Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Wild World of Batwoman (1993)

Despite growing up in the metro area that birthed Mystery Science Theater 3000, I had only seen snippets of the show until I sat down to watch their full treatment of an entire movie via streaming this week. The prevailing opinion seems to be that The Wild World of Batwoman (1966) is the second-worst movie (after Manos: The Hands of Fate) ever snarked up by the MST crew. If this movie confuses you or you are otherwise unable to discern a plot, it is because there is none! Batwoman looks like a buxom Mardi Gras queen in her suburban hideout and her 1960s beachcomber-couture nymphettes are even more brainless after the suburbanite bad guys repeatedly slip everyone a "happy pill" that makes them dance like Gidget on American Bandstand. There is a "mad scientist" who acts like a Slavic Mr. Whipple, his idiot lab assistant, and something about an "atomic hearing aid." Batwoman's nemesis, Ratfink, sports the same dopey costume as Rat Pfink (look it up) and the climactic chase scene involves (I kid you not) five Ratfink "clones" (actually, holograms) running around a living room table. My impression is that the MST guys-and-bots tend to be funnier when they have better material to work with. In this case, they were funny enough; simply put, I would not want to sit through this movie without their ribbing. (Best lines: "The music sure is bad but at least it drowns out the dialog," "Boy, you know a movie is bad when it makes The Monkees look good!" and, as the movie closes: "END!! END!!") The late (but then mid-forties) Katherine Victor as Batwoman looks attractive so long as she stays in costume (poofy hair, face mask, low bustline) but apparently felt that appearing in Jerry Warren movies like this one hurt her acting career. I agree but not for politics -- appearing in a movie like this would kill any career. 2.5 stars. (3-10-11 posted 5-30-11)