This article comes fromDen of Geek UK.
These days, film audiences are expected to take the cinematic Batman very seriously.
Hes no longer an object of fantastical escapism, but a manifestation of societys greatest fears.
Look closer, however, and this camp extravaganza may be a more intelligent film than you remember.
Yes, Batman is postmodern cinema at its most effortlessly enjoyable.
The brilliance of the film stems from that fact that it may be enjoyed on two levels.
From a synopsis, the storyline appears as such.
To defeat them, Batman and Robin must avoid a series of equally dastardly attempts on their lives.
Within this parody are some genuinely brilliant moments of visual comedy.
Meanwhile, the script delivers some infinitely quotable dialogue.
A sparrow with a machine gun.
Beyond mocking the conventions of its source material,Batmaneven dips its toes into political satire.
Strangelove, but the screenplay manages to gently lampoon the political atmosphere of the Cold War.
Of course, the iconic status of Batman owes a great deal to the central performance of Adam West.
In a world of insanity, he plays the straight man.
WhereBatmansucceeds, however, is in a level of self-awareness thats entirely missing from Schumachers film.
In 1966, the world ofBatmanwas one big joke, and the audience was along for the ride.
WithBatman & Robin, I get the impression that the joke is on us.
In fact, a more interesting comparison withBatmanwould be last years anarchicX-Menspin-off,Deadpool.
But where the surface level ofBatmanhad a naive, childlike quality,Deadpoolemphasises cynicism and gore.
The expectations of audiences may have changed, but postmodern subversion of the comic-book genre is nothing new.
And perhaps thats for the best.
Perhaps the disorienting madness ofBatmanstands as the perfect record of that era.