Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Batwoman; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25
Direction: 1.00
Pace: 1.00
Acting: 1.25
Enjoyment: 1.00
TOTAL: 5.50 out of 10.00
Even today, when I watch Batman 66: The Movie, I find it hard to believe somebody considered jumping on this bandwagon, even though the series was a massive success. So imagine my surprise when I came across this little Mexican picture. It screamed out for me to have a peek. And even though the silliness is still evident, especially in the costume department, these moviemakers decided to play it for realism. And it comes off slightly better than its male hero counterpart. Though I did miss lines like, "Someday's it's hard to get rid of a bomb!"
The writer, Alfredo Salazar, brings us the tale of the Mad Scientist trying to create the perfect human crossbreed. He wants his creation to have dominion of the seas, so he splices man's DNA with a fish. It's a strenuous transformation, and his mutations don't always survive. Therefore, he has his henchmen kidnap wrestlers in peak condition. Their disappearances and the rediscovery of their corpses become the police's number one priority. Unfortunately, they get nowhere with their investigations and have to bring in a third party to help them. Enter The Batwoman. In every respect, except for a few principal alterations, she is the female Bruce Wayne. One of the changes is that the authorities know her secret identity. Another is the dismissal of Alfred the Butler and Robin the Boy Wonder. They are replaced by her handlers-come-coworkers-come-friends, Tony and Mario, who work for different police agencies. Will she be able to terminate the doctor's evil plans in time, or is she the missing piece that will solve his puzzle? The plotline is basic DC sci-fi fantasy stuff of the 60s, and it's an enjoyable enough romp. However, it did need more comedic elements. The narrative doesn't cry out for it - the movie does.
Though Salazar provides us with a reasonable tale, the director, Rene Cordona, decided to stay with some of the more camp trademarks of the film and series. The Batwoman's attire is one of the chief issues. When she's wrestling in the ring, she dons a complete outfit, sans cape, similar to Batman's. However, when she's outside the ring, say, walking down the street and into police HQ, she assumes a skimpy two-piece bikini, Avec cape - Thank God they didn't get Adam West into speedos for most of his scenes. Then we get to the Evil Doctors mutation - who I fondly call Goldfish-Man or Carp-Kid. They have basically painted The Creature From The Black Lagoon's costume a lovely goldy-orange colour. Even though it's very comic'ish it's not too fearsome. They shouldn't have wasted money on the paint; he was scarier green. That said, Cordona isn't too bad a director. For a 60s moviemaker, he's pretty decent at capturing the fight scenes - which are better than the simple slugfests of its counterpart. And because the fights are more choreographed, they don't need the POW! CRASH! BOP! Exploding captions.
The actors and actresses are engaging in their performances. Though the characters are a tad two-dimensional, which was the case with comics back then, the cast does their best to instil extra life and credibility in them. Sadly, it doesn't always work out. But on the plus side, none of the cast is atrocious.
On the whole, The Batwoman is an agreeable and enjoyable flick worth one viewing, especially if you're a DC comic book fan - like me. It doesn't make my Guilty Pleasures list like Batman 66 does, but it's a different take on the hero and worth an hour and twenty minutes of your time - particularly on a lazy Sunday morning while you're munching on your breakfast.
Holy Carp-Kid Batwoman, it's time to check out my Holding Out For A Hero, The Final Frontier, and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked The Batwoman.
Take Care & Stay Well.
