The Lego Batman Movie

Score:  ***1/2 out of ***** (B)

Directed by Chris McKay
Starring Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Zach Galifianakis, et. al.
Running time: 104 minutes
Rated PG

Long Story Short:  The Lego Batman Movie is the follow-up to 2014's smash hit The Lego Movie.  This time we move into the superhero world - and meet nearly all his friends and enemies along the way.  Lego Batman is very similar in style and structure to The Lego Movie but is a far cry from that gem. Still, it's a worthwhile, entertaining option for most - especially families with young children - whether seen in the theater or later at home.


Gotham City is home to an infestation of criminals, but luckily it also has Batman (Arnett).  When the Joker (Galifianakis) hatches a plot to destroy the city, helped by a team of fellow do-badders, the Dark Knight is there once again to stop him - in style.  Unable to capture his foe, Batman still delivers him a devastating wound when he tells the Joker that he holds no special place among the gallery of Gotham's criminals.  The caped crusader returns to his impressive home, attended only by Alfred (Fiennes), and seems to enjoy a quiet break of solitude.  He returns to the city, as Bruce Wayne, to attend the retirement ceremony of Commissioner Gordon.  There he meets a young man named Dick (Cera), who in his awe for Wayne soon becomes attached.  The two listen as Barbara, the commissioner's daughter, announces that the police plan to start fighting crime without Batman.  The plan soon comes to fruition: the Joker launches another attack and this time Batman puts him and his partners away for good.  As Batman grapples with his sudden obsolescence, an evil plot is underway that may require not just his return to action, but an entirely new method of fighting crime.

The Lego Batman Movie has a very fine voice cast, although it doesn't quite take full advantage of its wealth of talent.  Will Arnett reprises his role as Batman from The Lego Movie, this time taking the spotlight.  He does a fine job, taking on the deep, gravelly style made famous by Christian Bale; although since it is much more heavily used here, it does get a bit tiring as the film goes on.  The focus of the Batman character is on his independence and narcissism, which is particularly effective (and humorous) early on.  Joining Batman is the team of Dick Grayson/Robin (Cera), Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (Dawson) and Alfred the butler (Ralph Fiennes).  These actors were all well-chosen, their voices strongly reflecting their personalities.  Robin is the young, exuberant (almost puppy-ish) sidekick; Batgirl is a tough, skeptical feminist; and Alfred is the refined mentor.  Last among the main characters is Zach Galifianakis' Joker.  Zach has quite a range of vocal styles, and here he uses a much gentler tone (though still smirking) than recent iterations (Ledger, Leto).  There is also, as in The Lego Movie, an impressive cast of cameos but few stand out much in my opinion; the lone exception is perhaps Eddie Izzard's Voldemort.

The Lego Batman Movie is a finely produced film that follows a formula similar to its predecessor The Lego Movie, but falls well short of that masterpiece in almost every way.  By far the strongest part of the film is the first act; we are treated to a flashy action piece to re-introduce Batman, and it's about as good as those from The Lego Movie.  Following this is an extended look at Batman once he's done for the day, and it does an excellent job of fleshing out his character flaws and is quite funny.  It's downhill from there, though.  I think ultimately this is a result of the approach itself: if you've seen The Lego Movie, you're already familiar with the structure and style, and then the characters - how many incarnations of Batman have you seen? - are plenty familiar, too.  There simply isn't enough here that is fresh or at least done with exceedingly high quality.  It is entertaining throughout, though, and the pace doesn't drag (it might be a little too stuffed, actually).  There is consistent humor as well, mostly from its satire of Batman, but it became less and less effective for me because the characters themselves aren't as funny.  Finally, the film has its own pop anthem, like The Lego Movie's "Everything Is Awesome"; this one, called "Friends Are Family", is also catchy but - sense a pattern here? - just not as good as its predecessor.

***

The Lego Batman Movie is an entertaining and well-made family film, but I had higher expectations for this follow-up to The Lego Movie.  I think it's likely, in fact, that your familiarity with The Lego Movie, and also the Batman franchise to a lesser extent, will determine your enjoyment of this one.  If you haven't seen The Lego Movie, this will probably seem much more fresh and interesting; but if you have seen it, be prepared for much of the same (just not nearly as good).  I'd also add that The Lego Movie has a level of maturity equivalent to that of Pixar films (therefore similarly interesting to adults), whereas The Lego Batman Movie is more like a typical Dreamworks production that is better suited for a younger audience.  This is a fun movie that can appeal to a broad audience, but you may want to take your experience (or lack thereof) with The Lego Movie into account when deciding to see it in the theater or waiting for it to come to Netflix.




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