Review of The Lego Batman Movie (2017) by Thequietgamer — 19 Aug 2017

It recaptures the non-stop, off-the-wall sense of humor and surprising heart of The Lego Movie, while this time making things more Batman-centric. One can expect to find plenty of laughs, a great message, and a surprisingly intricate look at the complexities of the Batman character in ways other movies about the character just haven't. Who would've thought a kids movie would be the one to examine the effects Batman's past tragedies have had on the character and the way his self-destructive life style blurs the lines between hero and villain. It's the most mature and meaningful bit of Bat-fiction in years, and it's been brought to life with animated Legos and family-friendly humor. The animation style is still really interesting. The screen does regularly get cluttered, making it hard to keep track of what's going on during some of it's larger action scenes. The voice cast is phenomenal and I loved the new takes on classic characters. There are also plenty of nods to Batman's long history in both comics, TV shows, movies, and much more. The amount of obscure Batman villains alone is sure to bring a smile to the face of any longtime Batman fan and excite the imaginations and interest of those who haven't heard of them.

The story is simply great. It shows us Batman's relationships (or lack thereof) with the heroes and villains around him and asks the question of whether or not he can ever open up his heart and find a family. The humor is spot-on. The jokes come at you in a near-constant stream of hilarity. It tackles a wide variety of humor and always comes out on top. A perfect movie for Batman fans of any age. Don't make this mistake of missing out of this because it's "made for kids." There's something here for everybody because it is so deceptively deep. Deeper than pretty much any other movie about the character with maybe the exception of the Nolan trilogy. What could have been a simple cash-in on both Batman and the masterful first movie is instead an incredibly well-made follow up that does the character and the newly arriving Lego Movie franchise a great service. Like the first Lego Movie, this is simply not to be skipped.

9.