Movie Review: The Lego Batman Movie

I loved the original The Lego Movie and Batman's appearance in it. So when I heard he was getting his own film, I was pretty excited (especially considering Batman's last two appearances on the big screen left me a bit disappointed).

The Lego Batman Movie is a 2017 action, comedy, superhero film. It's rated PG and is appropriate for most audiences.

The Good

Humor. The humor was brilliant. The jokes were all so funny and original and covered such a broad spectrum of subjects and types of humor. Every single one worked.

References. This movie made more references than I thought possible to stick into two hours. It made references to every big screen appearance of Batman (including the original black & white serials from the 40s), the numerous TV appearances, and several classic comics. It included over two dozen Batman villains from the major players to the minor ones most people have probably never heard of. It also included references to other movies from Harry Potter to Gremlins to Iron Man. It also had references to music and other genres. I doubt anyone could catch all of them on the first or even second viewing. I can't believe the number of SuperFriends that made cameos.

Opening & Closing. This movie broke the fourth wall at the beginning and the end to make a comment on action movies, epic movies, and movies in general that was so funny and perfectly set the tone.

Action. The action does not disappoint. It was everything one could want from a Batman anything (movie, cartoon, comic). I can't see any live action movie even coming close to the level and fun the action in this movie achieved.

Visuals. This movie was gorgeous to look at from set design to costume design to character design. The colors, the lighting, the camera angles, and ever other visual was so well thought out and composed. I loved all the versions of the characters and settings the filmmakers used with the exception of Harley Quinn. They used the current comic book look which is one of my least favorite versions, but that's a personal matter of taste.

Music. This movie uses many different popular songs, well-known soundtracks, and a slew of original songs. The original songs were so fun and catchy. The popular songs were so well used. And the tracks from the original Superman movie was fun and a nice touch.

The Bad

Heavy-handed Moral. This story had a message underneath all the jokes that was literally spelled out several times in both words and images. You'd have to be brain dead not to have caught it the first time or the seventh time. It got annoying fast.

Robin. Robin was obnoxious from the lame character design to the poor characterization. He was obnoxious and kind of weird. With such likable characters, I'm shocked and saddened that they couldn't have done more with Robin. He's one of the best characters in the comics and cartoons. This was probably the worst version of him I've ever seen.

Prosaic Moral of the Story. The resolution to the emotional conflict was so prosaic and tired. For such a clever, original movie it felt out of place and kind of insulting. It wasn't enough to ruin the movie, but it did cause me to groan and shake my head.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish they hadn't beaten me over the head with the moral of the story. All the humor, the references, the jokes, etc. weren't heavy handed. So not only was it annoying, it was out of place.

I also would have enjoyed slowing down the action scenes a little more so I could have enjoyed all the characters and references. It was a little too frantic.

Overall

The Lego Batman Movie is a masterpiece. It was funny, it was clever, it was original, it included so many villains and other parts of Batman's world that we've grown to love. The action was exciting, the story solid, and the pop culture references brilliantly done. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

Movie Review: The Lego Movie

I grew up with Legos and have always loved them. They were fun to build with, but I also loved the story that went with them. When I was young, Legos were marketed under the Legoland name with three worlds: Space, Town, and Castle. Space were always my favorite (especially the Fururon and Blacktron sublines), but I did have a lot of Castle Legos too (the Forestmen were my favorites). Later they added Pirates, Boats, and later licensed properties. While playing with them, I always imaged an animated TV series, comic book, or a movie about Legos and wondered why no one ever made one. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought that.

The Lego Movie is a 2014 computer generated action adventure comedy film shown in both 2D and 3D. It features many big name stars doing the voices of the characters, and features many big name characters from other universes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Michelangelo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and others. It is rated PG and is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

The story was very strong, with a good solid plot. There weren't really any big twists, but the end where they acknowledged Legos were toys was a nice touch and added to the overall theme, story, and plot.

The characters were very likable from the unknown main characters to the guest starts like Batman who wasn't your traditional caped crusader but enjoyable nonetheless.

The tone of the movie was fun, adventurous, and hilarious that stayed true to the spirit of Legos.

The jokes were plentiful and funny with a variety that will appeal to different age groups. The pop culture references many but were done in such a way that you could still enjoy the movie even if you didn't get them

What's nice about The Lego Movie is it isn't a kids movie or a family movie; it is a truly all ages movie, which means children and adults with both really enjoy it. The language, action, and jokes are not too offensive for children, but the story, jokes, and adventures wasn't watered down or dumbed down so adults will enjoy seeing it to. This is a rare--and welcomed--find.

The Bad

With all the hype, positive reviews, and great trailers, I was expecting to be blown away by the film's brilliance. I wasn't. I really enjoyed the movie and felt it was an excellent film, but it didn't quite live up to all the hype. It could have been funnier with a little more wit in the writing.

What I Would Liked to Have Seen

Being a fan of Legoland, I would have liked to have seen them visit the space worlds (especially Furureon) and castle worlds (especially the Forestmen). Instead they opted for a big city, the Old West, and licensed properties. I'm sure the licensed properties brought in a lot more fans, so I don't fault them for that. And this may open the door for more shows that do explore the classic Legoland worlds.

Overall

Overall I felt this was an excellent movie that has a lot for moviegoers of all ages to enjoy. It was completely appropriate for young children while being smart, clever, and exciting enough for older viewers. This movie is well worth your time, and I highly recommend it for all audiences. I give it 4.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn.