By Henry Alberts
Staff Writer
It’s always enjoyable when an aging franchise finds new life by making a mockery of its old tropes, and “The Lego Batman Movie” is no exception.
Contrasting with the dark nature of most recent superhero movies, “The Lego Batman Movie” boasts entertaining graphics and hilarious humor, albeit at the cost of plot quality. All of this adds up to create a fun, if not engaging, movie.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures with support from Detective Comics, The Lego Batman Movie was directed by Chris McKay. Voice talent includes big-name actors such as Will Arnett as Batman, Michael Cera as Robin, and Zach Galifianakis as the Joker.
In the movie, Batman has to come to terms with his fear of being a part of a family again with his adopted son Robin after the Joker surrenders. However, he and Robin must save Gotham City when the Joker teams up with powerful villains from other franchises.
The Lego Batman Movie features astounding graphics, as every scene offers appealing visuals, with bright colors that pop out at the viewer. Batman’s black and grey suit is contrasted with Lego’s signature bright reds and yellows in a way that is visually stimulating, leaving a lasting memory for viewers
However, the humor comes out even stronger, as references to the history of Batman are used as comedic effect. Casual fans will get a chuckle at his butler Alfred dressing up as the 1966 show’s version of Batman, or at jokes about the recent Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, pleasing audiences
The soundtrack is great, with tunes such as a remix of “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie to Patrick Stump performing a song about how cool Batman is. One song, “I Found You”, is not heard in the movie, but is easily the best track for its upbeat attitude.
This isn’t to say the movie is perfect, as the plot gets rather dull once you look past the gags. The sappy cliches that are signature to the Lego Movie series can’t hold weight in a Batman film, and they bloat the movie’s final act into a repetitive mess.
The Lego Batman Movie is definitely the most amusing superhero film released in the past 10 years due to its humor, visuals, and soundtrack, but it cannot land the emotional depth of similar films.
The Lego Batman Movie was released February 10, 2017, and is in theaters nationwide.
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