As always, I will do my best not to reveal any major spoilers, but be warned, specifics of the movie ahead……
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
We saw Lego Batman 3-D in standard seats (non DBox) on Valentine’s Day. This was one of the first movies I have seen with my wife since Grayson was born. It was great having a movie date night with a non pregnant wife again…especially because pregnant women need to get up to pee about every 20 minutes. By the way, how spoiled am I that I have a wife who suggested to me “Hey, how about we see Lego Batman on Valentine’s Day?”
In Lego Batman, Will Arnett returns to voice Batman/Bruce Wayne (That’s right, Bruce Wayne is Batman….I warned you about spoilers!) as he did for the initial Lego Movie. This time around, Batman must save Gotham City from the Joker’s evil plot while also learning how to be part of a family again….ahhhhh.
The casting of this movie was very well done. Will Arnett, Michael Cera (Robin), Rosario Dawson (Barbara Gordon) and Ralph Fiennes (Alfred) were the focus of the story and all put in very solid performances against an armada of villains.
And when I saw an armada of villains, I mean it. Maybe too many. The writers did a good job of working in the A-list villains (Joker, Bane, Riddler) all the way to the D-Listers (King Tut and Condiment King) with humor. They even branched out to recruit villains from other Warner Bros properties including Voldemort and Sauron. It was funny, but the number of characters was also a little distracting. (Gotta say though, I would love to have seen a little General Zod)
There were quite a few witty references to all the previous Batman movies, acknowledging everyone from Adam West through Christian Bale. These were done in quick creative ways that did not distract from the storytelling of the movie. Lego Batman also did do a decent job of trying to incorporate the adult theme of Batman having a symbiotic relationship with his villains.
The animation was well done and there was plenty of fast paced humor to keep the adults engaged, but I did find myself getting a little bored mid way through the movie. The sarcasm was funny, but at times seemed to get tiresome and a little too forced.
Favorite line in the movie:
Grayson: “My name is Richard Grayson but my friends call me Dick.”
Wayne: “Well, kids can be cruel.”
In the end, Lego Batman is an enjoyable time and worth a trip to the theater. Especially if you are a fan of “Easter Eggs” or familiar with some of the campier villains from the comics or 60’s TV show.
Overall I would give Lego Batman a 4 out of 5 (or Babysitter Worthy) and a Green on the Geeky Daddy Sidekick scale. I was leaning more towards a 3.5, but the fact that you can take the kids and not have to pay for a babysitter helped push the movie up another half point.
What did you think of the movie? Please comment and let me know.
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Geeky Daddy 