The answer is quite well, given that the aim is humor and to produce a ‘family’ feature (given that it is one aimed at children, and as a follow on from The Lego Movie). The plot of The Lego Batman movie is off-the-wall and it is centered on the relationship between Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) and the Joker (Zach Galifianakis). Spurned by Batman’s refusal to take him seriously, the Joke amasses an army of every villain from the DC world. When that fails, he extracts just about every iconic bad guy and monster from across cinematic history from the Phantom Zone (a nod to the impenetrable prison from Superman).
The portrayal of Barman is especially fun, lampooning his dark and moody persona. The brick-pixel version is very much like other versions of Batman, and much more so than the Joker. At times the Joker veered towards a Heath Ledger type portrayal but this often zapped back to Cesar Romero’s comic flamboyance. This was presumably as so not to frighten the young movie-goers too much.
There are some nice touches to the movie, especially with the characteristics of the various characters drawn from the DC universe and from other franchises. Up pops characters from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Gremlins and Doctor Who, together with classic movie icons like Godzilla and King Kong. Due reference is made to Batman’s various portrayals in film and in comic, including reference to the 1989 Tim Burton movie; the camp 1966 effort; and the original ‘Detective Comics’ series from the 1930s. The variant of Batman in Lego form is the recent ‘Dark Knight’ version, speaking in a husky form of Christian Bale’s hoarse sounding vocals.
With the vibrancy and swift animation the occasional errors can be forgiven (the Daleks, the producers should note, are not robots). The message of the movie is aimed at kids, namely “teamwork is good, friends are important”. Nonetheless the moralizing never gets in the ay too much of the zany fun. The animation is impressive, and for what it sometimes lacks in good dialogue it makes up for in action. This movie is a visual treat
This is a movie that will appeal to ten year-old boys, for families wishing to do something together over the spring break, and of passing interest to those who have grown up with the various incarnations of Batman, given the copious references to the character’s past. The rating is 3 out of 5.
