“The first lesson is... LIFE DOESN'T GIVE YOU SEATBELTS!!!”
- Batman (voice of Will Arnett), The LEGO Batman Movie
It's often said - correctly - that Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed character in all popular media. Conan Doyle created a detective with a sharp critical mind and unparalleled wit and the world fell in everlasting love with the character. Perhaps this is why comic book co-creator Bob Kane directly drew from Holmes in creating the Caped Crusader Batman. From his initial conception in 1939 to now almost 80 years later, Batman has become just as iconic (if not more so) than the famous inhabitant of 221B Baker Street. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the silver screen.
From Adam West to Ben Affleck, there have been many, many interpretations of this classic character; some iconic, some infamous - but all of them memorable in one way or another. But in 2014, a new take on the character was introduced in The LEGO Movie. This Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, was bold, confident and a bit of an egotist. As well as a sick rapper, yo ("DARKNESS!!! NO PARENTS!!!"). The kind of guy who would seemingly skip out on his best girl to go hang with Han Solo and Chewbacca if given the opportunity. LEGO Movie became a huge success for Warner Bros., and they naturally wanted to do more; just as they were getting back into the DC superhero business (and from then to now have failed miserably).
Batman (voice of Will Arnett) is the number-one protector of Gotham City because, frankly, no one else can do it better. Or at least, that is what he keeps telling himself. After telling the Joker (voice of Zach Galifianakis) that he does not matter to him, the Clown Prince of Crime sets a plan into motion to make chaos for the people of Gotham unless Batman truly reveals how much he means to him. At the same time, Batman has to deal with a new adopted son in the endlessly energetic form of young Dick Grayson (voice of Michael Cera) and is pressured to make an honest effort out of raising him by his faithful butler, Alfred (voice of Ralph Fiennes). Another vital distraction is the entrance of Barbara Gordon (voice of Rosario Dawson), Gotham's new Police Commissioner who gives Batman an ultimatum: either join up with the police force in protecting the law or give up his life of vigilantism. And worst of all, Batman may just have to admit to himself that being alone is not the best way to live one's life.
This film is thoroughly hilarious and entertaining. Rotten Tomatoes has it listed as the highest rated DC Comics movie since 2008's The Dark Knight, and yeah, that is a fair assessment. Is it smart though? As only Chris Rock can say in his inimitable style, "Not really." What The LEGO Movie had that The LEGO Batman Movie lacks is the screenwriting talents of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Granted, they are listed in the credits as producers and I am sure they had some creative control - but distanced (as they are naturally across the Atlantic readying the new Han Solo-themed Star Wars movie). It has been pointed out numerous times that Lord and Miller have an uncanny knack for taking bad or potentially ill-conceived ideas for films and consistently knocking each one out of the park. The movie is a fast-paced joke-after-joke-after-joke movie and while a lot of them land, a lot also fall a bit flat. Lord and Miller, with enough time and thought, could pace out each joke so the punchline lands succinctly. This movie has SIX screenwriters, including the guy who gave the world Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. How this movie is any good with that kind of pedigree is beyond me. But it is very, very good.
One of my favorite video games of recent is "LEGO Dimensions". It is a thoroughly entertaining game where pop culture universes collide in LEGO form. Marty McFly can hang out with Dr. Peter Venkman in Springfield. Superman can chill with Scooby-Doo in Middle-Earth. Any of the Doctors of "Doctor Who" can take a joyride in Doc Brown's DeLorean in Metropolis. It is continually adding to its content, adding in franchises like the Mission: Impossible films, "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider". Taking more than a cue from this game, The LEGO Batman Movie brings in villains from other popular Warner Bros.-owned media, but then really does not do anything with them other than they are a part of Joker's army. You have Seth Green playing King Kong, a role which you can imagine would be taken with great comedic possibilities and really does not deliver. It is certainly not Seth's fault, but it is lacking in imagination on part of the filmmakers. He is certainly not alone; there are quite a few notable names in today's comedic world that are in the film as Batman's rogues' gallery but are only limited to one or two lines at best. They even went to the trouble of giving Billy Dee Williams the opportunity to play Two-Face after being denied the chance after playing Harvey Dent in the original 1989 Batman. The design of his character looks really great, but he is almost not even in the movie. Conan O'Brien plays the Riddler and I would not blame you if you did not know that unless you looked at the end credits. Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity is Ralph Fiennes as Alfred facing off against Lord Voldemort... previously played by Ralph Fiennes. I do hope these LEGO movies continue to crossover characters, but I only ask for some sense of logic and imagination into bringing these characters to life.
I know this review certainly sounds negative, but I am only offering some constructive criticism (pun not intended). I really did enjoy this movie. It is a welcome break from the dark and dour DCEU movies and it is a great-looking animated movie. Animal Logic is a powerhouse animation studio, one that can really give Disney and Pixar a run for their money while DreamWorks and Blue Sky continually humiliate themselves (at least The Peanuts Movie was darn good). Another LEGO movie is due later this year centered around the popular LEGO world of Ninjago, and I certainly hope for the best. In this movie's case, all the pieces click together, but I only wish the filmmakers had read more of the instructions (pun intended).
It's often said - correctly - that Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed character in all popular media. Conan Doyle created a detective with a sharp critical mind and unparalleled wit and the world fell in everlasting love with the character. Perhaps this is why comic book co-creator Bob Kane directly drew from Holmes in creating the Caped Crusader Batman. From his initial conception in 1939 to now almost 80 years later, Batman has become just as iconic (if not more so) than the famous inhabitant of 221B Baker Street. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the silver screen.
From Adam West to Ben Affleck, there have been many, many interpretations of this classic character; some iconic, some infamous - but all of them memorable in one way or another. But in 2014, a new take on the character was introduced in The LEGO Movie. This Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, was bold, confident and a bit of an egotist. As well as a sick rapper, yo ("DARKNESS!!! NO PARENTS!!!"). The kind of guy who would seemingly skip out on his best girl to go hang with Han Solo and Chewbacca if given the opportunity. LEGO Movie became a huge success for Warner Bros., and they naturally wanted to do more; just as they were getting back into the DC superhero business (and from then to now have failed miserably).
Batman (voice of Will Arnett) is the number-one protector of Gotham City because, frankly, no one else can do it better. Or at least, that is what he keeps telling himself. After telling the Joker (voice of Zach Galifianakis) that he does not matter to him, the Clown Prince of Crime sets a plan into motion to make chaos for the people of Gotham unless Batman truly reveals how much he means to him. At the same time, Batman has to deal with a new adopted son in the endlessly energetic form of young Dick Grayson (voice of Michael Cera) and is pressured to make an honest effort out of raising him by his faithful butler, Alfred (voice of Ralph Fiennes). Another vital distraction is the entrance of Barbara Gordon (voice of Rosario Dawson), Gotham's new Police Commissioner who gives Batman an ultimatum: either join up with the police force in protecting the law or give up his life of vigilantism. And worst of all, Batman may just have to admit to himself that being alone is not the best way to live one's life.
This film is thoroughly hilarious and entertaining. Rotten Tomatoes has it listed as the highest rated DC Comics movie since 2008's The Dark Knight, and yeah, that is a fair assessment. Is it smart though? As only Chris Rock can say in his inimitable style, "Not really." What The LEGO Movie had that The LEGO Batman Movie lacks is the screenwriting talents of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Granted, they are listed in the credits as producers and I am sure they had some creative control - but distanced (as they are naturally across the Atlantic readying the new Han Solo-themed Star Wars movie). It has been pointed out numerous times that Lord and Miller have an uncanny knack for taking bad or potentially ill-conceived ideas for films and consistently knocking each one out of the park. The movie is a fast-paced joke-after-joke-after-joke movie and while a lot of them land, a lot also fall a bit flat. Lord and Miller, with enough time and thought, could pace out each joke so the punchline lands succinctly. This movie has SIX screenwriters, including the guy who gave the world Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. How this movie is any good with that kind of pedigree is beyond me. But it is very, very good.
One of my favorite video games of recent is "LEGO Dimensions". It is a thoroughly entertaining game where pop culture universes collide in LEGO form. Marty McFly can hang out with Dr. Peter Venkman in Springfield. Superman can chill with Scooby-Doo in Middle-Earth. Any of the Doctors of "Doctor Who" can take a joyride in Doc Brown's DeLorean in Metropolis. It is continually adding to its content, adding in franchises like the Mission: Impossible films, "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider". Taking more than a cue from this game, The LEGO Batman Movie brings in villains from other popular Warner Bros.-owned media, but then really does not do anything with them other than they are a part of Joker's army. You have Seth Green playing King Kong, a role which you can imagine would be taken with great comedic possibilities and really does not deliver. It is certainly not Seth's fault, but it is lacking in imagination on part of the filmmakers. He is certainly not alone; there are quite a few notable names in today's comedic world that are in the film as Batman's rogues' gallery but are only limited to one or two lines at best. They even went to the trouble of giving Billy Dee Williams the opportunity to play Two-Face after being denied the chance after playing Harvey Dent in the original 1989 Batman. The design of his character looks really great, but he is almost not even in the movie. Conan O'Brien plays the Riddler and I would not blame you if you did not know that unless you looked at the end credits. Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity is Ralph Fiennes as Alfred facing off against Lord Voldemort... previously played by Ralph Fiennes. I do hope these LEGO movies continue to crossover characters, but I only ask for some sense of logic and imagination into bringing these characters to life.
I know this review certainly sounds negative, but I am only offering some constructive criticism (pun not intended). I really did enjoy this movie. It is a welcome break from the dark and dour DCEU movies and it is a great-looking animated movie. Animal Logic is a powerhouse animation studio, one that can really give Disney and Pixar a run for their money while DreamWorks and Blue Sky continually humiliate themselves (at least The Peanuts Movie was darn good). Another LEGO movie is due later this year centered around the popular LEGO world of Ninjago, and I certainly hope for the best. In this movie's case, all the pieces click together, but I only wish the filmmakers had read more of the instructions (pun intended).
