“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!”
-Dick
All great reviews start with a quote. A quote and a reflection on one’s opinions before they experienced the thing that they are reviewing. But all I can say is that nothing can prepare you for the awesomeness that is The LEGO Batman Movie.
The LEGO Batman Movie is directed by Chris McKay and stars Will Arnett (Batman), Michael Cera (Robin), Zach Galifianakis (Joker) and Siri (‘Puter). It’s a classic shakespearean tale of loneliness, love and crime-fighting. Joker and Batman are in a rough patch in their relationship. Joker doesn't feel Batman is giving him the attention he needs. So he releases the greatest villains from cinema history to show him how just much he hates him.
First off, if you watched The LEGO Movie you’ll know get an idea of how funny this movie is. However, if you like Batman as much as I do (which is A LOT) then you will enjoy this movie even more that it’s indirect predecessor. Filled with inside jokes for both Batman and movie lovers The LEGO Batman Movie takes off from the opening frames of black. Simply put, the movie is well written and the best way I can describe is that it’s a PG version of Deadpool. Self-aware, ridiculous, and most of all, hilarious. But along with the humor there is also a smooth blend of seriousness. Certain scenes are more somber and meaningful and, more importantly, don’t lose their effect when a joke immediately follows.
Then there’s the visuals. From Gotham City to Wayne Manor the world of LEGO Batman is beautiful and wonderfully built. The movie is made using a combination of physical legos and c.g.i. which looks as great as ever. I can’t imagine how long it takes to create the various sets of the film. For those who don’t know how much work that is, here is a small description: the designers take each piece of lego and render them onto the computer. From then they go and basically play with legos as they build the city and it’s inhabitants. Before you write that off, remember that it is basically like real legos. So they can’t just have a character show regular emotion or action by “molding” them. If a character changes expressions, that means one face is removed and another is placed on. Same thing if a character moves or dances. So basically for EVERY SCENE. According to Wired, LEGO Gotham City is made up of over 200 million lego blocks. That should put it into perspective. If you want the full rundown of the animation check out the Wired video here.
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| The Joker being voiced by Zach Galifianakis |
Paired with those sets is equally beautiful cinematography and direction. Not only does the writing of the film reference the history of Batman in media but so do certain scenes and they way the are cut and edited together. For example, the scene towards the third act of the film where Dick falls off the batwing and the camera tracks Batman as he leap-of-faiths off the back to go and save him, feels straight out of a Zack Snyder film. And the opening shot where a huge cargo plane is hijacked is not only funny but shot to resemble Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. (Especially the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises because...I mean come on...literally the same things happens at beginning of both films.)
With that said it goes without saying that as fun as the movie is there are also some genuinely cool and smile-inducing moments. Certain scenes in the movie are so good I rewatched them immediately after the credits. AND THE ENDING, I mean come on you can’t help but smile from the heart-warming “I hate you” to the the big h-u-g. A perfect ending to a nearly perfect film full laughs that anyone can enjoy.
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