The Lego Batman Movie review : Is everything still awesome?

All great reviews start with a black background.

Since this review is base on The Lego Batman movie , do not expect it to be Pulitzer  stuff. Thus the Yellow background with a bit of black.

The Lego Batman Movie was applauded by critics with a 91 % approval rating by Rotten Tomatoes . This was an amazing feat considering that Batman vs Superman only achieved a lowly 27%. It proves the Batman franchise is not dead but which actor is in it ( in this case the Lego minifigure trumps the real deal )

As great as the critics made the show out to be... like most DC movies , there seem to be something amiss to bring the movie to epic status. Sure there is an arsenal  of insider jokes , Batman movie reference , great dialogue and even an awesome cast of villains , the movie just lack the special juice that made first Lego Movie a great franchise . It retains certain elements such as a father and son tale , a dramatic battle climax , master builder reference . However the similarity result in a lack of originality and make it more predictable than compared to the awesome finale of The Lego Movie .

Would this still be a show worth catching ? Here is our assessment after we watched it over the weekend. ( spoilers alert)

LEGO Batman The Movie

1) Jokes galore
The opening credits starts the tone of the movie . All great movie began in black . Haha. think Star Wars opening credits. Even the password to the Batcave - Iron Man Sucks , made this a funny movie . It is not laugh a minute and some jokes fall a little flat mainly because it is too predictable. Still there are enough pop culture references  that can bring a smile or a few laughs. With the mix audience of young and old , it did not necessary bring the house down.

2) An unusual courtship
Nope not between Batman and Batgirl nor was the 'Suicide Squad couple of the year'-Joker and Harley.  The unusual couple in this show will be Joker and Batman . It was an interesting twist with the Classic line ' I hate You Forever ' reminisce of the opposite what lovebirds would recite to each other . Except , we saw a better version of it at The Dark Knight . Thus this unoriginal storyline kind of disappoint when it plays itself out in the movie.

3) Family
From the fear of loss of family to Father and Son bonding , this movie would be rated G for such sweet themes . Probably tailored to the kids in the audience but it might be a bit too familiar especially if you compared it with The LEGO Movie. Plus 1 for being family oriented, Minus 1 for originality.

4) Batman reference
Superman va Batman - Check
Batman movies - Check
60s Batman - Check

The references are there and they do not try to hide it . After all Batman is the most important character in DC universe and most of he audience would already be familiar with the stories. To laugh at itself is a plus for this show.

5) Batman  Villains

Plenty of Batman Villains in the movie . Plot twist , instead of an all out war against them ( which most diehard Batman fans are anticipatin ) it became a war against  New Villains in the form of Gremlins , Lord Voldemort , Saruman.  the dude from matrix ( Agent Smith ) and all . This showcase an interesting take to Lego universe as characters from their licenses interact . If LEGO was to be brave , they should do a battle between DC and Marvel characters. Now that will be awesome .

Still it will leave purist a bad taste as the original Villains are reduced to side kicks with limited time.

6) A 2 hours advertisment
As much as we love the different characters in the show , the many variants of Batman and the spawn of villains can only mean one things - New LEGO sets with all these extra characters for one to collect . Definitively a genius marketing ploy by LEGO . But with over 30 odds new Batman vehicles on show plus the countless new suit change and new villains and old villains with new prints , just expect waves and waves of new The Lego Batman sets on sale . The worse is that each set has a 5 seconds slot on the movie , but dedicated AFOL ( Adult Fan Of Lego) might just want to get it all, potentially burning a big hole in the pocket . This was mitigated with the Lego Batman minifigures , but at an inflated price of $7.9 vs the normal $5.50 minifigures in Singapore , you could not help feel rip off by the franchise. Thankfully as much as we like the movie , we were wise enough not to invest in the spinoffs merchandise.

So given the commercial and slightly predictable nature of the show , would it still be worth a watch?

Yes , if you leave the critical hat behind and simply enjoy this well made show for what it is .
A LEGO show that features Batman . Set your expectation straight and you will enjoy it . In the kids eyes and fans of LEGO , it does not really matter at the end of the day when they can see their favourite toy battling it out in the big screen .


Pew pew pew ! 

(That is the sound of Batman and Gang shooting down this review - Sorry ah LEGO, we try to be as honest as we could.) 

The real reason why we watch The Lego Batman Movie