Adam West-TV Icon Has Left the Batcave

Adam West passed away at 88 and with him a piece of my childhood. I remember in 1966 watching  a new TV show called Batman with the Penguin and it ended with a cliffhanger to be continued the very next day. It was campy. It was exciting and so much fun-nothing like it on TV at the time. I was hooked. Adam West was always Batman for me even after the show fizzled out in three seasons with his honest, decent characterization of the caped crusader. West worked steadily for decades on TV and movies especially voice-over work, but the curse of being type cast followed him later in his career. Then he learned to embrace the fame and fortune it brought him.

I met him at the 2004 SuperMegafest convention in Hunt Valley featuring stars of yesteryear, and he was a bit eccentric and aloof-a bit of an enigma compared to the accessibility of most other celebs. Still, it was a thrill to meet a boyhood star. Now he is gone and I still have my Batman DVDs (Season One is the absolute best, please!) to reminisce..."Pow, Wham, Splat!"

WONDER WOMAN-A Heroine for the Ages

Director Patty Jenkins (Monster) has delivered an exceptional movie version of the DC comic super hero, Wonder Woman, and Gal Gadot embodies the role perfectly making this one of the most satisfying comic adaptations in either DC or Marvel universe.

Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman, reminisces about her youth as she trains as an Amazon warrior like her mother on a mythical, hidden island. When World War I brings an American, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), stumbling upon their paradise, it creates a deadly threat from the Germans and a supreme antagonist.  

What is refreshing about this heroine as opposed to the Lara Croft series (besides a nice dash of humor) is a lead character who enters the outside world with wide eyed innocence without ever losing her humanity or empathy. There are striking parallels to Captain America as we see the establishment and maturation of an iconic hero with enhanced powers fighting evil forces. Both characters believe in the greater good of mankind.

Some remarkable action scenes highlight Diana’s primal strengths and abilities against modern weaponry especially when she crosses a ‘no mans’s land’ battlefield.  It is fascinating how the film breaks stereotypes and the sexism that was pervasive back in 1917 London, (impressively recreated with period sets and costumes.)

The cast is uniformly solid with Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen as elder Amazons, and Pine is a standout as the noble soldier who shows Diana the ways of the modern world. But the film stands on Gadot’s shoulders, and she manages the emotional and physical demands of a ground breaking female character done ‘justice’ by a female director.

A classic tale of good versus evil, Wonder Woman is a fully realized comic book hero that sets the bar rather high for subsequent comic adaptations. (FYI, there are no post credit scenes.)

***1/2 of **** stars (add ½* for DC comic fans)