It’s been 3 years since the original Lego Movie came out, around valentines day 2014, and just as people were begining to forget about it, out comes The Lego Batman Movie. Not a sequel, but a Spin-Off. Is it worth the Wait?
Now, I’ve seen some really really bad spin-offs whilst watching movies (Puss In Boots, X-Men Origins) and I have to admit, I was worried that this would be the same. Batman was a fun part of The Lego Movie, a good, funny side character, but could he hold his own film? Much like Finding Dory, the unimportant side-character was getting their own film, except, this film was much better than Finding Dory. This film felt warranted. It didn’t feel like a rehash of the original Lego Movie, it didn’t feel like a cash-grab, it felt like a stand-alone movie. It didn’t need The Lego Movie to support it (unlike Finding Dory/Nemo).
So, The Lego Batman Movie is directed by Chris Mckay (Robot Chicken) and stars Will Arnett (Arrested Development, The Lego Movie) as Lego Batman/Bruce Wayne, Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, Grand Budapest Hotel) as Lego Alfred Pennyworth, Michael Cera (Arrested Development,Scott Pilgrim) as Lego Robin/Dick Grayson, Rosario Dawson (Daredevil, Sin City) as Barbara Gordon and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Due Date) as The Joker.
This film is brilliant on so many levels. First of all, the detail. Much like The Lego Movie, Lego Batman has so much detail in its use of the individual Lego bricks. Each brick is CG’d perfectly and the way they form together and break apart is incredibly life like. This can’t be emphasised enough than in the final act of this movie (trust me, when you see it, you’ll know what I mean). The way this movie was created is magnificent, despite it being all computer generated, it makes you think that it could just be a really good stop-motion film, and not in a bad way.
Another way the film is amazing is just because of the voice cast. Will Arnett, reprising his role as Batman, produces the exact voice you’d expect Batman to have but still being able to keep a unique quality that makes him stand out and deliver the jokes perfectly. Ralph Fiennes’ Alfred also delivers some beautifully crafted dead-pan punchlines and remarks as well as Michael Cera’s Robin producing childlike jokes and puns that you can’t imagine being said by anyone else. All the acting is amazing in this film, even by the smaller parts such as Billy Dee Williams (Two-Face), Channing Tatum (Superman) and Jonah Hill (Green Lantern) with the latter two also returning after brief cameos in The Lego Movie.
But, the one thing that makes this film brilliant, is the references and in-jokes. They might not mean much to a normal fan who hasn’t seen a single Batman film, but to me they were amazing. The start of the film, where they reference how the Joker failed to kill Batman during the ‘time with the two boats’ (a reference to The Dark Knight), started as it meant to go on. Delivering reference and jokes by the minute. References to all the DC Films, from Batman Forever to Suicide Squad. This film holds no punches towards the odd times Batman and DC have had, especially over the past few years. In some ways its good to see that Warner Brothers can have a laugh at itself (let’s just hope they actually took some notes).
Overall, this film was a success. It delivered on its promise of a good Batman film, it delivered on its promise to be a good Lego film, but most of all, it delivered on being a great movie in general. If you’ve not gone to see it, or if you’re debating on going to see Fifty Shades Darker instead (please don’t, they don’t deserve your money), then I can’t recommend this film enough, even if you’ve not seen The Lego Movie, I can guarantee you’ll have an enjoyable time.
The Lego Batman Movie: 5/5
Connor Mountford 