Review: Everything Is Awesome Again in 'The LEGO Batman Movie'

Samuel Kaufman ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
The LEGO Batman Movie is a non-stop, colorful, action-packed, hilarious ride that will leave you wishing it will never end. The film starts with 10 minutes of action and comedy that moves at a breakneck pace, setting up much of the characters’ motivations as well as the tone of the film perfectly. The only downside to this opening is that after this scene you start to wonder how in the world they will be able to keep up the pace they started. Unbelievably, they do it with very little drag or downtime.
It is a comedy not often seen on the big screen – one so densely packed with jokes, sight gags, and music cues that you can’t help but be rapt for the full hour and 45-minute runtime. You will be nervous to look down to find your popcorn and even more nervous to chew, knowing that you will be missing jokes if you break your attention for even a second.

The LEGO Batman Movie could be described as relentless, but somehow in a good way. The movie is directed by Chris McKay, who is most famous for directing many episodes of the animated show Robot Chicken. The film is a spinoff of 2014’s surprise hit The Lego Movie, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, both of whom oversaw this movie as producers.
Will Arnett voices Batman/Bruce Wayne, doing a parody of Christian Bale’s infamous “gravely” Batman voice. This voice pays homage to the history of the character nicely without ever becoming grating or difficult to listen to. The rest of the cast is filled out by a truly jaw-dropping collection of some of the best comic actors working today who all do nice work despite the relatively few lines many of them have.

Of course, no movie is perfect, and nonstop fun comes at a price – The LEGO Batman Movie doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The characters all get fulfilling enough endings, but don’t expect a masterly constructed plot here. Towards the end, it becomes pretty obvious that the six credited writers wrote their way into a corner in the name of comedy, and the way they get out of it is pretty far from being believable. On the other hand, you could argue that the ending is about as believable as a billionaire dressing up as a giant flying mammal to fight crime, so it probably suits the subject matter.
The LEGO Batman Movie is well worth your time and money, no matter your age, preference towards kids movies, or appreciation of Batman history. Go in knowing that the story is basically meaningless, but it will be the most fun you’ve had in a movie theater in a long time.
Overall Grade: A-
Watch The Trailer:
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGQUKzSDhrg[/embedyt]