Plot: What’s it about?
Professor Hammil (William Fawcett) has completed a new invention, one that could be quite powerful, as well as dangerous, if the device fell into the wrong hands. His creation is a remote control of sorts, a device that can take control of motor vehicles, no matter who is behind the wheel. As long as the targeted vehicle is within fifty miles of the device, the person can take over the vehicle and do as they wish. This could be used to avoid fatal accidents, curb drunk drivers, or even just keep the teens out of trouble, but in the hands of a madman, this could cause instant chaos. So when the device is stolen by the nefarious Wizard, a quick response is needed and Batman and Robin are called in. The duo has some time, as the Wizard needs diamonds to fuel the device, but even so, time is quite limited. But who is under the black cloak of the Wizard, and can even Batman and Robin track down the device in time?
As a fan of both Batman and the serials of the 30s and 40s, I was quite excited about this release, as I had never seen all fifteen installments of this series. Batman and Robin wasn’t the first serial based on the caped crusader, not even close, but it is nice to see the material issued. Especially since the more recent attempts at Batman have been terrible, so this offers an alternate route for fans. Then again, this serial series is by no means a masterpiece. As expected, the usual serial cliches are present in high volume, including recycled footage and yes, the obligatory cliffhanger end sequences. This was a low budget serial and it shows, but in addition to obvious camp, the serial also a quaint nature at times. If nothing else, this is a welcome change from the recent films, which had tons of cash, but no substance. Even so, this is more for nostalgia then pure entertainment, though serial fans will be most interested. I am thrilled to see such an eclectic release, so even if Batman and Robin isn’t a classic, perhaps we’ll see more serials soon from Columbia.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. The state of serials on DVD isn’t all that great, as a lot of labels push out public domain titles in poor treatments. But for this release, Columbia went back to the original negative and hammered out some terrific work. The image is impressive throughout the episodes, with prints that are quite clean. I did see some lines in the episodes, but these were minor and on the whole, the series look great. The visuals come off as sharp, with a lot of detail and refinement, while contrast is top rate and never eases up for a second. So for a serial from the 40s, Batman and Robin looks much better than expected, thanks to Columbia’s extra efforts.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is no great shakes however, with mono soundtracks, but even new high end surround remixes wouldn’t be of much use here. You’ll hear some crackles, hiss, and pops, but not enough to be that concerned about. Just normal wear and for these movies, its kind of a surprise the elements are in this good of condition. The heroic music, maniacal laughs, and normal dialogue all come through in fine fashion. A few scenes sound better than others, but across the board, the audio is never less than solid. So nothing that memorable, but all in all, the audio is more than up to par, for the material involved. This release also includes Japanese subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes no bonus materials.
