“Lego Batman” is an assault on the senses, and I mean that in the best way possible. It seems like every frame is filled with an amazing building, an explosion or a laugh. What makes it even more amazing is its styled loving lego fashion. The film also satirizes all of the recent superhero movie tropes and still manages to tell a heartwarming story about the importance of family and relationships.
Will Arnett’s (“The Lego Movie,” “Arrested Development”) Batman is just as awesome and overpowered as the character should be, beating up his entire rogues gallery within the first 10 minutes of the movie. However, as cool as his life is as a vigilante, Batman always has to return to being Bruce Wayne with no family in a gigantic home. Arnett’s Batman is definitely the loneliest rendition of the caped crusader to ever grace the big screen. We get to see Batman struggle with normal human dilemmas like grief and figuring out the buttons on the microwave. Until he accidently adopts the orphan Dick Grayson, played by Michael Cera (“Superbad,” “Sausage Party”), and is forced to work with the new Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon, played by Rosario Dawson (“Seven Pounds,” “Sin City”).
The movie prides itself on poking fun at the many renditions of Batman and his adversaries that have been in other versions. This includes some of the obscure villains like Clock King and Condiment King who have only been seen in the comics. There are even villains, like ‘The Eye of Sauron’, Voldemort and Agent Smith from “The Matrix” trilogy, that can be recognized by casual Batman fans. The easter eggs and nods to Batman mythos are too many to count, but, even without these, the movie holds its own.
In fact “Lego Batman” was such a good film that it made me think about how terrible “Suicide Squad” and “Batman v. Superman” were. The DC Cinematic Universe could learn a few things from this movie and try not to take itself so seriously. This is something Marvel movies figured out a long time ago and I can’t fathom why DC hasn’t yet. “Lego Batman” even makes fun of “Suicide Squad” and “Batman v. Superman” several times during it’s nearly two hour run. Overall if you are a fan of Batman, or just enjoy a good action comedy, this movie is worth your time.