Batman (1966)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The Dynamic Duo must thwart a plot by Gotham's most powerful villains who intend to kidnap world leaders and turn humans into dust.
The story
When Batman and Robin receive a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission using the Batcopter. However, the yacht vanishes, and they discover the tip was a setup by the United Underworld—a group consisting of the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman. The villains use a dehydrator to turn humans into dust and escape in a submarine. Batman and Robin must navigate holographic projections, torpedoes, and a kidnapping plot involving Bruce Wayne to stop the criminals before they can cause further chaos in Gotham City.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Batman and Robin investigate a rescue mission for Commodore Schmidlapp, only to find it a trap by the United Underworld (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman). The villains use a dehydrator to turn humans into dust and flee in a penguin-shaped submarine. During the pursuit, Catwoman kidnaps Bruce Wayne, pretending to be a journalist. After escaping, Batman (as Wayne) and Robin return to the villains' HQ, where Batman manages to dispose of a bomb. The Penguin attempts to infiltrate the Batcave with dehydrated henchmen but accidentally rehydrates them with toxic heavy water, making them unstable. The villains then kidnap the United World Organization's Security Council. Batman and Robin chase them in the Batboat, where Robin disables the submarine. Batman discovers his 'true love' Kitka is actually Catwoman. After the Council members are restored to life—now speaking the languages and mimicking the mannerisms of other nations due to a 'strange mixing of minds'—Batman reflects on the hope for peaceful coexistence.
- Original title
- Batman: The Movie
- First release year
- 1966
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Leslie H. Martinson
- Writers
- Lorenzo Semple Jr. · writer
- Cast and characters
- Adam West · Bruce Wayne / Batman; Burt Ward · Dick Grayson / Robin; Lee Meriwether · The Catwoman, Kitka; Cesar Romero · The Joker; Burgess Meredith · The Penguin; Frank Gorshin · The Riddler; Alan Napier · Alfred; Neil Hamilton · Commissioner Gordon
- Genres
- action; buddy; superhero
- Themes
- parody; Cold War issues; international politics
- Tone and mood
- campy; parody; tongue-in-cheek
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; buddy action; parody; sci-fi
- Source material / true-story basis
- television series
- Franchise connections
- Batman
- Reception
- The film was released to positive reviews and was moderately successful at the box office. It is noted for elevating camp to an art form and capturing the feel of contemporary comics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 80% · review count: 35; Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 4
- Production trivia
- The Batboat was created by the Austin-based company Glastron.; The film was released two months after the last episode of the first season of the TV series.; The film features many characters from the show, with the exception of Julie Newmar as Catwoman.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…