Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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.

"The Batwoman" was mentioned in an online article that ranked 110 superhero movies (it came in 101st out of 110, behind "Rat Pfink A BooBoo" and ahead of "The Spirit"). Out of curiosity, I found a version of the movie with English subtitles on Youtube to see what merits it might have.Well, the article calls it a "spoof" (similar to "The Wild,Wild World of Batwoman", which was definitely a spoof), but I can't see it. It isn't especially "heavy" or dramatic in tone, but "The Batwoman" doesn't have nearly the energy, invention, or humor of, say, the original Adam West "Batman" movie. OK, maybe I'm not being fair comparing it to an American superhero movie. But it also isn't nearly as over-the-top (or antic) as a classic Mexican wrestler movie such as "Sampson/Santo Vs The Vampire Women".People say stuff, things happen, there's a swinging jazzy soundtrack, but none of it is particularly funny or impressive. In its favor: the actress they cast as the heroine is very nicely shaped, has pretty good muscle tone and definition for a woman of that era and is quite pretty, if not very charismatic. And watching a subtitled version instead of a dubbed and remixed version meant that I actually got to hear the actors they way they were meant to be heard instead of the fruity ESL crap film distributors try to foist on American audiences. Every one in the cast is at least decent - they hit their marks, they know what to do with their hands, they remember their lines, they are comfortable in front of the camera, etc. No one sucks the way they might in an Ed Wood or Bill Rebane movie, and the dialog doesn't make my ears bleed. Against: Well, the plot is a dashed-off, hacked-out affair with huge gaps and lapses in logic. Batwoman is said to be a crack shot, an expert wrestler, etc., but neither she or her assistant/friend Robles seem to be very smart or effective against the evil doctor, his henchmen, or his monster. (At two different points, Robles has his pistol out, but chooses to tackle the monster by hand, and all Batwoman ever seems to do against it is scream and faint). In an charming touch, Batwoman chooses to fight crime in a skimpy bikini, but puts on MORE clothing when she wrestles in the ring.(I think this was actually a stand-in.) Don't expect much from the wrestling subtext here, by the way;the scenes are shot from a long way away, and the matches are short and indistinguishable from a million other luchadore matches. I give "The Batwoman" an extra star because it's fun to see how another pop culture genre approaches something like this and it's mildly refreshing to see Mexican B movie tropes being deployed instead of American ones. And in spite of several long, draggy scenes, the movie was fairly short and didn't overstay its welcome.

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.

I bought this after catching the last 5 minutes on TV and thinking it looked like fun. How wrong I was. It's a poor Mexican film thrown together quick to try to cash in on the popularity of the American TV show "Batman." But it has none of the excitement and adventure or even campy humor of that show - and definitely none of the budget.I don't mind genre potboilers - but this one never gets even lukewarm. Car chases and spy scenes seem to go on forever. This is the longest I've ever seen it take for 79 minutes to go by. Much of the first half is so lackluster and dull it's unwatchable.It does have woman wrestler Maura Monti as 'batwoman.' Her costume is most often a blue bikini that matches her cape, cowl, and boots. She is quite physically blessed, and does fill out the skimpy bikini spectacularly in all possible directions. It isn't enough to save the movie from being awful. Batwoman has a 2nd, less revealing costume, gray tights with blue shorts and yellow belt. No bat insignias appear anywhere on either outfit, a budget pinch clearly inspired by those pesky things called copyright laws. If it wasn't for the enduring popularity of Adam West's Batman, whose costume is cheaply copied here, from our modern vantage point it might not even be clear what character she's a rip-off of. Things almost work up to the level of cheesy fun in the second half, with a mad scientist-made sea monster who looks like something from "Land of the Lost" that had an encounter with a can of red spray-paint. In a dismal anti-climax, Batwoman never fights him. It's all done so slapdash, low-budget and zero enthusiasm, I only counted one close-up of her face - the main character. The only moments of interest are Batwoman parading around in her bikini or tights, offering front and back views. If you're a heterosexual man you might enjoy Ms. Monti, but if you have a wife she'll probably be unhappy if she catches you watching this, as it is painfully obvious Ms. Monti's figure is the sole attraction. Some movies become obscure or forgotten because few people who saw them wanted to do so again, and I strongly suspect that's what happened to "La Mujer Murcielago." The only copy I could find was from Rare Movie Depot; it was taped off a telecast and the logo for that is on display in the upper right-hand corner throughout. They claimed it had English subtitles (it's in Spanish) but it doesn't. If your enthusiasm for all things 60's Batman and healthy women in bikinis tempts you to buy this, I'd recommend instead heading to any populated sunny beach, bringing a Batman mask, and asking a girl to model it for you. Not worth the time it takes to watch by any standard.