Less heart, more awesome

Following the runaway hit that was The Lego Movie back in 2014, there were equal levels of excitement and anxiety when it was announced that the film’s biggest star was to get a movie all of his own; The Lego Batman Movie.

In what could have been a 90 minute commercial for the Danish toy giant, the first Lego Movie delighted viewers of all ages to a funny and surprisingly sincere story about friendship and imagination.

The standout star was of course Batman voiced by Will Arnett, a parody of the darker incarnations of the character we’ve seen in recent years. He was cool, charismatic, and relished in being the most bad-ass superhero around.

He was also superficial, not as competent as he would have everyone believe, and motivated entirely by ego.

So while I was confident that this film would pack the humorous punch that I had come to expect from the first Lego Movie, I wasn’t so sure it would be able to bring the same level of heart.

And I was right.

Set in a surprisingly visually striking Gotham, the tone of this film differs quite drastically from its 2014 predecessor – which isn’t a bad thing. The existentialism of being a piece of Lego isn’t such a focal point in this movie. I think Batman makes reference to being a Master Builder once, and indeed the ability to fashion new objects is referenced very little.

This is a Batman parody told through the medium of Lego, rather than a story about Lego told through the medium of overt pop culture references.

And like any good parody, the flow of gags is seemingly constant. Even veteran reviewers struggled to keep up with the near infinite number of jokes and references packed into every frame. I will undoubtedly have missed loads of clever zeitgeisty jokes, but hey – that’s what the Blu-ray is for, right?

The worst part of going to see a children’s movie, of course, is the inevitable presence of children. Though the relentlessness of the comedy in this film ensured children and adults alike were laughing at roughly the same times – give or take a few seconds between separate gags for separate audiences. That unison actually made for a very nice viewing experience. Indeed far worse than the small children in the theatre were a group of Lynx-drenched tween lads sat behind me, whose weak-ass banter made me genuinely worry for our country’s future.

Micheal Cera’s Robin is a laugh a minute – an entirely self-aware, walking cuteness trope whose completely unfounded optimism is as tragic as it is adorable.

The Lego Batman Movie’s depiction of the Joker was also incredibly funny, with Zach Galifianakis’s version being perhaps the least menacing in history. Instead he is desperate for Batman’s recognition, and an early scene in which the Dark Knight callously tells the Clown Prince of Crime that he means nothing to him is both hilarious and horribly sad.

That’s the power of this parody – the Joker is by far the most sympathetic character in this film.

“You can actually pinpoint the second his heart rips in half.” Credit: Warner Bros.

So while it is certainly a very clever spoof – and not as emotive as the original – that’s not so say this film is devoid of any feeling.

Indeed this is the only Batman film in recent years that’s explicitly shown us the loneliness of being Batman. From the Nolan trilogy to the Arkham video games, Batman is usually depicted as too deep in action to pause and consider how crappy his life as Bruce Wayne is.

But here, there’s one hilariously tragic sequence where we see him – after returning home from a successful night of heroism – microwaving a lobster dinner for one, and sadly eating said dinner on a Batman-branded jetski.

While this film may fail (or rather, consciously avoid) to recreate the heart of The Lego Movie, it certainly doubles down on the relentlessly self-aware humour and sheer volume of gags. The Lego Batman Movie is acutely aware of its audience – namely, everyone. There is plenty in there for the kids, their parents, the DC fanboys, and any combinations therein.

Gags and buckets charm – that’s how dominate in the box office, chaps. Gags and charm.

P.S. How weird is it to have Voldemort in the movie and Ralph Fiennes in the cast, but not have him voice his own character?

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