comedy as well, like the fight scenes in which Adam and Burt took on a group of thugs in a bar(with their names on the shirts, like the old Batman series), and Lyle Waggoner(Steve Trevor, from the Wonder Woman series)as the narrator who claims the series would have stayed on the air longer if he was Batman.
And Betty White(from the Golden Girls)made a cameo appearance as the celebrity guest on Batman when Batman and Robin climbs the buildings on their Bat-Ropes. This indeed was best way to salute the classic Batman series. Now I wonder how a Lois and Clark reunion movie would be like.:)

"HOLY SERIES REUNION BATMAN"
This was great fun to watch. It takes you back to the glory days of "BATMANIA". Its a movie within a movie as Adam and Burt try to discover who stole the batmobile by looking at there past. We get to see how Batman took off and became the huge hit it was. Adam West is hilarious. Always able to goof on himself in good fun. This movie is for any fan of the old series. It takes you behind the scenes of the phenomenon and shows the reasons in sad detail for why it was cancelled. Great fun

Finally, a Great TV-Movie Biopic!
While not as heart grabbing as "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble", Return to the Batcave serves well as the other DVD Bookend to the 60's TV Batman collection, with "BATMAN-the Movie" on the other end.Ironically enough, there are no DVD's to place in between, as FOX/CBS, TIME/Warner, and maybe a third party (I don't remember) are brutally fighting over sellable DVD/Video rights to the TV show. Sure, we get Starsky and Hutch, SWAT, and Three's Company in Season Sets; but Batman?NOOOOOOOO! But I digress.

This DVD raht heah is from the mind/studio/franchise of Dawn Wells, Mary Anne from Gilligan's Isle fame.She made a "Gilligan" biopic that was similar in format, that is, surviving actors talking, while younger actors portray them in flashbacks.The actors playing Adam West and Burt Ward are very believable. The actor playing Frank Gorshin is over the top unnecessarily. Heprobably thought he was playing Jim Carrey. Heck, even the REAL Frank Gorshin is unbelievable in this pic! Holy Aging!

The Best part from watching this when it was first aired, was the mystery of who stole the Batmobile. WHO??? Muh-wahh-ha-ha!!! Buy it and find out!Under 11 bucks at Amazon??? Whaddya waitin for, meatball? CLICK and BUY!!

Outstanding
Any fan of the classic Batman of the sixties will love this.This is the funny/campy batman, not the serious version it was based on (in my opinion the world is serious enough already and needs more comedy).Wonderful stuff, you can read the synopsis elsewhere, but it's got my 5 stars.

Holy Retro Batman!!!
Before I begin, I will admit that I am biased. I have always liked Batman in his many appearances. (This includes the Adam West episodes of the 60s, the movies with Michael Keaton, and the version with Val Kilmer. Not to mention the phenomenal animated episodes where Kevin Conroy voiced Batman. (And many famous actors like Mark Hamil, Paul Williams, and Michael York,provided voices for villains.) This also includes the animated movie where Batman exchanges harsh words and punches with Superman. I even liked the Scooby Doo video where Batman and Robin made a guest appearance. And of course the surprisingly frightening 'Return of the Joker.') Well, now to the subject at hand. This is ofcourse a reunion show. But this movie really takes an interesting approach. It throws in an adventure, where we see Adam and Burt have to once again prove themselves heroes. Keeping with the reunion, the key to the mystery lies in their past. And they exchange stories of the past that almost never get dull. Some of these stories include Bert's financial hardships before he got the role, Adam and Bert's first look at the Batcave and Batmobile, Bert's frequent visits to the hospital, how Cesar Romero (The Joker) refused to shave his mustache, some bad publicity the show faced, Bert's shattered marriage, the coming of Batgirl, up until the tragic ending of the series. Perhaps the best thing about this movie is that while it stays with the campy pattern of the 60s episodes, there are a mix of emotions in the stories. Some will make you laugh, while others may make you very sad, or even surprise you. But funny, suspenseful, sad, or surprising, THERE IS NOT A DULL MOMENT! While there is a very sad element in seeing why the series was cancelled, we can also know that this was but a temporary setback for Batman. For Batman not only returned in Burton's movies, but he also came back in a phenomenal animated series, and there is to be yet another Batman movie in the theatre soon. Now of course, if you are not a Batman fan, then this movie is probably not for you. But if you are a Batman fan, you ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE THIS MOVIE. I find it only fit to conclude by giving a big thanks to Adam West and Bert Ward. Not only was your series great, but without you, Burton's movies would not have existed, the animated series wouldn't have existed, and the animated movies wouldn't have existed. Maybe one day Batman will put the people who cancelled the series behind bars. ... Read more

Reviews (140)

"Santos superlativas, Batman!"
I was a little kid when BATMAN was finding new life in reruns and I completely bought it. Since running into the show again (right now on cable's TVland), I've been rediscovering the hilarious camp humor and have been enjoying the fun all over again.

Whether you're a kid or an adult, you should enjoy the DVD of the BATMAN movie. The extras are fun (they've even included a Spanish trailer--hence the title of this review) and the commentary by Adam West and Burt Ward is funny and illuminating.
Howard Stern was right: "Forget those other guys, Adam West is the REAL Batman!"

I was initially disappointed that Julie Newmar wasn't involved--she will always be the hottest Catwoman Gotham City will ever see--but Lee Meriwether looks great in the cat suit (and her Russian is pretty good too).

Travel back to the 1960's, feel like a kid again, and find some new laughs: you can't ask for anymore than that!

SCHMIDLAPP
With the release of BATMAN THE MOVIE on DVD - it easily puts to shame all other releases of any other BATMAN movies on the market (save for BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER - a top notch and disturbing noir thriller with great extra's). A clear and clean widescreen transfer of the film with excellent color (everything is just plain snappy and fresh), coupled with solid sound and superior menu interfaces (featuring original vocals by Burt Ward and Adam West)this is a must for any fan of the BATMAN franchise. Highlights on this DVD release feature Adam West and Burt Ward commentary on their experiences and memeories of making both this movie and the series itself - while there are a series of lags and gaps in the commentary, this is a solid commentary overall and will please fans of the series easily (it's fun when Adam and Burt switch between calling themselves by their real names, and then slip into calling themselves Batman and Robin without warning). Perhaps the best feature of the disc is the tour of the BATMOBILE - a car which still has no equal, and still turns heads wherever it goes. The movie is still as goofy and wonderful as it ever was and at once betrays the time it was made, and yet still remains timeless... a feat only a handful movies can lay claim to. BATMAN - THE MOVIE is solid entertainment, fun and and a keeper.

Funny movie!
Okay this movie is very different form the Batman movies that younger audiences may be familiar with but it's still a very good movie altogether. Batman along with his sidekick Robin team up to fight an alliance of criminals The Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, and Penguin and they must stop them from terrorizing Gotham City. This moive is so incredibly funny! Nothing like the darkness of 1989's "Batman" 1992's "Batman Returns" or even Forever but while it's certianly cheesy, the cheese factor on here is far better than on 1997's horrible "Batman and Robin"! This movie is a must-have but mostly for bat-o-philes.

Missing the Point?
I think a few of the above reviews are really missing the point regarding Batman - The Movie. Is it campy? Of course it is! Is it cheap? Yes! Why were these particular people cast? If you don't know, read on and learn.
Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward, was a TV series which ran for like 3 years, twice a week, from 1966 to 1968. After the 1st pretty successful season on American TV, a movie was produced, using the same actors, screenwriters, sets, music, etc. The reason the movie was made was to pre-sell the TV series to the European market. They wanted to make a feature length movie using the same talent and if the movie did well in Europe, they'd be able to sell the series. That's the whole reason this movie was made. Obviously, the producers couldn't make the movie using other actors, cars, etc. It had to fit into the existing very campy, very funny TV series.
The movie is slow at times, the acting IS over the top (most all TV acting was over the top in the 60s and 70s), the plot silly. None of this stuff really matters, because of (and one reviewer has already pointed this out) the sincerity of Adam West and Burt Ward in their roles as the Caped Crusaders. This isn't something they do to keep from spending time with Aunt Harriet. This was deadly serious to them and they showed it. To me the funniest sequence in the movie is the scene where Batman is trying to get a cartoon-type bomb away from various groups of wandering people before the bomb blows up. He runs all around the docks where the scene is set, holding what is obviously a prop bomb with a sparkler attached to it for a burning fuse. He runs to this side of the dock, there's a small group of Salvation Army people, to that side, young lovers, or a family of ducks in the water, etc. All of course, olivious to the bomb or the sight of this crazed man in grey spandex running around WITH a bomb. "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"
Anyway, the whole idea of this movie was to cash in on what was considered a flash in the pan TV series. As ratings sagged, they brought in Batgirl, and as sexy as Yvonne Craig was in skintight purple leather, she wasn't enough to hold the US TV audience's attention, and the series folded.
Over the years, I've caught this movie on TV and usually tuned in, as I remembered enjoying the TV series. When the movie came out on DVD, I bought it immediately, and was very pleasently surprised to hear Messers West and Ward giving background commentary during the movie. Also, the DVD menus and features are fascinating, but you HAVE to remember, ALL of this was based on the original TV series (which had the second-coolest Batmobile ever, but the absolute coolest theme music).
I hope this helped some of you who may feel ripped off or were expecting a more "Dark Knight" flavor to your Batman experience. This was the original, and it kept extremely true to its (very budget conscious) television roots. This is what we had back in the 60s to watch on TV, this or Lawrence Welk.

This shows that Batman is over-rated....
They have done a ton of both animation and live action films on Batman, but the character must have a streak of bad story ideas that come with every film. This film was to put it mildly, very campy. The casting or West and Ward was terrible. They tell jokes that are not funny and wear long underwear costumes that make them look like they escaped from a mental hostpital. The villians casting of familar actors was not much better, they read the same corny dialoge from a script that clearly needed a real writer to make this work, but the film makers never bothered with that. The effects work is mostly cheap animation shots done and put on film and it looks like they used a cheap film projector to do that. There was no art direction to speak of in this movie, just a lot of fake sets that had fake machines with lights on them. There are a hundred other things wrong with this movie to speak of, but the main points have already been made...This was a bad movie period. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Judy! Judy! Judy!
An overlooked gem! Until I ran across this howler, I was no Judy Tenuta fan (all that braying turned me off) but she won me over with her amped-down (and oddly poignant) turn as a kiddie star has-been trying to make a tabloid comeback. Very funny stuff--and it probably plays much better on TV than in a moviehouse, where it's low-budget roots would have been more glaring. Because the movie is essentially a comic version of Dana Plato's much-publicized crash 'n' burn (Plato actually appears in a self-depreciating cameo role, along with fellow former child stars Erin Moran, Ken Osmond, etc.), I'd love to know what was going through the filmmakers' minds when Plato fatally OD'ed before the film's release. Even though the movie is a basic mockery of Plato's life (right down to a low-rent "look-at-me" mini-mart stick-up), there was no way Plato's cameo could be cut entirely because she appears prominently in a poker-game sequence crucial to the rest of the movie. The answer? An end credit, dedicating the film to Plato--an ironic tribute if ever there was one. That said, Judy's performance in a loony lesbian scene and as the star of a Girl Scout slasher flick are worth the price of the DVD alone!!!

Judy can act, and the movie is good too!
This could have easily been a movie of the week on network TV. There is very minimal profanity and is very touching. Judy can act (who knew?), and is very funny without "trying to hard."
The entire cast did a great job. It's a small film, but with a big punch. Some of the scenes were so truthful, it hurt at times to watch it. Judy was very sincere, and I totally believed her in this role. Great cameos throughout the movie. It is like an demented version of Sunset Blvd and Andy Warhol's Heat. If you liked those movies, you will certainly enjoy this one. I rented it (very hard to find in a rental capacity here in Orlando), but plan to buy it. It's a small cult-classic-to-be. The addition of Dana Plato's cameo added resinence and punch to the themes and plot lines. I can't say enough about this movie. It is worth it, and more. Bravo!

JUDY CAN ACT!!!!!
I won't repeat what the other positive reviwers have said. This is a cute movie. What surprised me is how great Judy can act. She is funny, touching, moving, and gives a great performance. I think most of the people who will buy it will be Judy fans. While I was expecting more "raw" Judy, it was a pleasant surprise to see her much more mellow. Many fans will be disappointed to not see Judy being as acidic as usual, but you have to give her credit-SHE IS A GOOD ACTRESS. If you want the bitchy Judy, BUTCH CAMP is the DVD for you. Otherwise go into this with an open mind and enjoy her sweet and inspired performance.

VERY FUNNY!
What can I say? It's a very funny, very cleverly written, very well-acted film, with lots of laughs, lots of surprises, lots of heart. I've enjoyed it over a dozen times. My friends have all loved it too. It seriously is one of the best comedy films of the past few years.

Hysterical Take On Fame
"I'm not an angel, but I play one on TV"

Where has this little gem of a film been hiding since 1998? To see Burt Ward, Erin Moran, Dana Plato, and Ken Osmond playing cards and discussing infomercials (even the director's cuts of those -- "It's colon cleanser...just SPRINKLE it!") they've done is quite a hoot, and that scene alone is worth the price of seeing this film! Ah, when the stars have to come down from the hill and have to live with the rest of us...it's also eerie that this was one of Plato's last appearences in a film with a title as Desperation Boulevard, but there's a loving "In Memory Of" for her at the end credits.

While the Comedy Central TV show STRIP MALL with Julie Brown showed a more zany take on the life of a has-been former child actor, her character was a bit self-centered (though I worship Ms. Brown of course!). In Desperation Boulevard, Judy Tenuta's character of Joan, a has-been former child actor is quite different in the fact that you really feel for her plight, and she is actually a likeable gal. I was amazed to see Tenuta showing quite a bit of sincerity in her role, which gave this film a bit of reality in the midst of silly stunts she tried to get back in the public eye once again. At times wacky, then charming, there's a nice balance that will have you smiling even if you're not laughing out loud.

Michael Lerner is fine as the oblivious agent, and Will Shriner shows some compassion as a former Joan's former love. There are fun appearances by Burt Ward, Erin Moran, Dana Plato, Ken Osmond, Weird Al Yankovic, Emo Philips, Rhonda Shear, and Melanie Hutsell that work well with the story instead of just being a "spot the pseudo-celebrity" type of thing. I found myself laughing hard when Erin Moran had such a look of glee on her face for taking credit for a liquor store robbery that Tenuta tried to pull off! The scenes from the girl scout horror film were an absolute stitch as well: "She earned her merit badge in TERROR!"

Even though the "gift of the magi" ending is a bit tidied up, it's still satisfying and and the hired stalker gives a boost to any scene he just happens to be standing in! There's a lot of heartfelt charm to this film as well as the comedy, and it was interesting to see the mild level of language instead of trying for a hard "R-rated" theme. It has just enough to make it pleasing to adults.

I've always been a fan of Judy Tenuta, and seeing her play more than a wacky gal is really a nice surprise. Desperation Boulevard is a pleasant low-budget escape from a sea of big-budget wastes of time. This one is definitely worth your while if you appreciate a good take on fame and selflessness. Not since Christopher Guest's THE BIG PICTURE have I enjoyed such a take on Hollywood.

Be sure to stick through the end credits to see some outtakes and a tap-dancing Anne Frank play! It has to be seen to be believed! ... Read more