Genre: Family and Kids Running Time: 100 minutes LEGO Batman: The Movie -- DC Superheroes Unite LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers LEGO Ninjago: Masters of SpinjitzuBack to full review Back to full review Snap to it, or block it? A parents' guide to 'The Lego Movie' Every kid with a toy box, every parent who’s ever winced from landing a bare foot on a two-by-two red block, every grandparent who’s bought a minifig for a birthday knows that “The Lego Movie” opens Friday. But is it right for everyone? We snap together some of your likely questions. (Warning: Many spoilers ahead.) The prosCritical reviews have been almost universally positive, with Time magazine calling it "the funniest, cleverest, most exhaustingly exhilarating animated feature in ages." There's plenty of pop-culture references to keep the adults amused and the movie's world is nicely representative of your typical kid's Lego collection. Milhouse from "The Simpsons" mingles with Superman, Lady Liberty, "1980 something space guy," a mermaid, a panda and other Lego figs, and other household items such as Krazy Glue and used Band-Aids ("the cloak of Ban-Dai-Ed") play roles.
The consEmphasis on "exhaustive." It’s like it was written by a Lego-loving kid hopped up on Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs who was inspired by one of the “Batman” movies — the action is frenetic and hyper. All kids who play with Legos may want to see it, but it's not right for the younger tykes. And the 3-D is unnecessary. Is it right for kids of all ages?We're going to say no. While it’s rated PG for “mild action and rude humor,” there are a lot of hyperactive battle scenes, car chases and explosions. The Batmobile is shot until it blows up, as is Wonder Woman’s invisible jet (but that’s pretty funny, since … it’s invisible). And there are intense scenes — scary skeleton-faced robots attack, a characters’ parents are threatened, our heroes are strapped into chairs and “tortured” with green light flashes. A kid behind us wailed when a submarine exploded, another couldn't stop asking her parents about a character who was beheaded with a penny. Parents need to evaluate their own child's comfort level.
Nine-year-olds will be in happy hyperfrenetic heaven, preschoolers should stick to "Frozen." Do I need to pony up for 3-D?Emmet and some of the other characters are flung into the audience due to various explosions, and red Lego blocks often rain out at the audience. But the third dimension doesn't suck the audience onscreen into its crazy cartoonish world. If you've got the money and want to get the full "Lego Movie" experience, the 3-D isn't a bad addition. But if your local theater's only showing it in 2-D or you want to save a few bucks, don't let your kids guilt you into feeling bad about it. How are the voices?Chris Pratt's enthusiastic voice as unlikely hero Emmet is in almost every minute of the movie, and he's likable and funny. Kudos also to Morgan Freeman in a perfect Morgan Freeman role as the wizard Vitruvius and Will Arnett as a growly, frattish Batman. You'll have fun recognizing the other voices too, especially Jonah Hill, whose Green Lantern could've used a much bigger role, Elizabeth Banks as a fighter not unlike Trinity from "The Matrix," and Will Ferrell as the nasty villain.
Best lines“His face is so generic, it matches every other face in our database.”“We need more ideas so dumb and bad no one will ever think they could possibly be useful.”“I told the weird cat thing to stall.”“You don’t know me, but I’m on TV, so you can trust me.” WarningThe movie's big song, "Everything is Awesome!" is as cursedly addictive as "It's a Small World." The Lego Batman Movie Running Time: 104 minutes Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-LeagueredThere are a lot of reasons to enjoy “The Lego Batman Movie”: the frenetic pace of the humor, Batman’s goofy overconfidence, the immaculate casting of Michael Cera as Robin. One of the biggest reasons, though, is that the film’s excellence is completely untethered to any discussion of President Donald J. Trump.As America has begun to devolve into an autocratic marketing scheme, Trump has become the “Damn, Daniel” of our national culture. Those short Vine (RIP) videos where a squeaky high schooler complimented his friend’s shoes?
Of course you do. When those videos broke they were everywhere. There was no logic behind their perseverance. “Damn, Daniel” was so big it didn’t even need your opinion to fuel its existence because it was simply omnipresent. It felt as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. Likewise, Trump doesn’t just dominate political headlines: Everything is now about Trump. A quick Google search for “what ____ means in the age of Trump” can yield results for an absurd range of topics, from sports coverage to makeup to “Rogue One.” The specter of Trump lingers throughout American culture, and it’s become somewhat exhausting. That’s why films like "The Lego Batman Movie" are so sorely needed. The film’s comedy wasn’t directed at Trump or anything related to current events, but rather stemmed from wit, visual ingenuity and a flurry of pop culture references. "The Lego Batman Movie" follows Gotham’s favorite superhero as he tries to balance thwarting the Joker, caring for an adopted son and overcoming his own emotional insecurities.
Just like the first “ Lego Movie,” this film operates at a whirlwind pace, so much so that I’m pretty sure most of the jokes went over the younger audience members’ heads. Amid shots at “Suicide Squad” and a dissection of the tropes of Batman films, this movie feels more like a product of a generation influenced by “Arrested Development” and absurdist YouTube clips than children’s comedy. Incredibly, most of the jokes stuck, although sometimes they came so fast it was hard to fully appreciate each one.Of course, the burgeoning brilliance of the "Lego" franchise lies in its ability to meld this specialized humor with moments everyone can enjoy. A running gag in which characters vocalize their actions (Batman yells “bang bang bang” as he bangs on a wall), for example, was sufficiently silly and clever for parents and kids alike in the theater to appreciate. I was thankful to find such moments of simple laughter without having to think about immigration bans and deregulation (Also, I fully recognize the hypocrisy of praising this movie for not being about Trump while relating it to Trump, but I wanted to make my point).
This is all not to say that resistance to Trump’s highly destructive policies isn’t crucial. The public’s continued vigilance against his platform will be vital for limiting Trump’s ability to impose it. I’m also not contending that art explicitly challenging Trump can’t be productive or important; But sustaining a space for pleasure and creativity outside of commentary on the president’s actions is important, and we should avoid reappropriating all popular narratives to fit Trump’s story. For one, it’s unfair to the creative aspirations of artists. It also plays into the hands of a man who feeds off attention like a xenophobic Regina George. If we allow Trump to become a monolithic shadow over American culture, it will be that much easier for him to control the popular narrative. For two hours, I sat in a theater and laughed alongside kindergarteners as Batman bragged about his abs and Robin sang about friendship. When I left, I checked Twitter to see if Trump had spread any blatant lies or attacked any federal judges.