No matter what you thought of the last Batman film....

[ctc]

....it could have been worse:

http://www.rifftrax.com/shorts/batman-robins-wild-ride

Don C.

[enyawd72]

Comparing a film made in 2012 to a serial from the 40's hardly seems fair.

I own that entire serial on DVD...it's actually fun and entertaining.

DKR was like attending a three hour Batman-themed funeral.

[The Toyroom]

Apples and oranges...That's like comparing a complete 8-page Golden Age story with a 6-part arc from today that's written for the trades...

[Figuremod73]

I would like to see a modern Batman film set during this time period.

[MIB41]

Yeah. Comparing serials from the 40's to a modern $200 million project today is a tad uneven. But every media product has a quality scale for it's day. My greatest complaint with the Batman serials was it's utter laziness in writing. I can put on my fan glasses and accept the suits, sets, and choreographed fights for it's day. That's all well and good. But when I see Batman and Robin run out into the front yard of Bruce Wayne "manor" and jump in the car he drives, that's ridiculous even for the 40's. And then the only difference in Bruce's car and Batman's is when he puts the top up? Those kinds of things should have been looked at a tad closer even for it's day. The process might have been in it's infancy, but society wasn't that stupid.

[palitoy]

Without these serials, we wouldn't have had the '66 Bat series.

They are a laugh riot, saw them in the theater in 1989 and the crowd was howling. Can't wait to watch the rifftrax versions.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I respect the Batman serials place in the character's history, but they are missing quite a bit to make them truly go over for me. They did give us the Batcave (or Bat's Cave) and skinny Alfred, so at least there is that. I liked Lewis Wilson's costume, but he was a bit too chubby. Robert Lowery was the better Batman, but those foamy horns didn't quite work for his mask, and actually looked more like the very earliest Batman, which is weird since this was 10 years later.

I prefer the Superman serials over these, despite the use of animation for flying. Maybe the template of the radio show to follow helped the Superman serials seem more legit.

Chris

[enyawd72]

I respect the Batman serials place in the character's history, but they are missing quite a bit to make them truly go over for me. They did give us the Batcave (or Bat's Cave) and skinny Alfred, so at least there is that. I liked Lewis Wilson's costume, but he was a bit too chubby. Robert Lowery was the better Batman, but those foamy horns didn't quite work for his mask, and actually looked more like the very earliest Batman, which is weird since this was 10 years later.

I prefer the Superman serials over these, despite the use of animation for flying. Maybe the template of the radio show to follow helped the Superman serials seem more legit.

Chris

I think your assessment is pretty much spot on...of course the Captain Marvel and Phantom serials are the best of them all in terms of quality.