The LEGO Batman Movie Review: It's Fun, Fun, Fun
- Details
- Category: New Series and Movie Reviews
- Published: Monday, 06 February 2017 08:44
- Written by Lupe R Haas
Warner Bros. and DC should forget the live action franchise movies, and release LEGO movies based on DC superheroes every year. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE is so much fun, irreverent and a must-see for all ages.
The best part of THE LEGO MOVIE was Will Arnett’s LEGO Batman, so of course he deserved a LEGO Batman stand alone movie. Will Arnett is back as the narcissistic caped crusader, and that personality trait is worked into the plot of the story in THE LEGO BATMAN. Batman/Bruce Wayne likes to work alone, but there's deeper issues there than he likes to let on as to why he doesn't want to get close to anyone including acknowledging to the Joker that they have a co-dependent relationship.
The Joker is the main nemesis for Batman, but the love/hate relationship is taken to a new and clever level that’s hilarious, and brings a refreshing take on the age-old rivalry.
The animated movie is jam-packed with super villains and characters from the DC comic book universe. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE ups the ante by throwing in villains from other Warner Bros movie like the Gremlins, King Kong among others. There are literally so many characters you can’t keep up with identifying them all.
Batman, however, isn’t the only scene stealer. The masked hero is bolstered by a great supporting characters with Barbara Gordon (voiced by Rosario Dawson), Robin/Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) and the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) providing fodder for Batman. Barbara Gordon is very well-written as a realistic female character and voice of reason. She's far from a comic book femme fetale. Aside from Batman, Barbara Gordon definitely steals the show and can kick some butt.
Chris McKay (Robot Chicken) directs with THE LEGO MOVIE’s directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord producing. The story and the direction are clearly defined and linear with a great follow through throughout the film. They poke fun at themselves with a funny reference to SUICIDE SQUAD and of course, Marvel is the target of some jokes.
You can get away with a lot more in animated movies especially with light-hearted LEGO-inspired DC films. The filmmakers throw in references to the 60s Batman television show which made many people's day. The best part is that they played with the DC superhero's legacy throughout the film, but you don't have to be a die-hard Batman fan to enjoy it but adults in the audience definitely appreciated it more than their young counterparts.
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE is just fun, fun, fun and you'll be wanting to see it for a second round to catch references missed in the first viewing.