The hilarious“Batman- The Movie” gets a nice Blu-ray release.

The logline: Batman and Robin must save the United States Security Council (and the world) from the evil clutches of the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman and the Penguin.

Most of us view Batman as the caped crusader who saves the grungy Gotham City from villainous scum. However, before Christopher Nolan/Tim Burton’s “Batman” and Frank Miller’s popular “Batman” graphic novels, there was the campy “Batman” TV show that starred the legendary Adam West. The show was flat out goofy, but it was a huge hit and even inspired a theatrical film (AKA “Batman-The Movie”). Since “The Dark Knight” is a mere few weeks from release, the folks over at Fox are releasing the classic “Batman- The Movie” on Blu-ray and it’s a real treat for fans.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this film before, you should definitely check it out. The movie is riddled with witty one-liners and laugh out loud sight gags involving a giant bomb and a shark. The great ensemble cast is also worth noting. The best cast member is without a doubt Burgess Meredith as the Penguin. He completely nails the character and his mannerisms, and I doubt we will ever see anyone else who can capture the character (Danny DeVito certainly did not). The other scene stealers are the stars themselves (Burt Ward and Adam West). The two clearly give the roles their all and they seem to have a blast playing the parts.

Holy impressive transfer, Batman! The 1.85:1 1080P widescreen picture was far better than I thought it would be. Sure, the picture is grainy at times, but a lot of the scenes have been really been cleaned up. This is certainly one of the nicest transfers for a classic title I have seen on Hi-Def thus far.

The DTS HD 5.1 Lossless audio track is also worthy of praise. Not only does the dialogue and action sound clear, but every ‘Pow’ and ‘Bang’ has more oomph to them than ever before.

Extras:

* Still galleries, theatrical trailer and a teaser trailer.

* 3 nifty Blu-ray exclusives: “Holy Trivia Track, Batman!”, “The Batmobile Interactive Tour,” and “Batman On Location: Mapping The Movie.”

* Commentary by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr.

* A fun-filled commentary by Burt Ward and Adam West that is a must listen for fans.

* “Gotham City’s Most Wanted” is a featurette on the villains.

* “Caped Crusaders: A Heroes Tribute”- A featurette on Batman and Robin and their colorful costumes.

* “The Batmobile Revealed”- An informative featurette on the famed vehicle.

* “2001 Featurette” about the 25th anniversary of “Batman- The Movie.”

* An exhaustive documentary titled “Batman: A Dynamic Legacy”