The Lego Batman Movie Review: This block-headed spoof is purely for adult Batman fans By Daniel Thimmayya | Express News Service | Published: 17th February 2017 07:31 PM | Last Updated: 17th February 2017 07:31 PM | A Screengrab from the movie official Tra If you love Batman, like every single version of him since the beginning of time, then you're in for a hoot and a half. The Lego Batman Movie is the full-blown, no holds barred spoof that the guys at DC Comics wanted to make, but never had the stones to. There's no other way you can end up with a movie where Batman's password to the Batcave is 'Iron Man Sucks' and he's so narcissistic that he does victory laps around Gotham's crowds that would put Ronaldo to shame. But after seeing The Lego Movie and catching the rushes of the next few Lego films in the making, this is pretty much standard fare for them. Statutory warning though: Your kids probably won't like it unless you raised them on a diet of Austin Powers and Batman Comics.
Lego Batman (Will Arnett with a permanent growl), the self-acclaimed rockstar that he is, feeds off the fact that Gotham loves him and needs him and villains exist merely to get pummelled around while he flexes his pecs and washboard abs. All that is a show, we learn from Lego Alfred (voiced by the formidable Ralph Fiennes), to hide his commitment issues. What commitments, you ask? Pretty much all of them. His love-hate-slightly gay thing with arch nemesis The Lego Joker, who's upset that Batman never tells him how much he hates him. His weird dad tendencies toward orphan-turned-geek-sidekick Robin. His definitely OTT advances towards new police commissioner Barbara Gordon. So in the middle of his soul-searching to stay relevant after all of Gotham's villains turn themselves in, Batman decides to steal a projector from Superman's Fortress of Solitude to send the villains to the Phantom Zone. Except, that's what The Joker wanted all along. When he returns to Gotham with the Phantom Zone's biggest and baddest villains — everyone from the Wicked Witch of the West to Voldemort — Batman's battle begins, both inside and outside.
He manages to grab a snack to settle the former though. Irreverent, slapstick, full of Michael Jackson's music and loaded with enough sarcasm to warrant an hour on Comedy Central during Roast Hour, The Lego Batman Movie has its moments. But after an hour of gag after gag, it does get a wee bit tiring. Thankfully, at 142 minutes, it's not so long that you're compelled to tune out for a bit before the climax. Will Arnett, Zach Galafianakis , Ralph Fiennes Killer spoof that can give Deadpool a run for its money, minus the cuss words and wanton sex scenes. They're Lego blocks for Crissakes Latest 4 injured in bomb attack on RSS office in Kerala Xenophobia makes UoH prof withdraw from US conference Obama recipient of JFK Profile in Courage Award Trump declares confidence in Jeff Sessions ThinkEdu Conclave is back for the fifth time NDMC to auction two five-star hotels Plea to shift Malegaon blast accused to special cell Indian athlete in US is accused of sex abuse
Jat agitation reaches New Delhi Major fire at electronics store in Thiruvananthapuram's Vattiyoorkavu Egypt's Mubarak acquitted over killing of protesters Ferrari 488 GTB Exterior and Interior WalkaroundThe LEGO Batman Movie is now out in theaters, bringing the Batman mythos and franchise lore to the LEGO Universe. As we say in our official review, one of the greatest joys of LEGO Batman is the deep knowledge of the character's history and his place in the cultural zeitgeist - which is evident from the many meta references and Batman in-jokes that the filmmakers packed into the movie. Of course, The LEGO Batman Movie couldn't be that self-aware without also being aware of the superhero competition - namely, camp Marvel and its Marvel Cinematic Universe. During The LEGO Batman Movie there was a hilarious recurring joke that was built of the (often imagined) DC/Marvel rivalry. Read on below if you want to know more about what it is. In the film, whenever Batman (Will Arnett) has to return to the Batcave, he must speak a password whenever he want the cave's hidden door to open.
Arnett's LEGO Batman is closely modeled after Chris Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy version of the character (with dashes of so many other versions of Batman thrown in the mix). Way back in the ancient times of 2008 (almost a decade ago!), Iron Man and Batman were the Marvel and DC characters that everyone was talking about; Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau had scored a substantial first victory for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while Nolan redefined the entire comic book movie genre with his landmark film, The Dark Knight. So, The LEGO Batman isn't just taking some random jab at Marvel (though many viewers will enjoy it on that level); the films is actually using real cinematic history as fodder for a joke that works on multiple levels. Those LEGO movie guys are so sophisticated... Have you seen LEGO Batman yet? Thanks to IMAX & Regal, you have the chance to win an amazing prize pack full of LEGO sets, movie tickets and more! Click here or the image above to enter.
A winner will be chosen February 14th, 2017! Buy Tickets powered by Fandango MORE LEGO BATMAN: Official Review / Every Batman Villain in the Movie / LEGO Batman vs John Wick 2 / Is there an End Credits Scene? The LEGO Batman Movie is now playing in theaters. It is 1 hour 44 minutes long, and is Rated PG for rude humor and some action. The LEGO Movie understood the insanity of a child’s play in a way unlike few other movies aimed at kids. As people age, they tend to lose their comprehension of just how strange the inside of a child’s brain really is. It’s a place of infinite creativity and curiosity, totally unburdened by obligation or worry, at least until those things are slowly introduced later as part of growing up. But there’s a simplicity to a four-year-old using their imagination to make every toy in the room fit into a cohesive story, one being made up as the game goes along. As a result, three years ago Warner Bros. stumbled upon the ultimate formula for an evergreen movie franchise: a universe built around all of the mismatched toys in the bucket, and that sensation of trying to make them all fit together in an effort to better unpack and understand everything else.
Though it’s worth remembering that The LEGO Batman Movie is just as much in the business of selling toys as its predecessor, the maniacal joy of playing in your own world is somehow escalated this time around. LEGO Batman sees Will Arnett reprise his adorably moody take on the Caped Crusader from The LEGO Movie in a movie that owes more to Deadpool than to any other Batman movie in existence. From the clever Honest Trailer of an opening, in which Arnett growls his way through the opening studio titles and the film’s typically ponderous introduction (“important movies always start with a black screen”), LEGO Batman firmly establishes itself as being in the same business of meta-jokes and warp-speed references as last year’s superhero hit. (One of a number of highlights: a montage running down Batman’s “angry phases” throughout the years, in 2016 and 2012 and 2008 and 2005 and…) But where Deadpool was a piss-take on the template of origin stories, LEGO Batman manages something a little more unexpected: a thoughtful riff on the tropes of Batman as he’s always existed on the page or screen.
In the film’s precious version of Gotham, Bruce Wayne is struggling to find his purpose. He’s lonely, but knows that opening yourself up to people results only in heartbreak. Superman (Channing Tatum) doesn’t invite him to parties with the rest of the Justice League. The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) takes it personally that Batman won’t declare him Gotham’s #1 villain, and more to the point, the #1 villain in Batman’s heart. And now Jim Gordon is stepping down as commissioner in favor of his daughter Barbara (Rosario Dawson), whose vision for a better Gotham involves Batman working with the police, and the end of vigilantism. For Batman, who works/broods/raps/fights/eats lobster and watches Jerry Maguire alone, his entire existence is coming undone. Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) tries to reason with Master Bruce, but to no avail. He accidentally ends up adopting young Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), a precocious orphan with a heart of gold, and spends most of his time passive-aggressively berating his young charge.
Batman doesn’t need anybody (aside from his new crush Barbara, at least), and in a childish fit of outrage, he decides to banish Joker to the Phantom Zone just to prove that the city only needs one true hero, the one who refuses to take off his cowl unless he absolutely has to. Of course, this is exactly the Joker’s plan, leading to a rift opening and a deluge of villains descending on Gotham. And not just villains from the Batman mythology, either. Soon Batman is forced to choose between his self-imposed solitude and the reality that sometimes everybody needs a helping hand. LEGO Batman essentially reprises The LEGO Movie’s lessons about friendship and teamwork, but what’s entirely more surprising is how well it manages to tap into the loneliness and failure at the center of Batman as a character. (And in a loud, goofy family film, no less.) At one point, Joker observes how little Batman ever accomplishes in any lasting way, and there’s some truth to that. He never captures the bad guys, crime never seems to go away or even down in Gotham, anybody close to him tends to disappear one way or another, and after a while it’s almost as though Batman doesn’t want his enemies to go away for good.
In one of the funnier sequences, a cover of “One is the Loneliest Number” underscores Batman’s nightmare scenario, a peaceful world in which togetherness reigns and villainy is a thing of the past. It’s a world that no longer requires a Batman, and where Bruce Wayne loses his sense of self. Sure, it’s also a movie designed to set theaters full of kids howling when “Iron Man Sucks” is revealed as a password, but it also begs the question of how a movie about block toys contains more insight about the character than the whole of Batman v Superman. Let’s not kid ourselves, though. For as smart as LEGO Batman is about its prized IP, it’s first and foremost a LEGO movie, with all of the wild and slapdash humor audiences will expect. As that goes, it’s largely successful, though it’s worth mentioning that if the first film’s mile-a-minute pacing was an annoyance, LEGO Batman matches and sometimes exceeds that standard. It’s a film rooted in a childlike sense of play, including the way in which it jumps from place to place so quickly that it’s exhausting for anybody older than its target audience.
At 104 minutes, it’s a lengthy movie for one that functions at such a nonstop speed, even if the film’s screenplay (penned by five writers) has enough well-executed bits to sustain it throughout. Every time its breakneck pace starts to dull the senses, there’s another quick laugh to keep things light. (Ranking: Every Batman Film From Worst to Best) Given the sheer volume of jokes on hand, it’s impressive how often LEGO Batman successfully lands its punchlines. While the film’s attempts at a new breakout hit song smack of studio obligation, the amount of inside baseball played for the benefit of older audience members is a hilarious and welcome surprise. The movie is layered with nods to Batman lore, and not just the kind that audiences will be expecting; there are as many rewards for fans of The Animated Series as there are for viewers who come in with minimal familiarity. It’s rare that more than a few seconds go by before something new and genuinely funny pops up, whether it’s Doug Benson’s impression of Tom Hardy’s Bane or a roll call of every Batman enemy that starts with Joker and works its way down to some of his most ridiculous and ignoble foes over the years.
There’s a little something for everyone here, and at least two things for anybody who didn’t care for Suicide Squad. The LEGO Batman Movie is ultimately dependent on how far your tolerance goes for referential humor, but as that goes, it’s utterly giddy about the giant, WB-branded sandbox in which it gets to play. It’s a little less visually impressive, the depth of field often being blurred or partially obscured by smoke or darkness or oversaturated orange/red hues, but this is rarely distracting outside of some of the more chaotic action scenes. Its messages are kindhearted if familiar, and by the film’s end there’s certainly something to be said these days for a movie extolling the virtues of unity to all ages. But it’s first and foremost a comedy, and it’s a scatterbrained but almost entirely enjoyable one with a wealth of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gags. It’s also a pretty good Batman movie, as those go. Just know that there’s yet another giant hole in the sky, threatening to destroy a major metropolis.