The Lego Movie was probably the most surprising animated film I've ever seen. What at first appeared to be a shallow advertisement disguised as a film became a rumination on creativity, following your dreams, and it had a twist that took the story to a level that I never in a million years would have expected it to. It was a silly movie, but a lot more effort was put into it than there probably needed to be. So, with the announcement of a spin-off for the stand-out character from that film - Lego Batman - that sense of shallow money-grabbing seemed more obvious. But I always had faith in The Lego Batman Movie, and I hoped that it would be able to do something new, if nothing else. At the very least, this film definitely delivered on that, and lived up to the quality of the first Lego Movie. Although the competition isn't very stiff, this is the best Batman movie since 2008.
While this is a Batman film, technically, it functions as a satire of Batman more than anything. We follow a Batman who's very self-aware, narcissistic, and embraces the shadows so much that he's pushed everyone away from him. He even rejects connections with his villains, isolating himself in the Batcave, and only focusing on "fighting crime" as a general goal. While this is pushing the "loner" aspect of the Batman character to an insane degree, in a strange way, this film has a stronger understanding than more "serious" Batman films that have been released. It's played for comedy, but this film isn't afraid of pointing out the more ridiculous aspects of Batman characters and lore.
This can especially be seen when the Joker reads a long list of villains he's recruited, many of whom are ridiculous, but all of whom are real. As a huge fan of Batman, every one of these jokes is hilarious. The film in general is absolutely hilarious, and doesn't stop at simply lampooning elements things from DC Comics. It incorporates villains like Sauron, Voldemort, King Kong, and many more. It's ridiculous and it's a parody, but it's also a nerd's dream come true in many ways to see all of these characters interacting. It's like a large-scale version of the "Batman vs. Predator" short film from 2003.
That's what's so fun about these Lego films; they have the potential to tell any story they want to with whatever characters they want to use. Since The Lego Movie showed pretty much every fictional universe imaginable existing together, and this film remains consistent with that, it's perfectly plausible to see all of these elements together. There are an endless amount of Easter eggs and references hidden in this film, especially in regards to Batman's history, and I have no doubt that there will be dozens of YouTube videos trying to find every one of them.
This film's voice cast is excellent, with Will Arnett at the lead being as gravelly as possible. Arnett's voice is perfect for this version of Batman, because it would actually work in a "serious" Batman animated film. I could see Will Arnett doing a legitimately imposing vocal turn as Batman, but he works even better at this comedic take on the character. The cast is full of incredible comedic talent, like Jason Mantzoukas, Jemaine Clement, Doug Benson, Ellie Kemper, and many more. They even squeeze in some fun references with the cast, like Billy Dee Williams finally getting his chance to play Two-Face - however briefly - which he was denied in live-action.
The animation is gorgeous, with an unbelievable attention to detail that crafts every element of the Lego world. The film never loses sight of what holds the world together (pun intended), and what makes the Lego movies function; the unique environments, and how the characters can function within them. Unfortunately, quite a few elements of The Lego Batman Movie feel lesser than its predecessor. I think they tried to re-capture the soundtrack success of "Everything Is Awesome", but that didn't happen with any of the songs. The plot isn't particularly unique or even well-defined, as the film is structured more to tell jokes than to tell a story.
I have to wonder what the future of this franchise is going to be, because there are so many directions that it can go in. The Lego Ninjago Movie is the next one on the way, and there is a direct sequel planned for The Lego Movie at some point in the near future. I feel like these Lego films are going to dilute in quality more and more as more are released, but as long as some kind of original idea is fuelling the story, it should be at least passable. The Lego Movie set such a high standard that I don't know if any subsequent films can live up to it, and while I don't know when or if the films will become bad, overexposure is a danger.
The Lego Batman Movie is a worthy spin-off, and it stands on its own as an animated comedy. It doesn't bring anything revolutionary to the table, but it's a film that people of all ages will be able to enjoy. If you're a fan of Batman, then the many references and callbacks to past incarnations of The Dark Knight will only enhance the experience. It's very straightforward, and although it does tackle themes of loneliness and the importance of letting people into your life, it doesn't really do anything unique with them. Almost any animated film will address things like that, so that there can be some feel-good resolution to the story. At least this film was built on likeable characters, it has a consistently solid sense of humour, and it manages to have a lot of fun with the Batman mythos. That's all it really sets out to do, and while this may not be the most earnest portrayal of Batman on film, it's certainly the most unique. Ben Affleck's Batman certainly isn't going to be anything like this in the future, and a legitimately fun Batman movie is something that I welcome wholeheartedly.
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