a THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE musing

Let’s start with some minor things that bugged me: One of the things I didn’t like about THE LEGO MOVIE (2014) was the fact that despite how hilarious it was, it was also extremely exhausting, and LEGO BATMAN does a good job of balancing it out and slowing things down to take a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, those moments of respite are quite jarring and don’t always hold up and most jokes that transition into those slam-bang action sequences don’t work. But those quieter scenes do a great job of establishing an emotional connection with the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. 

This movie essentially argues that the Batman is the real face, while Bruce Wayne is just a mask or persona, but both are symbiotic and fuel each other’s psyches; they also establish a charmingly funny extreme version of the symbiotic relationship between Batman and the Joker from the comics and THE DARK KNIGHT. I didn’t think a movie as silly and filled with childish wonder like this could explore those kinds of themes. And these themes do exist within the comics, this kind of exploration of the Batman character isn’t unique to this film, but the way that the writers and director understand the fundamental base relationships and motivations of the character (as well as the millions of easter eggs) is fascinating in that they put it in a crazy, colorful movie. They manage to fit in great themes of humanity and community working together as well, and also the same constant humor and heart that made THE LEGO MOVIE so great.

This is another huge success for the LEGO movie franchise. It respects the history of Batman, the character of Batman, and (no pun intended) builds a great story with an incredible third act.

RATING: GOING IN MY BLU-RAY COLLECTION

(refer to my rating system here)