Review of Batman and Robin (1949) by Oliver G — 16 Jan 2018

Batman and Robin is a 1949 fifteen chapter serial film released by Columbia Pictures that is a followup to the 1943 Batman. Batman/Bruce Wayne is played by Robet Lowery and Johnny Duncan as Robin, Jane Adams as Vicki Vale and Lyle Talbot as commissioner Gordon.

"Batman and Robin" is fun to watch as the cape crusader and boy wonder run around in what looks like home made costumes and their bat mobile Jalopy. I actually liked this movie better than B v S and the rest of the Snyder disaster films.

The villain, "The Wizard" steals a machine that can control animate objects through radio wave remote control. It requires some suspension of belief as he remote controls a stick or blows up a plane.

Batman and Robin are played as detectives. Robin is seen playing with a chemistry set in the bat cave, his acting is a bit strange, and he comes across more like a sullen henchmen. In good robin fashion he is often beat up.

Lowry's batman is a bit wooden, and delivers his lines in a dry manner as if he has just looked at them for the first time, the sets are reused and the locations are bad. Batman and Robin act more like cops in costume, and batman often gets tangled in his cape when throwing his punches.

His bat ears often droop off his cowl giving his head a strange doglike appearance and at times it appears that he has to tilt is head upward to see out of his eye holes. Just like Batman and Robin Clooney version, the villain needs diamonds to power his evil machine, and both films are similar in the poorly executed, silly performances that are given.

The idea however of an evil doppelgänger Batman, who also has an underground lair, is a millionaire and lives in a mansion has merit. Overall, I recommend this film as fun entertainment.