“I don’t talks about feelings, Alfred. I don’t have any, I’ve never seen one. I’m a night-stalking, crime-fighting vigilante, and a heavy metal rapping machine. I don’t feel anything emotionally, except for rage. 24/7, 365, at a million percent. And if you think that there’s something behind that, then you’re crazy.”
Lego Batman is a bit of a dick. And in order to save the day in Lego Gotham City, he needs to learn how to be less of a dick and work with other people to take down the bad guys, led by Lego Joker, who just wants Lego Batman to admit that Lego Joker is important to him. Even Lego psychopaths needs to feel appreciated.
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
Directed by Chris McKay
Screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers and Jared Stern & John Whittington, based on a story by Seth Grahame-Smith.
I think this is probably my favorite representation of Batman in a feature film, because it really embraces what I feel is the true essence of the character that doesn’t get a whole lot of focus in the comics (unless it’s being written by Frank Miller) – Batman is a real jackass, completely full of himself and mostly unlikable.
OK, maybe the depiction of Lego Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) isn’t as coarse as Frank Miller’s, but it was definitely an interesting choice to go with a lead character who goes out of his way to be unlikable. Sure, he saves Lego Gotham City all the time, but newly-installed Police Commissioner Lego Barbara Gordon is right to call him out for never actually putting anyone in prison and causing tons of Lego property damage. Thankfully, it’s all Legos, so it’s easy to put back together, but those Lego sets can be time consuming. It’s definitely a lengthy project every time Lego Batman busts something up just to foil a plot.
And while Lego Batman never utters the famous words of All-Star Batman, at least All-Star Batman showed All-Star Dick Grayson some attention. Lego Batman off-handedly agrees to adopt Lego Dick Grayson here and then forgets all about him until Lego Dick Grayson (voiced by Michael Cera) discovers the Lego Batcave.
The plot centers around Lego Batman’s relationships with the Lego Gotham City Police Department – who are wary of him because of new commissioner Lego Barbara Gordon – and his relationship with Lego Joker, who just wants Lego Batman to admit that Lego Joker is his arch-nemesis. Lego Batman disagrees, of course. He thinks his arch-nemesis is Lego Superman.
Holy Lego inferiority complex!
After Lego Joker convinces all of Lego Batman’s rogues to be captured and sent away, Lego Batman and Robin go to the Lego Fortress of Solitude to steal a Phantom Zone Projector to send Lego Joker away, which of course was Lego Joker’s plan the whole time. It allows him to gather up all the worst people that Warner Bros. had the rights to and bring them back to cause havoc in Lego Gotham City.
Fun little point – One of the baddies is Harry Potter’s Lego Lord Voldemort, voiced here by the great Eddie Izzard. Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, voices Lego Alfred here. Lego Gotham is weird.
Anyway, all the Lego chaos and destruction forces Lego Batman to learn to work together with Lego Robin and Lego Alfred and even Lego Barbara Gordon (newly-christened Lego Batgirl for the big battle) and everyone lives happily ever after. Lego Batman even tells Lego Joker that they’re arch-enemies. It’s all Lego Joker ever wanted.
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE is a fun flick that takes a different approach to a cinematic Batman, while poking a little fun at the Ben Affleck version of the character. There are tons of guest spots, site gags and Easter eggs to keep people busy on repeat viewings while kids surely are in for the action and Lego violence.