Movie Review: The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

Summary: A cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

• Will Arnett as Bruce Wayne / Batman. My Batman will always be Michael Keaton (even if he owns it as The Vulture), but Will Arnett does a great job with this character and it surprised me in The Lego Movie and its great still. We spend way more time with Batman than Bruce, but he’s arrogant, vain, a bit of an diot and mean. The things he says just shock people due to the absurdity but with the voice Arnett uses, you just have to laugh at it. I think he has a good grasp on this character, in this universe at least. This is a Batman that has fun. I’ve never seen Batman smile as much as he does in this movie lol.

• Zach Galifianakis as The Joker. Of course way more toned down than how this character usually is, but while I never really thought The Joker was a “funny” person, he is in this movie. He has a sincere voice, which is so weird, and he’s so emotional because he doesn’t think Batman takes him seriously, or acknowledges him to be his great villain. It’s pretty funny and Galifianakis’ delivery with him helps because even though we know he’s evil, the voice just doesn’t make him intimidating at all. It just makes him feel like this little kid trying to scare his older brother who won’t give him attention any other way.

• Michael Cera as Richard “Dick” Grayson / Robin. So Dick Grayson is like my favorite, I love him, he’s my favorite Robin, as Nightwing he is awesome and I do like his outings as Batman. So of course I know they’re poking fun at his original incarnation with the underwear (and no pants) for his costume. RIP! *sound effect* but he’s so earnest, happy-go-lucky, optimistic and looking for a family himself. There are times where he is annoying, which I know his character can be made annoying, he is a little kid, but I never disliked him (I might be biased though) and he’s a sweet kid. His acceptance of Batman, and his want to be involved is so sweet. Michael Cera has really good comedic timing, I don’t always find him funny, but he should do more voice acting because I thought he did really great in the movie.

• Rosario Dawson as Commissioner Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. She’s no-nonsense, she takes over for her father and tries to be what Gotham needs, and even tries to appeal to Batman, to work together. She knows the importance of teamwork and tries to get Batman to understand that. Babs spends a lot of her time in this movie, trying to appeal to Batman. When she’s kicking butt though, it’s awesome. Plus, I like how she doesn’t fall to any of his “charm” or insults. Rosario Dawson has great delivery for this character, her voice has that sarcastic tone that you’re not sure if she’s serious or not, which I think fits this character.

• Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth. The entire movie, I knew I knew this voice but I could not figure it out. At one point, I did think it was Ralph Fiennes but I wasn’t sure, I also think it’s funny that Lord Voldemort is in this movie but Ralph Fiennes is playing Alfred lol. But he’s Alfred, he’s the backbone for Bruce/Batman. He is family, his father, (even though Batman says some rude stuff to him about family) but he never gives up on him. That’s why Alfred will always be the MVP. Ralph Fiennes’ delivery is great, he kind of reminded me of J.A.R.V.I.S sometimes but that’s not a bad thing. His role is to keep Batman honest, but to always appeal to him too.

The Story. So the story is pretty basic. Batman is still the hero of Gotham, but The Joker feels like he’s not important in Batman’s life, so he basically comes up with a plan for ultimate revenge. So almost a scorned lover type of deal lol, and then you have Batman’s whole thing with family. We all know Bruce is scarred for life due to his parents dying (MARTHA!) which keeps him from admitting he can’t do everything on his own (Ya know, the Batfamily is legit huge lol) so Alfred tries to get him to move on and welcome people in his life but he refuses. So, these two stories collide and we have a big mixture of a great time while Batman tries to learn what it means to have a family. Plus, the Joker talking to him like they were together, makes for some funny dialogue.

The Humor. I think the first half is much stronger than the second half, that’s with the story and the humor. I laughed way more in the first half than I did the second, and I think that’s because one, the superhero genre, being as big as it is, needs a little fun poked at it, but at the same time, this movie isn’t trying to take itself too seriously. It knows what it is and I think helps some of the ridiculous bits of the film. Batman in his bat cave with Alfred was some great moments, or even when he first meets Barbara, and Dick’s introduction all that I quite enjoyed.

The Visuals/Effects. Just like in The Lego Movie, the visual effects really cool. I love how everything is a lego, the lava, the fire, the gun/laser shots, it’s all part of the lego family. It’s amazing how these animators are able to create this world with digital legos. It’s amazing to me and that deserves all of the praise.

Entertaining. I think more than anything, a person will have fun watching this movie. It’s super bright, and fast paced, most of the time, and it’s fun! I think even if you don’t like the story, it could be a fun ride and I think that’s what’s more important here for this movie is to have fun with the characters.

Cons:

The Message. It wants to talk about family, and learning how to not try to do everything on your own, something that Batman has to learn, and while I get that, it really hammers it in and I didn’t care about it because they kept trying to be like “Okay this is the message!” “Hey, did you know this is the message?” “Don’t forget this is the message” and I know it’s a kids movie but adults will watch and we’re not dumb and kids don’t need things hammered in like that either. Relax. We know it’s about family. Be more subtle. I mean Barbara spends a lot of the movie trying to appeal to Batman, I like her, but jeez, she’s like a poster telling you encouraging things and you just want to tell it to shut up.

The Heart. So, I liked The Lego Movie, I saw it way after everyone else did, but I quite enjoyed it and I liked what it was trying to do. I don’t think this is better than that movie, even though it seems like it’s trying to be, it’s not, and I don’t think movie quite captures the heart that the first one did. Maybe it has something to do with that whole message problem, from my first point but I think this movie lacks heart behind all of the humor.

The Humor. This is here because not all of the humor is funny. Sometimes it does that little thing where it pauses like where the laughter track would be and I’m like it’s not funny. It’s funny, but I think the first half is probably more funny than the last half. I think the first half is better in general.

Overall, I very much enjoyed The Lego Batman Movie. I think it’s really fun and a great ride. The characters are fun and great, the voice acting, I think really helps elevate the movie, you can tell the actors are having fun with their characters. I think the visuals and the effects deserve extreme praise, because it’s amazing seeing this world of LEGO come to life the way it does. The story is good, it’s a basic one, but it’s good and it’s unique in ways how this movie approaches that storyline. It’s also funny, I laughed quite a bit in the beginning. However, humor is subjective and the second half wasn’t nearly as funny as the first, nor did I think every joke landed, sometimes they felt really childish, while trying to sound super mature. I think the message is hammered over our heads, we know what you’re trying to say, you don’t have to tell us every five seconds, it’s sad when characters are kind of just there to constantly say “we’re a team!” “We have to work together!” I KNOW!!!!!!! I also think this movie tries to have heart and while it’s kind of there, it’s not enough to make the points it wants to make stick. But I still like the movie. It’s really fun.

Rating: 3.98 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen The Lego Batman Movie? What did you think about it? I mean, it did come out earlier in the year, I’m probably one of the few people who just now saw it lol.

Which one do you think is better: The LEGO Movie, or The LEGO Batman Movie?

Tell me your thoughts and picks in the comments below! Don’t forget to like and follow this blog for more movie reviews!