My friends were still not ready to see Logan this weekend, so we went to the other movie we were interested in: The Lego Batman Movie.
This is of course, a spinoff of 2014’s mind-altering The Lego Movie, where for some reason Batman was made into the romantic rival of the lead character. And this was one of the better parts of the movie. Because Batman, as voiced by Will Arnett, is not much like the character as presented in recent movies or comic books. The joke is that rather than ask the question, “What would Batman do?” this version presents the question, “What would YOU do if you were Batman?” Because as it turns out, being trained to physical and mental perfection AND having practically unlimited wealth can make life a lot of fun.
The thing is, however much fun it may be to be Batman, this character doesn’t want to be Bruce Wayne, to the extent that he avoids removing his mask except when absolutely necessary. Because when he isn’t being Batman, Bruce Wayne doesn’t have much of a life, is mostly alone except for his butler Alfred, and is so invested in being uber-competent that he has to do everything by himself, because at core he is still an abandoned orphan. So even in this weird interpretation of the character, the producers “get” Batman at least as well as more recent DC Comics movies.
And of course, Batman’s isolation eventually becomes something he has to grow out of with the help of the supporting cast, ironically including The Joker (Zach Galifinakis). This is also a kids’ movie in other respects: not only are the guns non-lethal energy weapons, but gunfire is actually replaced by the actors making “pew-pew” noises. And the final crisis ends up being resolved by what can only be called “Lego physics.”
The Lego Batman Movie is a good choice for a family movie that was also clearly made for adults, in that it includes a LOT of fan service and in-jokes that would require an in-depth knowledge of comics in general and Batman in particular, making reference to all the phases of Batman’s history, including “that very strange period in 1966.” But like The Lego Movie, it’s something that might actually be better in a DVD release, since the special effects and sight gags come so fast and furious you would probably need to freeze the screen to catch them all.