The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) - Film Review
Starring: Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson & Zach Galifianakis
Screenplay: Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern & John Whittington
Directed By: Chris McKay
Certificate: U
Three
years ago, practically all of us were left surprised by just how
brilliant The LEGO Movie turned out to be. It became a
great success, and is in the process of getting a sequel, as well as
a couple of spin-off films – the first of which is The LEGO
Batman Movie. This is probably a good time for me to confess
that while I found Batman to be one of the best characters in The
LEGO Movie, I don't have much of a personal history with the
character. I know the basics and all, but until I sat and watched
this film, I don't think I've watched any other Batman film all the
way through, at least at the time of writing. So as someone who has
only a basic understanding and appreciation of the character, how did
The LEGO Batman Movie turn out for me?
In
the LEGO universe, Batman continues to fight crime and protect Gotham
City. However, when the Joker hatches a plan that involves teaming up
not only with the rest of the city's criminals, but also the most
dangerous villains in the LEGO multiverse, Gotham City's very
existence is under threat. It's too big a threat for Batman to face
on his own, and if he's to have any chance of stopping the Joker and
saving Gotham City, he must overcome his greatest fear and learn to
work with the few allies he has.
If
nothing else, The LEGO Batman Movie feels like one
great big love letter to the Batman franchise. It's completely
jam-packed with neat references, moments and throwaway lines to
previous iterations of the character; although given that it was
penned by FIVE different people, I don't suppose that should be too
much of a surprise. I'm not sure if there's a version of Batman that
doesn't get referenced or mentioned over the course of the run time,
and at one point, Alfred even lists off all the different versions
we've seen on screen. Even the 1940s Batman serials get a mention!
Villains as obscure as Polka Dot Man and Condiment King put in an
appearance! While watching this film, you can tell that everyone
involved with it has a huge amount of love for Batman, and while I
may not exactly have the same adoration and knowledge of him, or even
get every single one of the references, to see these talented
filmmakers expressing their own love brings such a smile to my face.
It's also why the film works so well as a parody – the best
parodies have to be created with love otherwise they risk becoming
mean-spirited. You might think that The LEGO Batman Movie has
its hands full handling all these references, but what's even more
surprising is that it still has time to make another ton of pop
culture references to other franchises. There's far too many to list,
but off the top of my head, I remember picking up on references to
King Kong, Jaws, Harry Potter,
The Lord Of The Rings, Jurassic Park, The
Matrix etc. etc. And just when you think it couldn't get any
geekier or sweeter … it's got LEGO Daleks in it! Surely that's
incentive enough to watch it? While The LEGO Batman Movie might
primarily celebrate Batman, it also celebrates a hell of a lot from
geek culture, and as a self-confessed geek myself, I flippin' love
it!
Of
course the problem with packing in this many references, is that you
risk losing sight of things like the plot and sense of humour. I
don't know how, but somehow The LEGO Batman Movie still
weaves a strong and tangible plot, themes and characters to go with
all these references. It take immense skill to be able to balance it
all this well, but it does the job. There IS a story here to go along
with the spectacle, with clear progression and character development
too. It's also incredibly funny, quotable and offers just as many
laughs as we had with The LEGO Movie, and maybe more.
You've got witty fourth-wall breaking over the opening logos that's
enough to rival Deadpool, an enduring sense of
self-awareness, visual gags, one-liners, and it isn't afraid to take
aim at DC's recent lacklustre releases such as Batman vs.
Superman and Suicide Squad. The sheer amount of
big and small laughs, both visual and in the dialogue, makes The
LEGO Batman Movie highly re-watchable, as it's one of those
films where each time you'll pick up on something new that you missed
the first time around. The same applies to the pop culture references
too.
Rather
like The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie
was also able to surprise me with just how much heart it has.
Admittedly it was less of a surprise, seeing as my expectations for
The LEGO Batman Movie were far higher than they were
compared to my worries over The LEGO Movie, but it's in
no way a negative thing to say that this film wears its heart in the
right place. Central to the film is the idea of family and union. At
the start, Batman is perceived to live this amazing life (“It
must be great to be Batman”), but whenever he gets back to his
Batcave, he's the only one there, save for Alfred the Butler. The
rest of the film proceeds to show how Batman can only overcome his
biggest challenges by working with his allies and that he can't do
everything alone. (Spoiler Warning!) This all comes to a
climax of people literally linking themselves together to hold Gotham
City together, in some admittedly silly yet quietly powerful imagery.
For a film that's got a fairly large target audience of kids
(although I'd personally argue it's not strictly for kids when it's
got so many moments that appeal to nostalgia), this is some strong
and relevant social commentary. And our main characters pull it off
thanks to some great voice performances. Will Arnett returns to voice
Batman and is every bit as brilliant as he was in The LEGO
Movie. We also have some new additions to the cast, such as
Zach Galifianakis who gives a pretty fun performance as the Joker, as
well as Michael Cera as Robin, and he shapes him into
one of the most fun and adorable characters in the film, whilst also
getting some of its biggest laughs.
One
area where I found The LEGO Batman Movie managed to
improve over The LEGO Movie, was in the animation
quality. When The LEGO Movie went without an Oscar
nomination for best animated film, there was a bit of an outcry about
it as many people quite rightly commented that its animation was
stunning. If you've read my review of The LEGO Movie,
then you'll know I agree, but that there were times where it
sometimes became too good. There would be infrequent moments
where your eyes would be left slightly dazzled by the amount of
detailed stuff going on on screen, particularly during the action
sequences, and while this didn't impair my enjoyment of the film all
that much, it was still one of my very few problems with a truly
fantastic film. With The LEGO Batman Movie, I found
there was less of this problem, and the animation itself still
maintains all the brilliant points from its parent film. This
includes the attention to detail on the different LEGO pieces,
reflections, mild scratches in the plastic of characters' faces etc.
Some of the characters actually feel a bit more articulate as well,
and the animators seem to have added more expression and looseness to
the plastic figures. Some might disagree, but I found the animation
in The LEGO Batman Movie something of a slight
improvement from the last film.
So
with a lot that goes right in The LEGO Batman Movie, is
there anywhere at all where it falls short of the mark? Well the only
problem I can think of that might be worth mentioning, is some
occasionally dodgy stop-start pacing that may feel a bit jarring.
Every so often there's a tendency for a big action sequence that goes
in all guns blazing, to come to quite a sudden halt. Sometime this
works well to a comedic effect, such as in the extravagant action
opening, which is followed by Batman returning home to his empty life
in Wayne Manor. However, when this kind of rapid change in pacing
keeps happening, as opposed to being a smooth transition, and not to
be comedic but to offer meaningful dialogue, it may start to become
noticeable and feel a bit off.
Overall,
I spent quite a bit of time after I first finished watching The
LEGO Batman Movie internally debating with myself whether or
not it was a better film than The LEGO Movie – that
was how much fun and enjoyment I had got out of it. After a couple of
re-watches and a bit of time thinking about it, The LEGO Movie
is probably still the superior film, but this follow-up is
not far behind. With great animation, comedy, heart, and an absolute
ton of pop-culture references (that really shouldn't work when
there's this many, but still somehow do), The LEGO Batman Movie
is a gem of a film. And if you're still not convinced it's
worth seeing... it's got LEGO Daleks!
The LEGO Batman Movie
9/10