‘The Lego Batman Movie:’ it’s not just for kids
Photo By: denofgeek.com
By Chase McNaughton// Staff Writer
The highly anticipated spinoff to“The Lego Movie,” “The Lego Batman Movie,” did not disappoint audience members by any means. I would first like to say that I find it unbearably sad that a children’s movie is a far superior film than the multimillion-dollar, live-action DC Universe films like “Man of Steel,” “Batman v. Superman” and “Suicide Squad” (fingers crossed for a “Justice League” film). And while we have been besieged in recent years with one dark spirited Batman movie after another, “The Lego Batman Movie” is a fun, satirical, heartwarming movie that is just fun to watch. Whether you are a fan of Batman or not, I encourage people of all ages to give it a go. The movie centers on a narcissistic Batman who loves his butt-kicking life, but is now moping around his mansion dealing with that fact that he does not have a family. What he, and ultimately the audience, learns over the course of the movie is that we can’t do everything by ourselves; we learn that working with a team and having a family is much more fun and fulfilling than doing it alone. Overall, this is a positive message for kids and adults alike.
As expected, the animation style in “The Lego Batman Movie” is just as incredible as “The Lego movie.” It is fast, cartoony, detailed and satisfyingly over the top. It’s truly amazing how the animation looks like actual Legos instead of computer graphics.
The voice acting in this film is also quite good. Will Arnett as Batman is on-point and delivers a very satirical yet authentic Batman voice. Michael Cera as Robin was my biggest concern before I saw the movie as he was portrayed as quite obnoxious in the trailers. Instead, I found him to be very likable as the needy orphan who is so star-struck with his hero that he infiltrates himself into Batman’s life. Robin is genuinely funny and probably got the most laughs from the audience.
My only complaint was Zac Galifianakis as the Joker. Granted, Mark Hamill, the original voice of the Joker from the Batman Animated Series, has set the bar pretty high. However, I felt like Galifianakis put in little to no effort. There was no real transformation of his voice so it was difficult for me to get into the menacing persona of the Joker.
The humor in this movie, on the other hand, hit a lot of bull’s eyes. This movie has clever jokes from beginning to end, and a lot of them had me laughing out loud. It is covered with Easter eggs and references for the hardcore Batman fans to enjoy. Reference jokes can be comedy poison as they can often make the movie feel dated and out of touch. The Lego movies, however, do their reference jokes quite well because they are making fun of the reference instead of the reference itself being the punch line. Do not worry, though, not all jokes in this movie are Batman related. However, if you are someone who hates reference jokes, then this movie might not be for you because there are a ton of them scattered throughout its dialogue.
On paper, these Lego movies should never have worked. As product placement children’s movies about plastic toy building bricks, it’s difficult to imagine these films would appeal to anyone other than eight-year-old boys. But, through technical achievement, colorful and creative animation, solid character development, clever humor and a positive message, Warner Brothers has managed to create not just one, but two box office successes with the Lego franchise. “The Lego Batman Movie” is a smart kids movie that viewers of all ages will enjoy. Even the most extreme comic books fans should be satisfied with its effort and loyalty to Batman.