Movie Review: The Lego Batman Movie
Drawing off the unexpected critical and commercial success of The Lego Movie, the obvious follow-up would be a spinoff parody about a Lego Batman that deconstructs his legacy and persona. All while trying to add a new chapter to his tiresome run of spotlight in the world of cinema.
It doesn’t take long to establish the immediate flaw of trying to stuff in references to Batman lore geared toward parents while operating with a tone specifically for the 12 & under crowd. I wager not many 12-year-olds were laughing at the Jerry Maguire scene, the first nor second time.
There’s an overindulgence from the five-strong writing staff to get as many superhero or Batman-related wisecracks in the script as possible. There are some good dialogue gags and occasional laughs but overall the sheer velocity of references becomes nonsensical. The movie eventually devolves into five writers trying to make the same jokes five different times.
Lego Batman uses the silliness of The Lego Movie as a crutch forgetting that there was a distinct soul to The Lego Movie that endeared its audience. The Lego Movie conceives a plot its audience sees itself in. Are Legos designed for the micromanaging over-the-top completionist or should they be free of constraint and formed in the eye of a curious creator who doesn’t even consider glancing at the instruction manual?
Batman is significantly involved in The Lego Movie but mostly as a bit for a laugh or a plot device when good guys need saving. It’s often a challenge to spin off a gag character. The first thought that comes to mind are the penguins from Madagascar. Great for a scene but hard to buy in for an hour plus.
Lego Batman plays on the concept that Bruce Wayne is an emotionally unavailable hermit whose only concern is convincing the city of Gotham that no one is cooler than Batman. Even the Joker can’t convince Batman that they need each other. Barbara Gordon takes over Gotham City PD and attempts to convince Batman that they need to work together which doesn’t go over well. Bruce accidentally adopts an orphan who’ll become Robin and the Joker sets in motion a plan to finally humble his nonstop self-aggrandizing foe.
The Lego Batman like its predecessor remains visually impressive. My personal favorite scene occurs early on when a lone Batman microwaves a fancy meal in his bedroom robe in a giant empty kitchen. The microwave sits on a tray in the middle of the room. The room is dimly lit like the set of a noir film, and Batman stands in front of the microwave waiting on his lobster dish with his helmet still on. It was one of the few moments of subtlety that got the biggest laugh from me.
The rest of the film carries on as a blur. The broad strokes are easy enough to understand. Batman has to somehow come to grips with humility and learn how to work as a team. Tried and true, copy and paste, put me to sleep. The layers between incessant comedic ribs of Batman lore lose their luster after a while. Lego Batman is a watchable film but it doesn’t have much more ambition beyond that.
The film’s animation is no doubt impressive. Most big-budget animated films are these days. Lego Batman feels like a studio project that considers ‘if we have dumb money to play with, let’s see how far we can stretch it out with a nonsensical project’.
The overload of Batman material in the mainstream leading to a Lego Batman parody is likely why this film was beloved in the moment. Maybe the bar for kid's movies is set differently by critics. I can’t help but see a film that has more flash than substance. I’ll always appreciate the children’s film and literature that seeks out substance over flair. Both are ideal.
