Movie Info
Movie Name: The Lego Batman Movie
Studio: Warner Animation Group
Genre(s): Family/Animated/Comic Book/Action/Adventure/Comedy
Release Date(s): January 29, 2017 (Dublin)/February 10, 2017 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG
Could Batman get a family?!?!
There’s a new Commissioner Gordon in town and it could spell trouble for Batman! Commissioner Barbara Gordon believes Batman poses a threat to Gotham and that his battles with villains lead to more villains and more problems. When the Joker and all the other supervillains decide to surrender, Batman must prove he is necessary…by planning to send the Joker and his enemies to the Phantom Zone. Unfortunately for Batman, the Joker has a backup plan and Batman might actually have to rely on someone else to help him save the day!
Directed by Chris McKay, The Lego Batman Movie is a spin-off film of the popular acclaimed The Lego Movie from 2014. The film was released to massive box office returns and positive reviews.
The Lego Movie was a fun movie. It got the right balance between pop culture and all-ages accessible humor. It was a tricky thing to get right and the movie is enjoyable even if you didn’t get all the references. I think The Lego Batman Movie does a similar job but it could be a little less accessible for non-comic book readers.
Listen Joker…do I have to unleash the Kraken?
The movie’s plot is pretty basic. Batman (the loner) finds that he has people all around him that care about him and that he doesn’t have to be alone. Be it the Joker and his evil plans, Alfred, or the accidentally adopted Dick Grayson, Batman learns that his actions affect the people in his life and working as a team is often more efficient than going it alone. It is a positive message and a movie that families can watch and enjoy together.
Where The Lego Batman Movie gets weird is the pop culture references which go extremely deep. There are references to the ’60s Batman (even farther back to the serial Batman), Batman comics through the years, and Batman movies. It expands to comics in general and even current DC films like Suicide Squad (I enjoyed Killer Croc’s “I did something” line). I think that more of the jokes in The Lego Batman Movie will go over many viewers heads, but it is written in a way that they can still like it.
Let’s get retro!!!
The cast is expansive with Will Arnett back as Batman (Channing Tatum has a small cameo as Superman again along with Jonah Hill as Green Lantern and Adam DeVine as Flash). The movie features a ton of supporting voice actors with Zach Galifianakis (Joker), Michael Cera (Robin), Rosario Dawson (Barbara Gordon), Ralph Fiennes (Pennyworth), Conan O’Brien (Riddler), Jemaine Clement (Sauron), Seth Green (King Kong), Mariah Carey (Mayor McCaskill), Eddie Izzard (Voldemort), Hector Elizondo (James Gordon), Riki Lindhome (Poison Ivy), Kate Micucci (Clayface), Kravitz (Catwoman), Ellie Kemper (Phyllis), and even the voice of Siri (Susan Bennett) plays the voice of the Batcomputer (or ’Puter). Another fun casting is Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face (Williams played Harvey Dent in the Tim Burton Batman film).
The Lego movies continue to work. The unique stop motion style combined with Legos combined with smart writing have made the films work. They are completely different from the Lego produced adventures (which have their own advantages and disadvantages), but they excel over them by leaps and bounds. With the success of both The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie, the Lego brand will have a long life. The Lego Batman Movie was followed by The Lego Ninjago Movie (also released in 2017).
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