If Deadpool could parody the entire superhero genre, why not create a Batman movie that parodies the massive, long-running Batman mythology? It’s a smart, timely idea to build a monument to the decades of trivia regarding one of the most iconic superheroes (and characters) of all time, and as a followup to the hilarious and self-aware Lego Movie, which is ultimately a more thoughtful attempt to woo both kids and audiences. Within the story of Lego Batman Movie, the titular character (voiced by Will Arnett) is as much a pop culture phenomenon as he is in real life, singing songs about how incredible he is and lavishly surrounding himself with gadgets and vehicles that best represent his own ego. But Batman is lonely, too, for reasons that might confound the same viewers who do manage to get all the references being tossed and visually planted. See in this “universe,” Batman has never had a Robin, Batgirl, or otherwise. He’s a member of the Justice League (sort of?), and the movie wants to suggest that his symbiotic relationship with Joker is an interesting parody of romantic comedies (helped by frequent references to actual romcoms Batman enjoys in private).
It’s all written in a sloppy, haphazard way, because the viewers who will get the most out of the mountains of jokes and references will also wonder how all of this can simultaneously coexist with a Robin/Batgirl origin story, especially as there are loads of winks to previous Batman films (with those characters) being in the same mythology as this movie. In other words, it’s confusing, distracting, and hard to ignore, even for a movie that doesn’t ask you to take any of this seriously until it does. The film’s primary message is that Batman needs to learn how to work with others as a team, and the path for him to get there is utter chaos. Entire scenes are mismatched in pace and tone, frequently stopping the action completely every few minutes or so to repeat (sometimes verbatim) the themes and messages of the movie, just in case the kids didn’t understand how hard it is for Batman to have…friends? As a result, Batman ends up learning the same lesson multiple times, sometimes pontificating the same ideas a scene later.
It seems the writers (there were many) didn’t have sufficient time or freedom to edit the script because they also wanted to maintain the jokes they came up with to suit those scenes, so Lego Batman Movie comes off as a first draft riddled in mayhem and some interesting ideas, which will make it hard for audiences to feel less than overwhelmed by the frenetic references, action, and set pieces that turn on a dime. The saving grace, however, is the fact that most of these jokes are humorous, especially if you’re a batfan. The ratio of goofy “kids will get this” jokes with the “inside jokes” that go over their head seems purposefully imbalanced, making Lego Batman Movie more a product of its time rather than a lasting comedic film. Perhaps only the first 10 or 15 minutes represent the best Lego Batman Movie has to offer as both a parody and an accessible comedy, akin to something like Spaceballs or, yes, Lego Movie. But for the rest of the runtime, the film lobs more jokes than you can keep up with in order to satisfy everyone who won’t get the last joke.
Unlike Deadpool, that critical mass of humor isn’t paced quite as well, so the laughs won’t be quite as abundant as the attempts to earn them. And that’s no good when you consider that the rest of the movie’s ideas about Batman’s loneliness and teamwork are too shallow and over-explained for audiences to care when the snarky inside trivia dries up years from now.Sorry, the page you are looking for cannot be found or has been deleted Deadpool 2: Michael Shannon Briefly In the Running to Play Cable A new report states Michael Shannon was previously being considered for the role of Cable to join Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2. Kong: Skull Island Early Reviews – Fun Monster Movie Plays It Safe Early reviews for Kong: Skull Island paint the movie as playing it very safe amidst some real cinematic fun and good action beats Kong’s Skull Island is Now on Google Maps In honor of the opening of Kong: Skull Island, Google Maps adds a spot in the South Pacific Ocean as Skull Island, King Kong’s home.
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Directed by Chris McKay, The Lego Batman Movie is the first spinoff of 2014's brilliant The Lego Movie. It follows one of that film’s breakout side characters, Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) on his own adventures in a Lego-based world. He’s the savior and toast of Gotham City but when the Joker comes up with a wild new plan, Batman has to do something he never thought he’d do—work with others.Part of the reason why The Lego Movie was so good was its infinite possibility. Any character, any joke, any world could pop up at any time. With Lego Batman, those possibilities are automatically limited because we’re following one character in one world. That means lots of the crazy “Lego-ness” (for lack of a better word) of the original movie is diminished. The cross-pollination of brands is present but significantly dialed back. Characters using their imaginations to create unique creations happens, but it’s mostly an afterthought. What The Lego Batman Movie does have is a non-stop barrage of jokes, ranging from low-brow to subtle genius.
And they never, ever stop. You’d think an abundance of jokes in a comedy would be a good thing. But when nearly every single line of a film is a joke, it’s inevitable that the majority aren’t going to work, and that’s certainly the case with The Lego Batman Movie. As the jokes keep coming and coming there are certainly laughs (one Suicide Squad joke stands out in particular), but they’re interspersed with cringe-worthy misses (count the jokes about Batman’s abs), creating a very awkward tone. Another thing The Lego Batman Movie has too much of is characters. The original Lego Movie had its share, but they each played a role in the story. This constantly floods the screen with every single DC character they can think of, but for no other reason that to get them on screen. It was fun to see them, but they draw focus away from the actual story. For instance: The reveal of Joker’s master plan to finally defeat Batman should be a huge moment, and one of the highlights of the whole movie.
But between the cameos and the jokes, it’s significantly undercut.This is a shame because buried in all the chaos is one of the most interesting explorations of Batman as a character, ever. Even the best live-action Batman films have never portrayed the character like this: a mean, selfish, confident loner who rejects any and all connections. When the film really starts to dig into these aspects of the character, things begin to click. However, almost on cue, those moments are punctuated, and often overshadowed, by the irreverent comedy. The quiet moments actually feel wrong because they’re so few and far between. And like everything else, the film pushes these negative aspects of Batman’s character way too far. Of course, him learning about his flaws and changing is the entire point of the movie but it doesn’t help that for a good chunk of the runtime, you’d rather spend time with the 15 random characters that just popped up on the screen than your hero. Most of those supporting characters are great, though.