Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite

And, meanwhile - Back at the Batcave.... Batman kicks some serious butt (with a little help from all his super-friends, of course)....

Even though LEGO Batman's story of over-the-top, superhero crime-fighting pretty much went over the same, old ground, I still enjoyed this particular CG offering a helluva lot more than I did the likes of Christopher Nolan's live-action "Dark Knight" movie-series. I really did.

Besides LEGO Batman containing some often-humorous one-liners (nicely delivered by both Batman & Superman), I also got quite a delightful kick out of the LEGO-look of all the characters.

From having some very amusing facial expressions, to their squat stature and stubby legs, I'm actually looking forward to checking out other LEGO movies once they become available through my city's library system.

Of all the superhero characters featured in this picture's ultra-violent, fast-paced story, it was Flash, in his brief, but pivotal appearance, who I liked the most.

Before The Lego Movie (2014) completely shot the small building block toy into moviegoers' spotlights, the LEGO company had long since prior to that adapting their products for all kinds of popular franchises. Whether it is Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or anything else that was well incredibly lucrative at the time, the LEGO company had something for it. As superheroes became more bankable during the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, LEGO was able to make even more products. The same went for DC comic characters as well. The difference between the two comic book giants was that Warner Brothers Studios owned the rights of the main DC comic properties to be shown in movies; while Marvel wasn't included. This is validated with when viewing of The Lego Movie (2014) because Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Wonder Woman and couple others had appearances during the film.

Yet before this, the DC characters did have a small movie of their own. Enter Jon Burton; a game designer and video game director. With permission he was given the chance to direct and co-write his first home video (which was this). The other writer involved with Burton was David A. Goodman, a TV writer who has sporadic work over multiple genres. With that, these two managed to make a decent little video that's largely enjoyable to sit through. After losing the "man of the year" award to Bruce Wayne (Troy Baker) and with election day being a day away, Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) hatches a scheme that involves having The Joker (Christopher Corey Smith) persuading his non-believers. Once Luthor breaks The Joker out of Arkham Asylum, Batman & Robin (Charlie Schlatter) head out to find out what's going on. As an overall story it's fun fluff but it feels more like an extended TV episode more than an actual movie. Its running time is too short to really be considered a movie.

What's cool to see that was written into the screenplay was the inclusion of several other popular DC characters. Perhaps the whole payoff doesn't feel like all characters had equal screen time but it is fun to watch. The characters that get the most screen time are Luthor, Joker, Batman, Robin and Superman (Travis Willingham). As for other characters, fans will get to see villains and heroes. Whether it be Catwoman, Baine, Two-Face, The Riddler, Harley Quinn, Cyborg, The Flash, Martian Man-Hunter or Wonder Woman, one fanboy/girl will have their fill at some point. As for any film aficionado, they too will have fun picking out the various other voice-actors that have different roles like Rob Paulsen, Brian Bloom, Steve Blum, Cam Clarke and others. Plus, the voice actors chosen for the roles fit well. Perhaps the only character that comes off somewhat obnoxious is Robin who is portrayed a lot like Adam West's Robin from the mid 1960s. It's all in good nature and goofy fun but this batman-dependent Robin isn't as likable.

It is fun to see though when Batman and Superman interact. Everyone fan knows that they have polar opposite personalities and to see how they talk to each other is funny. The entire film was created via CGI for animation, thus the fluidity of character movement gives them the ability to flex further than actual LEGO characters. For the sake of the film, more articulation allows the characters to express more emotion but it is deceptive to kids who are just being introduced to LEGO. LEGO characters are much more rigid and this is why The Lego Movie (2014) is the best representation. LEGO movies should actually be made by stop motion animation. It is much more realistic and is more tangible by the naked eye when put on screen. The action is fun to watch throughout as well. There are lots of explosions and chases. However the best part for most people is when every known character is on screen. All that fan service.

The cinematography provided by Jeremy Pardon looked nice too. Since this is a LEGO film, the ability to be creative in choice is necessary. After all, everything in a LEGO film is a building block to something else. Being that this is his only cinematography credit, he deserves it. There's plenty of smooth moving shots that allow the viewer to get a feel for the setting where each scene takes place and that's with the lighting being dark too. It is questionable though to why a cinematographer would be needed for an all CGI film. What actually needed to be physically filmed again? Rob Westwood who has created music for films prior to this composed the film score. And although the music is memorable and has main themes, it is only because many of the tunes are borrowed from John Williams' music from Superman (1978) and Danny Elfman's from Batman (1989). Is it acceptable, no...but again it matches everything nicely and works with the characters. So it sort of nulls that it was even taken from to begin with.

Aside from a short running time for a mini Justice League film in LEGO form and the Robin character feeling too similar to the campy version from Adam West's Batman, it's fun fluff. The voice actors match their roles, the action is amusing, the music (although borrowed) is memorable and the CGI camera-work is creative.

Having seen The Lego Movie, I expected this to be similar but found it to be a more serious rendition of the Batman tale, and probably nothing like the more recent Batman Lego Movie which I've yet to see. Beginning with the titles sequence in Legos copying the opening of the live-action Batman the Movie, and the use of the Batman and Superman themes from those films, the intent is immediately obvious that the story is going to proceed along those lines and not the more lighthearted and satirical tones of the latter.

There are some amusing moments, however, in the depiction of the characters. Unlike the adult Robin portrayed in the live-actor movies, Robin is here a youngster, impatient to join in the mayhem while Batman continually forces him into the background. He also sleeps with a teddy bear.

It's an enjoyable movie and the Lego constructs are interesting, and it definitely opens the way for the later, more ambition presentations.

After watching this film for the 10th anniversary on my digital hard drive for Bricktober here's my spoiler-free review of LEGO Batman: The Movie - DC SuperHeroes Unite! As usual, I'll be talking about my thoughts, comparing this with the game and my favourite moments & my conclusion/rating! The movie follows the same plot as the LEGO game and features returning voice actors like; Troy Baker as Bruce Wayne AKA Batman, Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor etc. Just like the game instead of watching cutscenes on YouTube, you're watching a full-feature short film! My favourite moments are; the music that was used from the Tim Burton 1989 movie scored by Danny Elfman and the action scenes! Overall I believe that kids will enjoy this film equally as The LEGO Batman Movie! That's why I'm giving this a 6/10! Go watch all the cutscenes on YouTube for LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes or watch the movie either way you'll have a good time entertaining yourself! ;-)

At first I thought this movie would be kind of like "The Avengers." The movie turns out to be very different! All the Marvel superheroes and everything else are made out of Legos. It is more focused on Batman as a man and other heroes like Robin, Super Women, Super Man, the Green Lantern and many others.

This move has a mix of comedy which I've noticed is in every Lego movie. It has action, adventure, great actors and even a lifelong lesson - sometimes you can't do things all by yourself, you need help. There are some pretty cool structures and machines. All these structures are built out of Lego bricks so you can really build them yourself if you knew how!

The adventure begins when Bruce Wayne wins the "Man of the Year" award. If you don't know who Bruce Wayne is, he is Batman undercover. Then, the Joker commits a crime and Batman and Robin have to capture him once again. As they are trying to achieve their goal, Superman helps him. Batman gets annoyed with Superman but, at the end they work together and call in all the superheroes to defeat the Joker! If you want to know what happens at the end you must watch the movie.

What I love about this funny, action-packed film is how it shows the relationship between Robin and Batman as somewhat difficult. This isn't very good for a side-kick and a hero. At the end though, they become good friends. Also, it shows all the heroes' powers like Superman's strength and Batman's throwing skills. The best part for me is how everything is made out of Legos. And, as in most Lego movies, there are cool animations, good actions and great voice-over actors.

My favorite scene is when the bat cave gets destroyed. It's action packed and shows Joker's "funny" side with his strange humor and his pie bombs. Superman helps them. But, the Joker and his partner Lex, who is running for president and using Joker to win election, gets away. Would you like to know how he was able to defeat Superman's power? Get a copy of this wonderful film and find out!

I recommend this film for ages 3 and up. There's really no violence or harsh language in this movie. "Lego Batman the Movie" is extremely kid- friendly. I give this movie 5 out 5 stars. You can find it on DVD everywhere now.