La mujer murciélago

This is one strange little movie.Happened to pick up an english subtitled version of this one.It is known as Batwoman and was released during the Batman craze.Somehow DC comics didn't sue for the use of the name. Maybe because it was never really released in the USA.

Anyway a mad scientist is wanting to create a race of super gill men.He uses the glands of wrestlers because they are "perfect".I don't write them I just watch them.Wrestlers are winding up dead all over Acapulco so the call goes out for that mysterious crime fighter BATWOMAN!

She has the Batman cape, cowl and boots. Only Batman doesn't wear a bikini.I kept waiting for her to pop out of it during all of the violent fight scenes.No such luck guys.

The doctor succeeds in creating a gill man. Batwoman tosses acid in the scientist's face.He wants revenge and wants to make her into a gill woman.Will he accomplish the dastardly deed?Tune in tomorrow!Same bat time, same bat channel.

This is an average movie.Best thing to do is just turn your brain off, enjoy the local Acapulco scenery and while away 90 minutes watching this.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Batwoman; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.00

TOTAL: 5.50 out of 10.00

Even today, when I watch Batman 66: The Movie, I find it hard to believe somebody considered jumping on this bandwagon, even though the series was a massive success. So imagine my surprise when I came across this little Mexican picture. It screamed out for me to have a peek. And even though the silliness is still evident, especially in the costume department, these moviemakers decided to play it for realism. And it comes off slightly better than its male hero counterpart. Though I did miss lines like, "Someday's it's hard to get rid of a bomb!"

The writer, Alfredo Salazar, brings us the tale of the Mad Scientist trying to create the perfect human crossbreed. He wants his creation to have dominion of the seas, so he splices man's DNA with a fish. It's a strenuous transformation, and his mutations don't always survive. Therefore, he has his henchmen kidnap wrestlers in peak condition. Their disappearances and the rediscovery of their corpses become the police's number one priority. Unfortunately, they get nowhere with their investigations and have to bring in a third party to help them. Enter The Batwoman. In every respect, except for a few principal alterations, she is the female Bruce Wayne. One of the changes is that the authorities know her secret identity. Another is the dismissal of Alfred the Butler and Robin the Boy Wonder. They are replaced by her handlers-come-coworkers-come-friends, Tony and Mario, who work for different police agencies. Will she be able to terminate the doctor's evil plans in time, or is she the missing piece that will solve his puzzle? The plotline is basic DC sci-fi fantasy stuff of the 60s, and it's an enjoyable enough romp. However, it did need more comedic elements. The narrative doesn't cry out for it - the movie does.

Though Salazar provides us with a reasonable tale, the director, Rene Cordona, decided to stay with some of the more camp trademarks of the film and series. The Batwoman's attire is one of the chief issues. When she's wrestling in the ring, she dons a complete outfit, sans cape, similar to Batman's. However, when she's outside the ring, say, walking down the street and into police HQ, she assumes a skimpy two-piece bikini, Avec cape - Thank God they didn't get Adam West into speedos for most of his scenes. Then we get to the Evil Doctors mutation - who I fondly call Goldfish-Man or Carp-Kid. They have basically painted The Creature From The Black Lagoon's costume a lovely goldy-orange colour. Even though it's very comic'ish it's not too fearsome. They shouldn't have wasted money on the paint; he was scarier green. That said, Cordona isn't too bad a director. For a 60s moviemaker, he's pretty decent at capturing the fight scenes - which are better than the simple slugfests of its counterpart. And because the fights are more choreographed, they don't need the POW! CRASH! BOP! Exploding captions.

The actors and actresses are engaging in their performances. Though the characters are a tad two-dimensional, which was the case with comics back then, the cast does their best to instil extra life and credibility in them. Sadly, it doesn't always work out. But on the plus side, none of the cast is atrocious.

On the whole, The Batwoman is an agreeable and enjoyable flick worth one viewing, especially if you're a DC comic book fan - like me. It doesn't make my Guilty Pleasures list like Batman 66 does, but it's a different take on the hero and worth an hour and twenty minutes of your time - particularly on a lazy Sunday morning while you're munching on your breakfast.

Holy Carp-Kid Batwoman, it's time to check out my Holding Out For A Hero, The Final Frontier, and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked The Batwoman.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Batgirl is a rich woman that fights crime disguised with a mask in order to hide her secret identity. OK, you know that story, it's the same as Batman's. Indeed, her mask, cloak and car are very similar to the ones that Adam West wears and uses in the classic TV series. Though, this Batgirl is neither Barbara Gordon, commissioner Gordon's daughter, nor any other heroine created by DC Comics. This one is a Mexican pro wrestler! You can call her "Mujer Murciélago", "Bat Woman" in Spanish. Few people knows the true identity of this marvelous crime fighter who lives in Mexico City and works as a special agent for the police. As many luchadores are being mysteriously murdered in Acapulco, local police calls a special agent who contacts her as a partner to solve the case. Off course this is not a great film and does not have an innovative plot, but it is certainly not bad either. As a matter of fact, it is not very different from the stories of Batman's adventures from the 60's, as it is intended to get a ride in its success, although it is much less campy than Batman & Robin series or feature movie from that decade. In Mexican "La Mujer Murciélago", there is an archvillain who is a mad scientist with a dire laugh who lives in a yacht called Reptilicus - very cartoonish, isn't it? Guess what is the name of his assistant: Igor, the same used in many Frankenstein films! During the movie, the mad scientist, Dr. Williams, acquires a Two-Face appearance while fighting Batgirl, but not the coin-flipping craziness. While analyzing this movie, it is unavoidable to mention that Maura Monti, the Italian actress who portrays the heroine with big breasts and long eyelashes, is extremely beautiful. Unsurprisingly, there is some exploitation in the movie, showing her in bikini very often - yes, a masked Batgirl in bikini! -, but at least there are no nude or sex scenes, which are common in sexploitation B movies. The masked heroine, besides her wrestling skills, is also a super athlete and a diver. She also has gadgets and is very clever, like Adam West's Batman, being able to find solutions unrelated to her fighting and athletic abilities. Among the movie's flaws, I may mention that soundtrack is very bad and acting is not the most inspired. Piscis, the amphibious monster created by Dr. Williams, is quite ridiculous (though, not more than the monsters from Japanese "tokusatsu" and "super sentai" TV shows), basically a red version of the Sleestak from "Land of the Lost". The stuntwoman in the wrestling scenes has a very different body from Maura Monti, not convincing that she is the same person, in spite of the face being hidden by the mask. And the last but not least: come on, it is nonsense that a super heroine screams and faints in panic when she sees the monster (who she had already known!)! The final scene is also silly and sexist, but the film is overall amusing, much better than one may initially expect.

From 1950 to 1980, cinema had the world in its grip. The power of film as a tool for political and religious propaganda had been firmly established after World War I and II. In countries like Mexico, Turkey, Iran, and the Balkans, the political and economic climate made it difficult to create a unique cinematic identity from scratch. Instead, they opted to clone the established and widely accepted American/British cinema, building their own film culture upon it. Copyright laws? Tossed out the window. But hey, many of the biggest names in non-English speaking cinema today grew up watching these films and found their passion for filmmaking through them.

LA MUJER MURCIÉLAGO (The Batwoman) is one such film, much like Drakula Istanbul'da (Dracula in Istanbul). While my home country, Turkey, boasts a rich collection of these types of films, Mexico undoubtedly takes the crown. The rise of technology and the blurring of artistic boundaries have made these films more accessible to a wider audience, allowing us to appreciate their cultural significance.

René Cardona is, without a doubt, one of the biggest names in this genre within Mexican cinema. His LA MUJER MURCIÉLAGO, a film that boasts cinematography even better than Adam West's Batman, is now streaming on Mubi in a remastered version.

Looking back from today, these films might seem raw and simplistic, but as I mentioned, their cultural impact is immense. They're a testament to a time when filmmakers in developing countries were finding their footing, experimenting with genre conventions, and creating a unique cinematic language that resonated with their audiences.

Mubi's Turkish subtitles for the film, as usual, leave much to be desired. Hopefully, they've done a better job with the subtitles for other countries. Despite this minor hiccup, LA MUJER MURCIÉLAGO is a must-watch for anyone interested in exploring the rich and diverse world of international cinema. It's a reminder that great films can emerge from unexpected places, and that even the most seemingly derivative works can hold hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.

The Batwoman (1968)

** (out of 4)

Dead wrestlers are turning up in the river and the police are baffled so Batwoman (Maura Monti) is called in to investigate. Before long she discovers a mad scientist who is doing bizarre experiments including making a sea monster.

LA MUJER MURCIELAGO, aka THE BATWOMAN, is a pretty weird Mexican film that mixes action, wrestling and a few horror elements. I've discovered that whenever you watch this type of movie it's best to be either drunk, stoned or suffering from a severe cold. Sadly, when I watched this, I wasn't any of them so perhaps that's why I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the other films in the genre.

I must say that there were a few good things here that kept the film mildly amusing and worth watching to fans of the genre. For starters, I found Monti to be extremely beautiful and I thought she did a good job in the role. She made for a good female superhero and this was a plus. I also liked the monster in the film. It's basically a rip-off of The Gillman from THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON but here the monster is a bright red just like the Devil. The look was cheap and silly but it was at least entertaining.

The biggest problem with the film is like so many other Mexican movies is the fact that there's not too much going on. There are way too many scenes where people are just standing around talking and the dialogue is bad and boring. There are way too many scenes where there's not any action or excitement. You've got a decent monster and a good hero and yet they really aren't on screen enough.