Batman TV series - Review

Batman: The Complete Series 1966 - 68

Limited Edition Blu Ray Review

 

This collection has been a long time coming, until an agreement was made between 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros there was no way you could watch episodes on demand, aside from catching re-runs on an obscure daytime TV channel. Thankfully the two studios have resolved the rights issues and now we can all enjoy the hit 60's show anytime we want. Not only that but all 120 episodes have been carefully restored to run at a fantastic 1080p resolution and I've never seen the colours pop so much on screen, it looks incredible.

The restoration really demonstrates the scale and vivdness of the sets and costumes

Renowned for it's bright pop art costumes and set design the series now looks even more impressive. The show is literally a moving comic book, everything from the "BAM" "POW" word splashes during fight scenes to the ever labelled Bat-Gadgetry and of course the beautifully designed Batmobile. It all impresses, even by today's standards and very little has suffered or made to look dated by the restoration, you may notice a few more wires on capes now the grain has been virtually removed completely but let's be honest that's all part of the shows charm. There's a few points where the quality dips noticeably, the most affected being establishing shots using stock footage and during some fight sequences, also when the show moves from filming on a studio lot to a location shoot there's a bit of a downgrade but nothing major. I cannot stress enough how awesome it is to see the Batcave restored and it's just so clear and bright now that you can see all the Bat-Gadgets in a fantastic detail that just wasn't available before.

The villains were a huge part of what made the show so special and such a hit

Besides the show itself there is a plethora of additional content, this is an incredibly in-depth look at the series and explores not only the success of the show at the time but also the legacy it has left behind, certainly the greatest compliment a series can have is how much people still care despite nearly half a century passing by. There's over 3 hours of content the features these are listed below.

• Hanging with Batman--A true slice of life in the words of Adam West
• Holy Memorabilia Batman!--A journey into the most sought after collectables through the eyes of 3 extraordinary collectors
• Batmania Born: Building the World of Batman--Explore the art and design behind the fiction.
• Bats of the Round Table--A candid conversation with Adam West and his celebrity friends, chatting all things Bat '66.
• Inventing Batman in the words of Adam West (episode 1 & 2)--A rare treat for the fans as Adam discusses his script notes on bringing Batman to life in the first and second episodes
• Na Na Na Batman!--Hollywood favorites stars and producers recount their favorite Batman memories

Adam West and Burt Ward excelled as the dynamic duo

The Limited Edition comes with a sizable set of extras:

• Hot Wheels Replica Batmobile
• The Adam West Scrapbook
• 44 Vintage Trading Cards
• 32-Page Complete Episode Guide

These are fantastic if you are an avid fan like myself, but not essential if you're just interested in the show. For anyone who grew up playing with their Dad's hand-me-down Corgi Batmobile, it's great to have pristine version where the paint hasn't been scratched away by hours of play! If you're interested in the Limited Edition there's a great price going on Amazon Click here. If you aren't prepared to stump the cash for the Limited Edition there are alternatives for just acquiring the show in a more traditional box sets but unfortunately these are still fairly expensive online, currently hanging around the £60 mark.Your best bet is in store at HMV I saw one priced at around £30.

A standard edition is available as well

I can't recommend this show enough, I've so far watched it with my girlfriend, her 2 year old nephew my parents and my grandparents and seriously everyone of them found something to like about the series. Kids can watch it, enjoy the action and take events as seriously as Batman and Robin do and older generations can enjoy the clever humour and fantastic performances.

For a closer look at the Limited Edition and all it's extra content I've uploaded a few photos of my unboxing in a slideshow below so take a look and happy watching!