The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) Review!!!

Synopsis – Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted.

My Take – Growing up I loved the LEGO property! You could build with them and imagine them across all genres. The lovable building blocks that have spanned across all genres in their themes you could imagine. However, upon the announcement of a 2014 big screen release of a film based around the lovable building blocks, despite my love for the property, I shared my doubts about the general premise, like how and why? Why not stick to the childish DVD films? On paper, it sounded like a terrible idea, yet directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller keeping their success ratio intact, took a strange and unwieldy idea and created a beautiful world around the beloved kids’ toy, while providing some really funny characters along with a sense of comedy that bordered on self awareness. When a spinoff of the cocky, sarcastic, childish take on the superhero we know and love as Batman was being made, with Will Arnett returning to voice the character; it felt like the studio was just trying to cash in on the success of that film. While most may not know that Batman has been a part of the LEGO film universe for some time now, in the form of direct to DVD releases in films like Lego Batman: The Film – DC Super Heroes Unite, Lego DC Comics Superheroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash, to name a few (spoiler: they are not very good), but thankful for his solo take on the big screen, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are back as producers (as they are busy directing the upcoming Han Solo spinoff) and hand over the reins to renowned animation comedy director Chris McKay, who is known for the Robot Chicken TV series. Therefore, for the skeptical, let me say this – everything is still awesome! No matter whether you like the brooding yet brilliant take of Christian Bale, the recent serious mass killer take of Ben Affleck, the less-serious, quirky take of Michael Keaton, the self-serious take of Val Kilmer, the nipple-suited & miscast take of George Clooney, or even the campy 1960’s take of Adam West (which I personally hate the most), this take on the caped crusader has something for everyone, and by making sure that other than being just entertained you are glad that you re-entered this world. Thankfully, just like its predecessor, this film also successfully uses the constraints of the Lego bricks to very creatively frame the film’s universe and the story.

The story follows Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) also known as the crime fighting masked vigilante Batman who begins his usual day by saving Gotham City from yet another take-over attempt by the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and a host of other famous and not so well known villains, but while doing so he hurts his arch-rival’s feelings by not acknowledging the fact that he is his greatest enemy, instead he prefers Superman (Channing Tatum) in that position. Distraught Joker flees away leaving Batman to return to his reclusive life in his mansion known as the Wayne manor with his always reliable father figure butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes). Being alone in such a place, Alfred is afraid that Bruce Wayne’s feeling of loneliness is getting to him. The next day, as his alter ego Bruce Wayne attends the retirement celebration for Commissioner Jim Gordon (Hector Elizondo), with his daughter Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) taking over the Gotham City Police Department, she proposes that Batman abandon his solo nature and work alongside the law enforcement, to create a future where Batman won’t be needed. Also, due to a misunderstanding, Wayne also accidentally adopts local orphan Robin/Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), who he reluctantly takes on as a protégé. Eventually, Joker comes back with a more drastic plan involving other popular characters from different franchises to bring down Gotham once & for all, and it’s up to Batman, Robin, Barbara and Alfred to battle the villains and save the City. The plot is pretty thin – riffing on the loner, darker Batman who must find some light in working with others and building a family – but it is how this film plays out that makes it fun. If you thought The Lego Movie was high octane and relied on energy, it pales in comparison to this Chris McKay directed film. But, once again, here we have a film that is not only zany and energetic but also consistently funny, mind bogglingly inventive, nimbly structured and genuinely touching. There are jokes for kids and innuendos for adults (for instance look out for the Bat-mobile’s number plate). These jokes are rapid and just keep coming from every corner of the screen. From the very beginning of the film, the witty satire and fast-paced jokes are instantly prevalent – in fact, before a single brick appears on-screen several genuinely funny jokes have been made. The opening sequence is a treat, especially to Batman fans. It immediately pulls you into the tone and style of the piece, effortlessly mixing clever set-up with plenty of visual flair. It made me smile immediately, the break-neck pace keeps up for quite a while which ensures no time for boredom. For me, the film is at its funniest when satirizing Batman’s past appearances and the overall lore; the subtle parody and in-jokes never failed to make me grin. The film as a whole is almost constantly chuckle-worthy even if it does cause few genuine belly laughs. It works as an almost parody, with an enormous sense of fun constantly present. The humor is generally pretty broad though, so even if you aren’t well versed in the lore of the caped crusader you’ll find something to laugh at: be it sight gags, word play, potty humor or sly self-references. It manages to maintain a joyous tone and is a blast to watch because of it. The action is entertaining and cute plus seeing other Easter egg of characters and references from other Hollywood films which was pretty cool and hilarious. Although no Batman film will probably ever come close to the quality of Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight Trilogy, this one does its very best to pay tribute to everything good and bad within Batman’s history (Oh I really hate the Adam West starring TV show). Surprisingly, that approach works to near perfection. Perhaps because of my love for Nolan‘s Batman & the animated series, I’ll never prefer a comedic take on The Dark Knight, but this is exactly what this character needed.

Poking fun at things like Batman’s weird and sometimes unethical relationship with Robin, Gotham City’s habit of being in peril (yet people still live there), the useless rogues such as Condiment King, Batman’s unwillingness to work with others, and of course, the ups and downs of the character’s theatrical runs. One of my favorite things about this film is the chemistry between Batman and the main characters, especially between him and the Joker. It’s clever, interesting and is looked back upon to help Batman develop as a character. The film particularly looks into his character and emotions which also help set him up for development as a character. Yes, the film does have a nice soft message about teamwork and having a family. The way the film even lands on something genuinely moving in its finale is even more impressive. You could make a case for the film’s central theme being a bit obvious when it comes to Batman – the whole film is pegged around isolation and loneliness and how you combat that to form a human relationship of any kind – but it handles it excellently. It’s written smartly enough to simultaneously act as a life lesson for small kids as well as a powerful sentiment to older viewers. The fact that it has a better grasp of Batman as a character than Batman v Superman did isn’t exactly surprising, but what is surprising is just how committed to this theme the film really is. However, I must mention that its greatest success can also be its weakness at times. It does get a little frenetic at times, and it is hard to keep up with the gags. There are moments, where you feel so exhausted that you can’t laugh at all of them. Plus running at about 104 minutes, it definitely feels a little long for an animated feature. I probably could have done with a scene or two cut out as the ending battle did feel it was dragging on a bit. Also, because of the nature of a Lego adventure, the animation tends to feel a little too chaotic and even headache inducing at times. There isn’t a frame that looks unfinished or flawed, but sometimes this type of animation is a lot to take in. The film also benefits from a very talented voice cast. Will Arnett was an excellent pick as Batman. He’s got the perfect voice to mock Bruce Wayne’s growling as Batman. Michael Cera was perfectly cast as Robin, he ended up stealing a lot of the scenes and Robin’s interactions with Batman were not only funny but strangely emotional. Ralph Fiennes was a good pick as Alfred, this is lighter stuff than you usually see him in but he’s game for it. Rosario Dawson was also great as Barbara Gordon. Barbara is given more development than you would expect as Jim is largely portrayed as a numbskull. Zach Galifianakis was a surprisingly great Joker, adding an interpretation of the clown prince of crime that we haven’t seen before. In smaller roles, the all star cast including Channing Tatum, Hector Elizondo, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Jemaine Clement, Billy Dee Williams, Mariah Carey, Jonah Hill, Conan O’Brien, Zoë Kravitz, Adam Devine, Jason Mantzoukas, Doug Benson, Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome play their parts well. On the whole, ‘The LEGO Batman Film’ is wonderfully fun, action packed, unrelentingly funny, and vividly animated feature that is spectacular from the word go.