The Lego Batman Movie (2017 Film) Review
Kids-In-Mind Review
Characters
Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Alfred, the Joker, Harley Quinn, and a treasure trove of other characters await you when you go see The Lego Batman Movie. There are so many that it take a while to name them all. Will Arnett makes for a hilarious and more light-hearted Batman. He's definitely better the Clooney, Kilmer, and maybe, in my opinion, a bit better than Keaton. He was so funny when he debuted in The Lego Movie as a supporting character. Now that he's the main character, he goes full throttle and doesn't pull any punches in terms of humor, heart, and a heathy dose of dark and brooding to go with it. I didn't anticipate how much I would've liked Robin prior to seeing the film. He was sympathetic, hilarious, as well as bringing a heart to the team with a sense of innocence and wonder. In one review I listened to, a critic didn't like Batgirl's part in the film. While in the beginning of her screen time I would concur with that opinion, as the movie progressed she became more likable in the film and less annoying. Now when there's Batman, there's always an Alfred and Ralph Fiennes does a phenomenal job as Batman/Bruce Wayne's right-hand butler. He is, for me, the second-best Alfred for me. Sorry, but Michael Caine still holds that title. I'm realizing now that I could've used that Alfred transition to talk about the Joker so lets talk Joker. Now there have been a long line of Jokers. From Luke Skywalker, to Heath Ledger, to Jack Nicholson, and I think Zach Galifianakis's performance was along the lines of what Cesar Romero did in the 60s Batman tv show and movie. Maybe a tad bit better, because he's more funny and less of a psychopath than in previous iterations. One of which, I haven't seen. This version of the Batman/Joker relationship made me a bit uncomfortable. In the film, the Joker's wanting Batman to acknowledge their "relationship" between each other. Maybe the filmmakers weren't trying to give you that feeling, but I couldn't help but getting a gay vibe between the two. The dialogue was giving me that feeling. Now just like Alfred is Batman's right-hand man, Harley Quinn is the Joker's right-hand woman, I guess. Jenny Slate, coming off her successes on animated films like Zootopia and The Secret Life of Pets, voices the character and her role seemed very minor to me, but unlike the other Batman villains in the film, she's the one, other than the Joker, to get more screen time. She did good with what she had in the film. I'll be honest, I don't know a ton about the character, but she was great in the film.
Surprises!
I'm guessing that some of you that are reading this, haven't seen the film yet so this section's just for you. There are a ton of surprises in the film. I almost thought with all the trailers, clips, tv spots, that I'd seen a great portion of things. Turns out, I'd only seen five percent of what was actually in the film. So be weary of what you read, see, or hear about the film, because you'd likely hate to have this movie spoiled for you. There are many great things that await you when you see the film so good luck keeping yourself away from any spoilers.
Batman References
As displayed in the first trailer for this film, this picture is from the creators of Batman (1989), Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman v Superman, and The Lego Movie, and it's proven time and time again through the film. Not only that but we got one or two references to the Batman series of the 40s and constant jokes are referred to the Batman 60s tv show and film. There are multiple versions of the Batmobile from the different films and tv shows. Robin let's out a "Holy..., Batman," which is something that the 60s Robin would do from time to time. My favorite connection to the previous Batman films was Billy Dee Williams returning to the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, who previously played him in 1989 original. There're literally a whole lot of Batman Easter Eggs that anyone who's a Batman fan is gonna catch. As a Batman fan who's seen seven out of the ten Batman films to date, I caught a lot. I'm not gonna name all the references, because I gotta move on and I think, rather than me pointing all of them out for you, it's be better if you discovered them on your own.
Lego Builds
The Lego builds in this film are insane. They are awesome, they are cool, they are spectacular. Don't get me started on Wayne Manor. While we didn't get to see it a ton in the final film this video...
displays for us the beauty of the building. I loved the joke about Batman being Bruce Wayne's roommate. Which leads me to the Batcave. The Batcave is awe-inspiring. It's incredible. Beyond that, Gotham City looks amazing. With that organgish black sky at night, whilst in the day, there's that crystal-clear blue sky. Each of the buildings feauture their own style as well as Arkham Asylum which initially seemed small, but in a strange turn of events, it's HUGE on this inside. I was in awe the whole time.
Should you see The Lego Batman Movie? If you're a Batman and/or Lego fan, yes, you should definitely go see this movie and in the theater. If you saw The Lego Movie, yes this movie very much equals it in quality. If not, a little less. However, if you aren't a Lego or Batman fan, and if you didn't see The Lego Movie, you should probably buy or rent The Lego Movie, watch it, and still see it, but maybe not in theaters. I didn't see the movie in 3D, but if you're able to, I imagine that your experience would be enhanced with seeing it in 3D, because of the impressive visuals and stunning action sequences. This is a movie that you should take kids to. It's great for families. They may not pick up the references, but they'll certainty pick up the important messages of teamwork, unity, family, and knowing what it means to be the good guy. If you're not able to see it in the theaters, you should definitely buy it when it's available on Blu-ray, DVD, i-Tunes, etc. It starts the year's crop of animated movies off to a great start, there are hilarious jokes, as well as great character moments and messages.
So that's my review of The Lego Batman Movie. If you saw the film, what did you think of the film and my review? Did you catch all the Easter Eggs? Write those thoughts down in the comment section below as well as what film you want me to review next. Share this with your friends. Thanks for reading, I'm the Film Fanatic, bye-bye.
Should You See It?/Grade
Feelings Then: A-
Feelings Now: B+
So that's my review of The Lego Batman Movie. If you saw the film, what did you think of the film and my review? Did you catch all the Easter Eggs? Write those thoughts down in the comment section below as well as what film you want me to review next. Share this with your friends. Thanks for reading, I'm the Film Fanatic, bye-bye.
I cant wait to see this!
ReplyDelete