We went into see the “supposedly” sexy movie, “Fifty Shades Darker,” but it was insipid and not at all 2-hour worthy, so we split to , “The Lego Batman Movie.”
From an R-rated movie to a clearly G, I didn’t expect to like it much. That said, I loved every moment of this film. The writing was tight, funny and the characters were complete and fun. The homage back to the original Batman in 1966 was hysterical and dead on. The hate love equations were poignant along with comical.
A spin off from the wildly entertaining and surprisingly well-made, “Lego Movie,” the “Lego Batman Movie,” centers on Will Arnett’s brooding vigilante superhero, his burgeoning family, large list of enemies, and perpetually crime-ridden city of Gotham.
The film is a riotous explosion of color and gleeful mayhem, poking fun at every Batman film and reveling in its references to all the clichés, plots, and inadvertently funny elements of the franchise.
We watch Batman as he now realize that he needs “ships” around him, relationships, to have a complete life. We also watch the other characters start to wonder, “Does Batman live in Bruce Wayne’s Basement?”
This movie encompassed all the Batman versions. There was a reference to everything, from Detective Comics all the way to Batfleck. They use fan service to their advantage, they praise and mock everything great and terrible that Batman has gone through over the years.
The plot: The first order of business by Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), the new police commissioner, is to stop Batman’s (Will Arnett) lone vigilante acts because frankly they aren’t working.
Meanwhile, the Joker (Zack Galifianakis) has hatched a devious plan to unleash a plethora of notorious villains and monsters on Gotham City. The only way to defeat them is for Batman to do something not in his DNA — work with others, including Robin (Michael Cera), Commissioner Gordon and his butler Alfred Pennyworth (Ralph Fiennes).
Like its predecessor, this is jam-packed with irrelevant wisecracks, clever digs and pop- culture references. During beginning credits, we get Batman doing a commentary of the opening logos that had me in stitches, ala Guardian’s Of The Galaxy. You almost miss too much because they cram in so many funny jokes that you wish they had spread them out a bit, or you must go see it again.
The script is a hilarious tribute to arguably one of the greatest superheroes of all time, and surprisingly the most emotional.
This is the best theatrical film based on a DC Comics property that Warner Bros., has put out in years. Sorry fans, but this blew all three of the cinematic universe movies out of the freaking water.
Just like the movie before it, the Lego Batman Movie surprises yet again with a fun piece of imaginative work. It has the humor, the action, the animation, and surprisingly again the heart.
We thought to ourselves a Lego movie would never work, it sounds like the ultimate marketing sham Hollywood could ever put out to sell toys, but it became one my favorite animated films of all time. Even if you don’t have kids or Grands, see this movie!
Teri Bayus can be reached at: [email protected] or follow her writing and ramblings at: www.teribayus.com. Bayus also hosts Taste Buds, a moving picture rendition of her reviews shown on Charter Cable Ch. 10. Dinner and a Movie is a regular feature of Simply Clear Marketing & Media.
