Elijah P
The it's the first one but I love It
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
04/21/24
Full Review
Superhero F
Racist and boring. The suit was trashy. The villian was trying to be just a ripoff Joker..
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
08/14/23
Full Review
Daryl S
This is an interesting watch in the age of superhero movies because I think if there really was a Batman, this is how he'd look. The most realistic fights I've ever seen in a superhero movie. Batman changes in the back of his car. Alfred drives him everywhere. Batman has a finance. This is on my opinion a cool Batman. Set in WW2.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
06/11/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is the 1943 Columbia Pictures serial .. the first depiction of Batman and Robin on the big screen. Contains racist slurs against the Japanese villains in the piece... which is perhaps to be expected as a film made during WW II... and Batman looks very out of shape... there are also some funny bits like Batman losing his cape during one round of fighting.... but despite all that it has its charm.. the cliffhangers are fun and you can see how this serial inspired the 60s tv show.. Entertaining enough that it kept my attention throughout... those fights though... pretty bad
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/02/23
Full Review
Audience Member
yes, this was racist united states, "Since a wise government rounded up the shifty eyed japs" is a description of Japanese Americans! This was released just a few years after Pearl Harbor, but that of course is no excuse. I would take off points for its racism, its ww2 propaganda, and its cheap cliffhanger cliches. The 1943 fifteen chapter series from Columbia Picture produced by Rudolph Follow, directed by Lambert Hillyer and staring Lewis Wilson as Batman, Douglas Croft as Robin and Shirley Patterson as Linda Page as Bruce Wayne's love interest. The serial centers around Batman involvement as a secret agent going up against the diabolic schemes of Dr Daka. There are some great scenes like Batman sitting in his bat cave behind a giant wooden desk. Like the 1949 Batman, the bat mobile is a jalopy, and while overall the customes, special effects, acting and writing might be described as a bit shoddy and poorly conceived even by 1943 standards, it is a hell of a lot better than the disasterous Zach Snyder abomination that was perpetrated on the good paying people that went to enjoy a batman movie!
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The Batman Serial is nowhere near as good as the former Republic superhero serials but still holds up quite well, given context. As this was made and released during WW2, there is a fair amount of racism, particularly towards the Japanese. Overlooking that, and other dated ideals, the serial, while definitely propaganda, works well as a standalone show. It is strong through its simplicity and never acts larger than it is. It doesn't rely on stunts to be impressive instead developing the charismatic character of Bruce Wayne. That said, the stunts that are present here are lacklustre and underwhelming, especially in comparison to other serials like Captain Marvel. You get a constant sense that the producers were trying to cut corners to save money. All of that aside, the Batman was and is still an influential work, responsible for so much wr associate with batman now.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
Full Review
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