I feel like I went a little too hard on this film.. but then again it is a Batman movie so maybe I should.. but it’s also a kid’s movie too.. It’s a mixed bag, folks.
The LEGO Batman Movie is a 2017 animated/action film directed by Chris McKay, and features the writers and directors of The LEGO Movie. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes. The LEGO Batman Movie follows Bruce Wayne as he must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted. The film is the second of two films which are apart of the continuing LEGO universe.
So like I mentioned above, I was pretty torn on this film. After really coming to love the original (the) LEGO Movie, I had a hard time falling for this one as well. Now I’m going to be pretty hard on this film, but I also feel that I have every right to be as well. This is a film for both kids and adults and I’m going to review it how I saw it. If you don’t agree with me, then just remember this is my own opinion.. for the most part.
But anyways lets talk about what I loved about this film. Although it isn’t in mentioned above, this was very much a comedy more than anything. The comedic elements in this film are great and reach a large audience which means the writers did a great job with this film. Honestly, the pop culture references alone are pure gold, and even so hard to catch that some of the geekiest of nerds might miss them. This is definitely a meta Batman movie. An A+ to the guys with the ink and pen. This film is absolutely hilarious. Not only was the comic relief gold, but also the animation. I don’t know how they do it, but every single thing in this movie is 100% LEGO. Props to the team at Warner Animation Group, cause this movie looks gorgeous. Hopefully this time they’ll get recognized for it..
The acting in this film was also another forte. Will Arnett did a great job voicing Batman, and even Zach Galifianakis surprised me with his (vocal) rendition of the Joker. Each and every character, both voice and arc (for the most part), were really good and enjoyable throughout this film. Although I really enjoyed the characters of Batman and the Joker, not a single character was greater than Robin, who was voiced by Michael Cera. As soon as I heard that Cera got the role, I was immediately excited to see what he was going to go with the character, and I wasn’t let down. Another memorable character to write down in the books.
But this film was by no means perfect, and my score of the film definitely reflects that. In the end I had two major issues with this film, all two of which were very deserving and somewhat debatable. The first issue I had was the first one I noticed, and that was the pacing of the film. I know this is branded as a kid’s film, but that opening and ending were just horribly paced. Everything happened way too fast, and before I knew it the exposition and story was thrown out the window. It’s only an hour and a half long, folks.. use more time to tell the story! That also brings me to problem number two which is the story. In my personal opinion, it is complete garbage. There is never a real incentive to fuel the Joker’s plan, and that just bugs me. The Joker is supposed to be menacing, so make him menacing! I know that (again) it’s a kid’s movie, but come on.. that ain’t a good excuse to throw out an actual villain.
In the end, I walked out of The LEGO Batman Movie more confused as to what I was going to give it than any other movie I’ve reviewed before. Sure the acting, comedy, and animation were fantastic, but that still doesn’t make up for its horrible pacing and lack of a real villain. With a cold heart I decided to stay with my gut and award The LEGO Batman Movie an “Alright” on theVade Review Bar. Yes I might have been a little too harsh on this film, but when animated films like WALL-E can blow me away, I won’t let films like these slide. So grab The Kragle, cause this film is crumbling brick by LEGO brick.
