Batman: The Movie

Based on the television series, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics character of the same name, the film stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin.

The film hit theaters two months after the last episode of the first season of the television series.

The film includes most members of the original TV cast, with the exception of Julie Newmar as Catwoman, who, in the movie, was replaced by Lee Meriwether.

As Batman descends on the bat-ladder to land on the yacht, it suddenly vanishes beneath him. He rises out of the sea with a shark attacking his leg. After Batman dislodges it with bat-shark repellent, the shark explodes.

Batman and Robin head back to Commissioner Gordon’s office, where they deduce that the tip was a set-up by the United Underworld, a gathering of four of the most powerful villains in Gotham City: the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, and the Catwoman.

The four criminals equip themselves with a dehydrator that can turn humans into dust (an invention of Schmidlapp’s, who is unaware that he has been kidnapped), escape in a war-surplus, pre-atomic submarine made to resemble a penguin, and recruit three pirate-themed henchmen (Bluebeard, Morgan and Quetch).

Batman and Robin learn that the yacht was really a holographic projection and return via Batboat to a buoy concealing a projector, where they are trapped on the buoy by a magnet and targeted by torpedoes.

They use a radio-detonator to destroy two of the missiles, and a porpoise sacrifices itself to intercept the last one.

Catwoman, disguised as Soviet journalist “Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisoff” (acronymed as Kitka), helps the group kidnap Bruce Wayne and pretends to be kidnapped with him, as part of a plot to lure Batman and finish him off with another of Penguin’s explosive animals (not knowing that Bruce Wayne is Batman’s alter-ego).

After Bruce Wayne fights his way out of captivity, he again disguises himself as Batman, and the Dynamic Duo returns to the United Underworld’s HQ, only to find a smoking bomb.

Batman is met with frustration rushing all over the docks in hopes of locating a safe place to dispose of the bomb but does so in the nick of time.

The Penguin disguises himself as the Commodore and schemes his way into the Batcave along with five dehydrated henchmen.

This plan fails when the henchmen unexpectedly disappear into antimatter once struck: the Penguin mistakenly rehydrated them with toxic heavy water used to recharge the Batcave’s atomic pile, leaving them highly unstable.

Ultimately, Batman and Robin are unable to prevent the kidnapping of the dehydrated United World Organization’s Security Council, consisting of ambassadors from Japan, the U.S, the U.S.S.R.

, Israel, France, Spain, West Germany, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.

Giving chase in the Batboat to retrieve them (and Miss Kitka, presumed by the duo as still captive), Robin uses a sonic charge weapon to disable The Penguin’s submarine and force it to surface, where a fist fight ensues.

Although Batman and Robin come out on top, Batman is heartbroken to discover that his “true love” Miss Kitka is actually Catwoman when her mask falls off.

Commodore Schmidlapp accidentally breaks the powdered Council members’ vials and sneezes on them, scattering the dust. Batman sets to work, constructing an elaborate Super Molecular Dust Separator to filter the mingled dust.

Robin asks him whether it might be in the world’s best interests for them to alter the dust samples so that humans can no longer harm one another.

In response, Batman says that they cannot do so, reminding Robin of the fate of the Penguin’s henchmen and their tainted rehydration, and can only hope for people, in general, to learn to live together peacefully on their own.

With the world watching, the Security Council is re-hydrated.

All members are restored alive and well, but continue to squabble amongst themselves, totally oblivious of their surroundings; however, each of them now speaks the language and displays the stereotypical mannerisms of a nation other than their own.

Batman quietly expresses his sincere hope to Robin that this “strange mixing of minds” does more good than harm. The duo quietly leaves United World Headquarters by climbing out of the window and descending on their bat-ropes.