The breakout character from the hit Lego Movie stars in what will have to be the sequel until there is a second Lego Movie. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s completely the opposite, totally awesome. We get to see the Will Arnett version in his element! A welcome relief after the turgid Batman v. Superman and numerous Frank Miller-influenced versions we’ve endured for 27 years. We get to enjoy Batman fighting a Lego version of the Dark Knight’s Rogues Gallery (mostly voiced by comedians, Bane was my personal favorite) while singing another hilarious song. There’s more to it than goofiness as the trailer shows; Bruce/Bats has to come to grips with his loneliness and his accidental adoption of Dick Grayson, a very energetic Michael Cera. Meanwhile, the new commissioner, Barbara Gordon, wants to rein Batman in by having him cooperate with the police because she quickly shows the public that the crime rate has remained the same despite Batman’s actions. Adding fuel to the fire of problems is the Joker…his feelings are hurt by Batman saying they aren’t nemeses.
Anything further would ruin the fun. If you loved the irreverence of The Lego Movie, you’ll enjoy Batman even more. The writers kept his master builder skills but they only happen at key moments. There’s numerous cameos too, including the return of Channing Tatum’s Superman and Jonah Hill’s Green Lantern. Lastly, the funniest bits were references to all the Batman movies made since 1966 and there were a couple outside the trailer you may have seen when Alfred listed them.
Kids will love it for it’s Batman and/or Lego. Adults will laugh at the few jokes which go over the kids’ heads.
The master builders of Texas made a Lego Alamo for the event.
Alamo Extras: Lego Hulk movies by Michael Hickox; a Zellers commercial with Batman & Robin; Lego Star Wars Olympics; an old Lego 8-bit thing; Mego Batman toy commercials; a weird Filipino music video with Batman and foes; a Japanese abdominal cruncher device ad; Bat TV channel surfing; Batman v. the Joker with the score ending with Batman winning 14-0; Profiles in Villains (this I won’t disclose due to these characters being in the movie as a surprise); a parallel history of Batman and Lego evolving through the decades; lastly, a darling little pug dog singing “Batman!”