The LEGO Batman Movie image via Village Roadshow.
When The LEGO Movie assembled its energetic animated assault upon cinemas back in 2014, it did so with a clear understanding of the conflict sitting at the heart of its brand. Playing with the construction toys gives rise to behaviour that falls into two categories: some are eager to let their imaginations run wild, while others happily adhere to the instructions. The interlocking blocks cater to both modes, and easily; however, exploring the battle between flexibility and rigidity by layering the narrative with examples of LEGO’s duality proved the film’s stroke of creative genius. It even served up a song to suit the occasion; in managing to achieve its complex aims, everything was indeed awesome.
In giving one of The LEGO Movie’s most memorable figures his own feature, The LEGO Batman Movie attempts the same feat but with different parts. Since the caped crusader at the film’s centre first appeared in comic book form in 1939, he has rarely escaped audiences’ attention, be it on the page, in both live-action and animated television series from the mid-1960s onwards, and in several cinema franchises, including the 1980s foray first directed by Tim Burton, the bleak 2005 to 2012 stint helmed by Christopher Nolan, and the recent Zack Snyder-guided effort to insert the character into the DC Cinematic Universe. With such constant exposure comes two outcomes: adoration for Gotham City’s dark knight in all of his guises, and weariness after all of the above. So it is that The LEGO Batman Movie endeavours to deconstruct not the toys it’s fashioned after, but its brooding protagonist.
Never is the film’s potential more apparent than in its successful and engaging opening act. Batman (Will Arnett, TV’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) fights crime, faces off against the Joker (Zach Galifianakis, Baskets) and saves the city, all with skill and flair, only to return to his mansion to nothing more than his loyal butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes, Kubo and the Two Strings), a reheated lobster thermidor dinner and watching Jerry Maguire. On the outside, he’s a fearsome, famous hero; on the inside, he’s lost and lonely. Pointing out this divide isn’t new, but skewering it both with love and an awareness of how tired Batman’s tropes have become feels fresh, with the movie’s early scenes consistently hitting the mark in its existential gags and its absurd insertions. When the two combine, they’re insightful and amusing. For example, what does our isolated saviour like to do in his spare time? Revel in the wealth he can’t share with anyone by holding his own tuxedo dress-up parties for one, of course.
Alas, when The LEGO Batman Movie immerses its central figure in a typical tussle to repeat, several times over, what he already did at the outset, but with Alfred, an orphaned boy turned sidekick Robin (Michael Cera, Sausage Party) and Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson, Iron Fist) by his side in an obvious attempt to push a stock-standard message about the importance of family, friendship and teamwork, the film doesn’t meet the same strike rate. Too swiftly, first-time feature director Chris McKay (Robot Chicken) and the screenplay’s five writers of Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Chris McKenna (Community), Erik Sommers (Dr. Ken), Jared Stern (The Internship), and John Whittington (When We First Met) conform to the usual Batman narrative rather than keep probing or parodying in a significant fashion. Jokes still litter the script and laughs still arise, but instead of capitalising upon the promise of the first 20 minutes, they largely stem from references with little more than easy giggles in mind, plus a heavy dose of random humour mixed with a smattering of delightfully obscure nods.
The latter, as well as Arnett and Cera’s expressive, pitch-perfect voice work and the movie’s bright, clean visuals, help ensure that there are pleasures to be found within the zesty effort, though perhaps not quite enough required to sustain the feature’s 104-minute running time. Indeed, as the entertaining-enough offering falls short of its initial concept – and can’t sufficiently flesh out The LEGO Movie’s ‘Batman’s Song (Untitled Self Portrait)’ into a film – the seams between the pieces remain apparent. The LEGO Batman Movie may start out building a knowing yet affectionate rejoinder to caped crusader fatigue that throws away the usual plan, but too soon it is content to tow the superhero line, just with bricks, a busy pace and added comic bluster.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
The LEGO Batman Movie
Director: Chris McKay
USA | Denmark, 2017, 104 mins
Release date: March 30
Distributor: Roadshow
Rated: PG
Actors:
Director:
Format:
Country:
Release:
