There are movies that when you hear of their release, you get excited about and wait expectantly for their release date. There are movies where you didn't even know were coming out, but when you heard they were out you wanted to go see them immediately. There are movies that you didn't really care about when you heard they were coming out but by chance you saw them and they were better than you expected.
And then there are movies that from the very first second you heard of their production, you checked their release date and made any and all plans necessary to go see them on the day of their release.
That was me with The Lego Batman Movie.
The Lego Movie is my favorite movie of all time. It's constant, clever humor, great writing, fun story, and hilarious characters keep the comedy fresh and exciting every time I rewatch it. So when I heard of a spinoff movie with the Lego Batman character, I was more than thrilled.
And MAN, did this movie deliver for all of my hype.
Like its predecessor before it, The Lego Batman Movie is absolutely hilarious. Every type of comedy just about is present in this film. Witty dialogue, self parody, satire, even dry humor, it's all here. And of course it's all executed wonderfully.
To paraphrase a quote from YouTube movie critic Jeremy Jahns, the Batman property and mythos is one that can be used for an endless supply of jokes, and The Lego Batman Movie realizes this and takes advantage. It's not afraid of poking fun of the Batman universe and characters, and it even takes shots at DC and the DCEU itself.
As I mentioned before, there's a surprising amount of dry humor in this movie. The Lego Movie did also have dry humor, however there wasn't as much and it wasn't as dry. There are many moments where the humor is in the awkward pauses, which is an interesting difference from The Lego Movie.
However, just like The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie also has a great story with great characters and a great message.
The character of Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, is explored at length in this movie. If you can recall from The Lego Movie, Batman's character was kind of selfish. The plot of The Lego Batman Movie revolves around Batman's selfishness and its effect on his life as a whole. He's a lonely orphan who beats up on criminals and revels in the fame and fortune, and the movie has him face the full consequences of this. However, the movie is smart enough not to completely demonize Batman's character in order to present their message, as it is stated that Batman's selfish loneliness stems from his fear of having a family again. Batman has to learn to value other people and rely on others in order to be a better hero.
The other characters are incredibly likable, from Zach Galifinakis' Batman-obsessed Joker to Michael Cera's quirky Robin to Rosario Dawson's no-nonsense Batgirl. Each of the side characters plays an important role in Batman's character development, and of course also provide an endless supply of awesome humor as well.
Another way the movie shines is in its message.
Like I said before, Batman has to learn how to rely on others and not to love himself so much. It's a great message of selflessness and reliance that is executed quite wonderfully. The movie challenges Batman's character to make this adaptation, and it pulls no punches in his criticism, forcing Batman to either make the decision to change or face the consequences of remaining in selfish isolation. It's wonderful to see a movie execute such a solid message by making the character's change directly affect the plot. This makes the impact of the character development all the more palpable, and the message all the more real.
Now, of course I'm sure you're wondering, how does this movie compare to The Lego Movie? In terms of overall quality, I have to give the edge to The Lego Movie, mostly due to The Lego Movie being just slightly funnier. But comparing these movies is like comparing cookie dough ice cream to cookies n cream ice cream. Both are awesome and just as memorable an experience. Go watch The Lego Batman Movie whenever you can and laugh extensively. I know I did.
And hey, the same people who made these movies are making The Lego Ninjago Movie (they've apparently found their niche). I've seen the trailer, and well......the release date is September 22.
I'm so excited.
