The Lego Batman Movie

"Sir, I have seen you go through similar phases in 2016 and 2012 and 2008 and 2005 and 1997 and 1995 and 1992 and 1989 and that weird one in 1966."

Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4

Batman (Will Arnett) works alone. He is used to living in world where he isn’t dependent on others. He takes this so far that he won’t even commit to the joker (Zach Galifianakis) and say that he is his main enemy and that he hates him. Life suddenly changes when he accidently adopts an orphan Robin (Michael Cera). Is there possibly room in Batman’s life for family or is he destined to only work and be alone for the rest of his life….

Trying to follow in the success of “The Lego Movie” made in 2014, we have the next installment of what is sure to be many more films down the line (The Lego Ninjago Movie coming out later this year for example). I was big fan of “The Lego Movie” so I had big hopes for what the creators could do with one of the most beloved superheroes of all time. This movie has been number one in the box-office two weeks in a row now and has been looked very favorably upon by the critics. However, I really was not too impressed and here’s why….

The first reason is this movie tries to be too funny. Don't get me wrong, there are some extremely funny moments! The relationship and the chemistry that they give Batman and Joker was excellent, the voice and mannerisms by Will Arnett’s Batman made for some good laughs, and the surrounding cast members all chipped in for some good humor. However, this good humor was drowned by the constant desire for the writers to tell jokes none stop. I was laughing quite a lot at the beginning of the film but towards the end, I was like enough is enough already and wasn’t really laughing anymore. Pace yourselves and focus on a few really good jokes instead of saturating the script with none stop joke after joke. This leads me into a similar critique.

Along with the non-stop joke telling was the non-stop pace of the film. Right off the bat, action is thrown your way. It really never stops after that. Yes there are a few scenes of dialogue and minor plot building but it was blown away by hurry hurry go go feeling this movie gives off. At over 2 hrs. long, this starts to get draining after a while. Coupled with the constant action and hurrying of the movie, to the constant joke telling, it became a little much after a while and I was ready to be done towards the end.

So it sounds like I must’ve hated this film or something right? No that’s not what I'm saying. I really did have a fun time throughout the film, but after a while, it became a little taxing to sit through and watch. A lot of the jokes were really well done and were targeted for both kids and adults. They did an excellent job of that in the original “Lego Movie” as well. However comparing to the original, this movie just didn’t connect with me as well as the first one did. The characters weren't quite as good, the humor and pacing took a turn for the worst, and the emotional tug just wasn’t as strong as the first.

I might very well be in the minority with this one so take my word with a grain of salt. You might have a great time! For me, I just thought it could’ve been so much better.

Rating: See It

-Nick