Now, for those who have not seen Lego Batman, firstly, I understand why. Secondly, you are missing out. It is brought to us by the same teams that brought The Lego Movie to us in 2014. The 2017 sequel/stand alone is something very different, instead of a story about growing up, losing childhood due to jobs and outside influences, it is in fact a story purely to see the fun side of Batman’s storylines while also holding a theme of family and loss.
I will say I am a fan of the comics, games, movies, TV shows and even the Lego sets I spent my childhood being confused by while building them. To those who share this ‘childish’ set of interests, particularly those who lean more towards the caped crusader on his pursuit of vigilante justice then there are more Easter Eggs and references than the MCU in its entirety. As well as poking fun at the titular character himself, imagine it as the child friendly Deadpool with about the same amount of dismemberment.
Now to say that the film pokes fun at Batman is true but not to the point of making him the joke of the film, if anything the film is able to make fun of and praise the Dark Knight in one swift swing of a pen. Or in the most likely case, swing of the laptop it was written on. Balancing between the child friendly kids movie it looks like and the emotional story of family and love letter to Batman that it shows for those who know enough about the character to pick up on. From the family photo being a selfie taken at crime alley as they left the theatre to the talks Bruce has with Alfred.
I will admit, I picked the film up thinking it would be another fun film to fill a couple hours on a lazy Sunday. But now, it holds its place in my list of favourite films and even to go as far to say my personal favourite portrayal of Batman put on disc. We could argue for hours about whether Keaton’s understated confidence behind the cowl, Bales sore throat that made the words ‘I’m Batman’ iconic for the current generation of young adults, or the rare few who think Kilmer’s nipple suit was the best choice.
For me though, the small blocky take on man who’s not wearing hockey pants that tops the list. Lego Batman’s almost sarcastic take appeals to my British sense of humour, as well as being something different than his brooding self. Well, unless they want to show his brooding side as the teenager who locks themselves in their room when no one ‘gets’ them. It’s a roll call of stories and previous examples of what to do as well as what not to do, throwing comments about Warner Brothers’ own films that most people wouldn’t dare say out loud.
From a storytelling point of view it holds up against most other DC films out to date and with the surprisingly natural sounding voice work by Zach Galifianakis for the Joker, Will Arnett for Batman and Michael Cera for Robin. From a very big fan I would recommend taking the time to watch and enjoy a fun side of Batman we don’t see anymore in films. Taking hold of the phrase ‘Comic Book film’ and ‘Kid’s film’ and then producing a film with great story telling, commendable writing and an art style that would rival Pixar and DreamWorks.
The Nerdy Bartender 