For those of us who couldn’t afford the expensive (but surely awesome) Batman Complete Series Blu-ray set that came out last year, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released each season of the series individually in cheaply-priced season sets in the DVD format. These sets are clearly for the more casual buyer, curious about what this Batman show happened to be that everyone kept wanting to see it on DVD for so long.
I’m referring, of course, to the 1960’s Batman series, the third season of which hits DVD this Tuesday, November 3. Here’s how Warner Bros. Home Entertainment describes the set:
Leap into the third and final season where the felonious and foul must be stopped to keep Gotham safe, and a newly formed Terrific Trio must turn chaos to calm! With rogue wrongdoers like the sly Siren, lethal Louie The Lilac and unethical Egghead running rampant, Batman (Adam West), Robin (Burt Ward) and Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) have their Super Hero hands full. Now completely re-mastered, all the originality, crime-fighting action and arch-villainy of special guest villains like Milton Berle, Eartha Kitt, and Joan Collins, are on DVD in pristine splendor like never before — for those who were there, and a new generation of Bat-fans!
So how is it?
The Episodes: When I was a kid, when the later-FOX channel WTTG would run Batman often, it would always be a treat to see a Batgirl episode, and Season 3 is where Yvonne Craig comes in as Batgirl. The opening titles are different, and the two-part structure popularized in the first two seasons is over, as the show is reduced to once a night.
Yes, the show isn’t a dark and brooding Batman. Yes, it’s silly at times. But it’s also aware of its silliness, creating a show that’s fun for younger viewers as well as the adults who know they’re being played. The final 26 episode of Batman are on this set.
I’m assuming these episodes are uncut because I don’t remember the “Batman in Color” tags from my childhood, when the show was already in its hundredth cycle of repeats.
The Extras: And here’s what sucks about this set. As great as it is to have these episodes at my fingertips, there are no extras on this DVD. Not a single extra. On the bright side, you can order the set really cheaply; but now, I hit myself even more for not buying that Complete Series set when it came out. This show is a lot of fun and even a few extras carried over would help immerse into that world.
Graphics & Sound: It looks and sounds great, and the packaging is fun.
Is It Worth It? For easy access to Batman? Definitely. But if you’re a big fan, you might want to just splurge for either the limited-edition or unlimited Complete Series sets.
