[Review] The LEGO Batman Movie: DC's Family-Friendly "Deadpool"
Warner Bros. Pictures and DC's "DC Extended Universe" (DCEU) films have often been criticized for being overly dark and lacking joy. This time, the studio, through The LEGO Batman Movie, shows everyone that DC films can also be incredibly fun, joyous, and hilarious.
Like many previous Batman films, The LEGO Batman Movie still tells the story of Batman fighting villains and saving Gotham City. However, this time, the focus isn't on exploring moral, ethical, or philosophical issues, but rather delving into Batman's inner world and his relationships with others. The Batman in this film is still the familiar Batman: a deep voice, extraordinary skills, a vast arsenal of weapons, and the ambition to fight crime... We've seen different versions and styles of Batman films across several generations, yet The LEGO Batman Movie still manages to find a fresh angle to tell an innovative story.
The film opens with Batman, as always, defeating the villains, then riding his stylish "toy" back to the Batcave. Like other versions of Batman, this film's Batman also lost both parents at a young age. Therefore, upon returning to his empty mansion, all we see is his loneliness and solitude. The focus of this film, and the goal of Alfred the butler, is to get Batman to open up, confront his loneliness and fear, and become part of a family again. Indeed, in past Batman films, Bruce Wayne, after the death of his parents, constantly channeled his anger into fighting crime, but the films never deeply explored his trauma and fear from losing loved ones, nor his personal relationships. This film is not a typical Batman movie; it doesn't need to lay groundwork for sequels and can interpret this superhero's story in an alternative style, thus allowing this unique perspective to sustain the entire film.
As a LEGO movie, The LEGO Batman Movie's story is clearly geared towards children, and its creativity, depth, and story structure are notably inferior to the surprisingly brilliant predecessor, The LEGO Movie. Consequently, I felt a little bored towards the end. However, some of the dialogue and plot points in the film still manage to touch the audience's emotions, especially Batman confronting his own solitude and his fear of losing loved ones again. I remember a friend once told me: "Don't you think city dwellers are very lonely?" City people live in crowded cities, inevitably meeting many others every day: neighbors, colleagues, friends... Yet, even when we meet people, we often don't truly get to know them deeply, nor do we open our hearts and interact honestly. Perhaps we constantly tell ourselves that most people around us are just passing through. Rather than investing emotions and suffering when we part ways or lose them, wouldn't it be better to be an emotionless, self-contained person? Although Bruce Wayne is a celebrity with many "friends," his true "family" is only Alfred the butler, or perhaps even just himself. Therefore, the film uses Batman's story to tell us: be an emotional person, interact honestly with those around you, and don't close yourself off out of fear of being hurt.
As I said, this film truly plays with the characters of the Batman world to the fullest, especially how they write Joker as "thin-skinned" and very dependent on Batman. In past Batman films, Joker has always given off a terrifying, unsettling vibe, from Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman to Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and Jared Leto in last year's Suicide Squad – they all instilled this feeling in the audience! This time, The LEGO Batman Movie portrays Joker as childish, "thin-skinned," and a villain with teary eyes, which is a huge surprise! Additionally, the film clearly pays homage to movie villains, emphasizing the importance of excellent antagonists to a film. I believe this point is absolutely not exaggerated; especially in Batman films, outstanding villains like Joker, Bane, Two-Face, etc., truly elevate the film and provide more viewing pleasure for the audience. Furthermore, villains from other movie franchises also make appearances, including Sauron from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong (perhaps for promotional purposes), and Agent Smith from The Matrix, which I'm sure movie fans will find incredibly entertaining!
Even more enjoyable is the film's treatment of Batman himself. In previous Batman films, Batman is generally a righteous, grim character, but The LEGO Batman Movie highlights his loneliness and arrogance. At the same time, his character and personality are akin to Marvel's Deadpool, just with a lower rating: he breaks the fourth wall, knows this is a movie, beatboxes, and even jabs at past DC films, including every Batman movie. Moreover, he even pokes fun at DC's "rival," Marvel's "Iron Man," having a blast with it. I'm sure fans will thoroughly enjoy it.
Although the film's script isn't particularly fresh, the film's production is incredibly satisfying. Compared to The LEGO Movie, this film has more, larger, and more enjoyable action sequences. The opening scene alone fully demonstrates this, capturing the style of a Batman film! Furthermore, the film continues the brilliant colors of LEGO products; Wayne Island, when occupied by Joker and other villains, is especially dazzling. Coupled with the strong beats of the film's score and music, it truly looks vibrant and very joyful. Originally, I really wanted to watch the Cantonese version dubbed by Lau Ching-wan and Hins Cheung, but due to time constraints, I couldn't find a suitable showing and watched the English original. Will Arnett continues his deep, arrogant Batman voice from the previous film, and the voice acting by Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Rosario Dawson from Netflix Marvel series, and Michael Cera is spot on. The only minor disappointment, in my opinion, is that Ralph Fiennes only voiced Alfred the butler and not Voldemort, whom he played in Harry Potter (chuckles).
In conclusion, although the script of The LEGO Batman Movie isn't as fresh and creative as its predecessor, The LEGO Movie, its various aspects are very well thought out, providing audiences with a joyful viewing experience. It seems Warner Bros. has truly found a high-quality, profitable animated franchise. I wonder how The LEGO Ninjago Movie, coming out in September and voiced by Jackie Chan, will turn out?