From the creators of The LEGO Movie, Warner Brothers Animation is continuing its legacy with the spinoff The LEGO Batman Movie. This time directed by Chris McKay (Robot Chicken), the story follows the character of LEGO Batman. Though this character was first created by the team of Miller and Lord, they return only as producers. Writers include Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern, and John Whittington. Stern and Whittington are fairly new and McKenna and Sommers come from American Dad, but the name that should really stick out is Seth Grahame-Smith. Seth Grahame-Smith is the author who brought us the quirky novels that were later adapted to big budget Hollywood films, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Pride Prejudice & Zombies. Though this list of writers doesn’t necessarily conjure up the most wholesome of family friendly credits, I assure you that while their humor remains intact, none of the jokes are risqué in any way.
Returning as LEGO
Batman is Will Arnett (Arrested
Development, The LEGO Movie).
Joining the voice cast is a mix of well-known dramatic and comedic talents
including Rosario Dawson (Marvel’s
Daredevil, Marvel’s Luke Cage) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl,
Michael Cera (Arrested Development)
as Dick Grayson/Robin, Ralph Fiennes (Harry
Potter and The Deathly Hallows) as Alfred Pennyworth, and Zach Galifianakis
(The Hangover) as The Joker. Other
cameo voices include Zoe Kravitz, Channing Tatum, Jemaine Clement, Jonah Hill,
Adam Devine, Seth Green and Hector Elizondo.
This film
explores the psyche of Batman using a satirical lens. The film begins as just
another day for Batman as he takes down an assembly of his villains being led
by The Joker. Immediately after defeating Joker, Batman refuses to admit that
The Joker is his greatest enemy. This news devastates The Joker. The audience I
was in took this as comedic effect, but this is actually the first point of
exploration. Many Batman fans prescribe to the Frank Miller take that The Joker
is actually in love with Batman. Because Batman gives The Joker purpose each of
them is made whole by living in constant battle with the other. Exploration
point number two comes when LEGO Batman returns home. He completely changes out
of his uniform to relax with the exception of his cowl. This is noteworthy
because all Batman fans know that Bruce Wayne is the mask and the persona of
Batman is the real person. The third point in the story comes at the retirement
of Commissioner James Gordon (voiced by Hector Elizondo) and the instilling of
new Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon. The new Commissioner Gordon wants the
police force to join forces with Batman, who only wants to do things by
himself. Batman explains the reason he must do everything himself is because he
is awesome and doesn’t need anyone because they will just get in his way. In
truth, Batman self-imposed isolation is due to him being raised with no family.
There is a moment LEGO Batman is staring at a wall of pictures and is stuck on
one photo of him and his parents. The only photos of him with anyone. With a
simple LEGO face staring silently at a photo taken on the worst day of his
life, his loneliness is never more prevalent.
While LEGO Batman
has combatted many villains and the film’s adventure is set in motion, the real
plot point that begins LEGO Batman’s journey is the introduction of orphan Dick
Grayson. While pestering Bruce Wayne, Grayson manages to get adopted by Bruce
and promptly moves into Wayne Manor. Eventually Dick finds the Bat-cave and
begins going on adventures with Batman. On the adventures, Batman slowly begins
to care for young Dick Grayson. While the plot of The Joker’s evil scheme
unfolds, the real heart lies with Batman assembling his family.
The LEGO Batman Movie is more than
anything a love letter to Batman on the big screen and television. Since 1989’s
Batman, the Warner Brothers’ live
action media has been trying to separate itself as much as possible from the
1966 television Adam West version of Batman. This is obvious first with Tim
Burton’s Batman that killed The Joker, then Chris Nolan’s Batman who created
the gravel voice, and finally Zack Snyder’s Batman who wanted to kill Superman!
Everyone just got so freaking serious and forgot to have fun. The CW is the
only live action version of heroes that know how to mix the drama with fun;
most evident in their hit show The Flash.
While I do enjoy my superheroes being taken seriously, I don’t want them
depressing me. The LEGO Batman movie
actually looks at this through a satirical lens which explores what Batman has
been missing: family.
Because this a
LEGO movie, the filmmakers get to have fun with their free reign and access to
a vault of characters. The first 20 minutes alone introduces a cast of Batman’s
rogues so rarely used (like King Tut or Condiment-King) only true die-hard fans
will know they really exist. Then the film gets really crazy by bringing in
other famous villains from the Warner Brothers vault. Many are name checked and
given a good deal of screen time due to their popularity in the past decade.
Then there are two groups of villains that are not name checked that blew my
mind. In The LEGO Batman Movie, you will see Batman fighting Daleks and
Gremlins! Daleks and Gremlins!
So in summation
The LEGO Batman Movie provides fun nostalgia via both the Warner Brothers’
vault of villains and a homage to live action Batman. Then it also has a story
that explores the psyche of Batman in way no other iteration of the character
has explains that Batman, like all people, needs family.
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