Only the elite few will get it.
So now we have the LEGO Batman movie, which came out this year and as far as I'm concerned is the best (or one of) the best comedies I've ever seen.
Wait...is the movie really a comedy though? I'm not so sure. It's filled with lighthearted hilarity, though, but it's got a lot of other messages too...
...no yeah, it's a comedy.
SPOILER ALERT
The LEGO Batman movie is all about Batman and his relationship with Joker. Like, hero-villain relationship. You know how there's that moment at the end of the Dark Knight when Joker's hanging off of Batman's tow cable, and there's that little thought presented that what is Batman, really, without a villain to fight?
That's played off a LOT in this movie, hilariously like the two are in an actual relationship and going through a breakup, with such phrases as:
"I like to fight around"
"You mean nothing to me"
"You won't get to fight aaany of this" (Ah ha ha, A++ script writers)
"I hate you" "I hate you too"
The movie pokes fun, in a semi-serious way, at how Batman goes it alone so much and hates to work with other people. In the opening fight with the Joker, he even says "You mean nothing to me...no one does." Throughout the rest of the movie, the introduction of Robin and Barbara Gordon go towards showing him that he really doesn't have to go it alone all the time - that sometimes, it's better to work with others.
The turning point of the movie, in my opinion, is when Batman is sucked to the phantom zone and shown a montage of how he's callously and casually treated the feelings of others around him, and that internally, he doesn't really look a lot like the hero he should be. "What's going to change?" the phantom-zone guardian asks, as Batman pleads for it to let him go. And Batman apologizes for his selfishness, and decides to work with other people. And we can all sing kum by yah. Hurray.
END SPOILERS
LEGO movies are a lot like a kid with ADHD - they just can't hold focus, it seems, for more than a few minutes. And that might be my biggest qualm with this movie. It sometimes switches moods so fast it's like you were trying to take a left turn and slammed into a wall in the process. You have to kind of shake your head and re-orient your attention to focus on what's being presented.
But what was good about this movie?
Well, the humor was great. Clean (mostly). There were one or two jokes that were iffy, definitely one that could have been dropped (a dig at the name Richard...you can draw the connection, I'm sure), but overall the funny was great. And enjoyable. Proof that you don't have to cuss every other scene or make wholly untasteful remarks to be funny. Props for that, LEGO.
The music, oh, the music. It was phenomenal. Must-listen. I am one hundred percent adding it to my collection of soundtracks, because it was amazing and it fit the movie so well. And they even incorporated it into the humor. Props again.
The story? It was all right. It's about friendship and family, learning how to be open and vulnerable with others, how to work as a team. Generally 'moral' and 'good' things. But while those good things are just that - good - we have to realize that without a solid foundation for being able to label them as good, the lessons taught are rather pointless. So as Christian parents, if you're taking your kids to see the LEGO Batman movie, remember to include God in there. He's the foundation for claiming those things as good.
I have to applaud the movie that, while it did feel a little fast at times, it did have some meaningful, heartfelt moments. And I approve of a movie that can crack a joke and then turn around and have a near-tearjerking emotional scene. Like when Alfred dies. (Oh, that was spoilers. Whoops...heh heh heh)
Overall, I fully recommend this movie. 8/10, would watch in theaters with friends or family.
