Set in Lego Gotham City, Batman (Will Arnett—reprising his role from The Lego Movie) dedicates his life to fighting crime as the city’s hero and sole protector—the police force having long since taken a backseat to him (Commissioner Gordon’s primary role now being to activate the Bat-Signal)—living an isolated life from any relationships: whether it be family, romance, or even arch-enemies. After coldly rejecting The Joker (Zack Galifianakis) as his arch-nemesis (claiming Superman holds the spot instead), the clown plans a devious scheme for getting Batman to acknowledge him. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon retires from his role as commissioner, passing the torch to his daughter Barbara (Rosario Dawson). Barbara plans to reinvent the police force into a more active role: working alongside Batman to defeat Gotham’s Rogues Gallery. Batman is stunned by such announcement, so stunned, in fact, that he inadvertently adopts overly-enthusiastic orphan Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), who goes to live with Batman and his butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) on Wayne Island. Will Batman learn to work alongside the police force? Can Batman become the proper father Dick needs? Will Joker’s plan be ultimately thwarted? Find out n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶!̶ ̶ ̶S̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶B̶a̶t̶-̶T̶i̶m̶e̶,̶ ̶s̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶B̶a̶t̶-̶C̶h̶a̶n̶n̶e̶l̶ by watching the film!
Lego Batman isn’t just a Batman story told through Lego figurines, but a connected universe to its predecessor: incorporating concepts such as the Master Builders. The film often showcases Batman and co. building their gadgets and machinery during conflict—a clever way to incorporate the Dark Knight’s seemingly endless supply of advanced, convenient weaponry into the Lego universe. The film is bursting with creativity; from Gotham City to the Bat Cave, there’s always a multitude of eye-catching items to notice, both large and subtle. A theatrical viewing unfortunately makes noticing every cool, unique, and/or humorous detail impossible, and if there were ever a series that demanded a second, pause-by-pause viewing, it would be the Lego films.
Lego Batman has a ton of references to both classic and current Batman lore: from past movies, to quite possibly every A, B and C-list villain Batman’s ever encountered (which The Joker suggests are “probably worth a Google”). My favorite references are towards the 1960s Batman TV show and 1966 movie. It makes sense a comedy Batman film would make nods towards the original, campy Bat-satire, and there are a lot of nods—from the infamous Bat-shark repellent, to the transitioning sound and visual action effects, to a literal live action clip of Batman’s groovy dance moves from episode 1 (all that was missing was a surfing reference, though I may have missed it within the magnitude of background material). I grew up watching reruns of the 1960s TV show with my dad and brother, while the 1966 movie is one of the greatest Batman films period (as well as my favorite Batman comedy), so it’s a delightful treat to see Lego Batman give such affection to it.
The comedy is, for the most part, effectively witty—though there are more duds here than with The Lego Movie. Some of the film’s weakest bits come, unfortunately (or perhaps ironically), from The Joker. I’m not certain whether it was the jokes themselves, Galifianakis’ delivery, or a bit of both, but The Clown Prince of Crime’s comedy is uninspiring and lackluster in execution. The best bits come from the dynamic duo’s interactions—such as when Batman mistakes Robin’s hug as an attack, or the 'I can’t believe, yet love they got away with it' highlight moment where Robin introduces himself;
Robin: My name’s Richard Grayson, but all the kids at the orphanage call me Dick.
Batman: Well, children can be cruel.
Similar to The Lego Movie, Lego Batman has a blast with breaking the 4th wall (though not quite as literally as the first film): from Batman’s monologue alongside the opening credits and logos; “Not sure what RatPac does, but they have a cool logo” to the Batcave password being “Ironman sucks”.
Seems Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin will have to step down as the gayest Batman film made, for Lego Batman has overthrown it. The film clearly understands how ripe the Batman universe is with homosexual allusions, and takes full-advantage of it. One of its central plot points involves The Joker trying to get Batman to admit they have a “relationship” as arch-enemies;
Joker: Batman, I hate you. Now you say it back.
Batman: …same here.
The opening scene has Batman outright tell the clown he doesn’t “ship” and that he means nothing to him, all the while Joker is on the verge of tears. Then there’s the finale where Batman and Joker admit they hate each other while gazing into the other’s eyes, very convincingly looking as if they’re about to kiss. And that’s not even getting into Robin’s behavior: from loving (and showing off) his tight shorts, to his sparkling cape, to his constant referencing of having “two dads” when thinking Bruce Wayne and Batman are separate people.
Lego Batman’s biggest issue is it lacks its predecessor’s emotional profoundness. The idea to focus on Batman’s reclusive nature as his biggest weakness is a great idea, and handled really well…at first. The film begins lightning fast with a large action sequence fitting for a finale. After Batman saves the day and is praised by the city, the film slows to a more gradual pacing as it showcases the Dark Knight alone in his mansion—microwaving a Lobster dinner (watching every second as the plate turns), watching a live action version of Jerry Maguire alone in his theater, and observing a large family portrait in his living room. Everything is huge in Wayne Mansion (the theater screen, the giant fireplace in his living room, etc.) and amplifies the loneliness Batman feels deep down. It’s quite effective, and the film doesn’t skimp out by breezing through these scenes: taking its time and allowing both viewing kids and adults to gain an understanding of Batman’s inner-feelings.
Unfortunately, Batman’s character development drags on for far too long, beyond the point where he should have already learned his lesson. The emotional impact of Batman overcoming his weakness is diluted by how prolonged such lesson takes for him to accept. Even if it had been shortened, Lego Batman’s tackling of family would still pale in comparison to The Lego Movie’s formula-breaking handling of said theme. Ah, but that’s simply what happens with sequels to great films: they’re given shoes that are often too big to fill. As a standalone film, The Lego Batman Movie succeeds in providing one of the best Batman films this decade, and certainly the best DC film to release in the last several years. The film is an all-around treat for Batman fans, and a great family feature for both kids and adults.
…Yet why didn’t Ralph Fiennes voice Lego Voldemort in addition to Alfred? Seems like the most logical choice when you have the actor, who played the live action counterpart, on hand for voice work.
