THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (2017)

Genre: Animated

Running Length: 1:45

Cast (Voices): Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Zach Galifianakis, Ralph Fiennes

Director: Chris McKay 

Screenplay: Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers 

Adults who avoid intimacy or closeness with someone, usually stems from the emotional abandonment they experienced in childhood from one or both of their parents. When parents are critical, preoccupied or taken away suddenly from the child's life, the vulnerable child will feel misunderstood, alone, hurt or angry. So during adulthood, in order to avoid feeling the same emotional pain they once experienced, they distant themselves from relationships or get involved in unhealthy abandoning type of relationships. 

That basically sums up the source material for THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE. Yes, it's deep. That said, this entertaining, over-the-top and colourful ("All important movies start with a black screen") movie is perhaps the best possible thing that could have happened to the recent slate of humourless movies from the DC cinematic universe. 

When I watched the trailers, I wasn't exactly excited to catch the film as it felt like the entire movie was strung together with gags and silliness. I didn't see the Minions Movie because they were adorable in small doses in the Despicable Me movies but not in a movie of their own. Same reasoning for this movie as Batman stole every scene he was in in the brilliant The Lego Movie.

But I was so glad it wasn't the case because its self-deprecating comedy (my kind of humour) cleverly jabs at the other Barman properties (and WB's biggest properties) and familiar pop culture. This movie got me chuckling the whole time and LOL at certain scenes! It also emotionally had me at hello some scenes when Batman allows himself to feel vulnerable. 

Although the movie is a little over bloated (and the ending was so-so) and only Batman fans will really get most of the jokes, this movie still works well for the family. The voice cast is good and Will "I'm Batman!" Arnett is perfect. And I like the sensitive Joker too, Overall, highly recommended for a geek out and entertaining time.    

RATING: 8.5/10

THE LEGO MOVIE (2014)

Genre: Animated/Stop Motion
Running Length: 1:32
Cast: (voices) Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller 
 
THE LEGO MOVIE is indeed for ages 5 and above. In recent years, not many animation/stop-motion films have successfully catered to both kids and adults but LEGO fits right in there. And I dare you to see this and not want to go directly to Legoland JB or go to the store to buy a box when the credits roll. The script is smart and satisfying. The humour is delightfully random and the pace is infectiously energetic. The plot is simple; an ordinary Lego "man" discovering his calling to save the world as he's the Chosen one. But how the story unfolds is OTT and bordering mayhem, with many different random characters from the Lego universe coupled with explosions, horses and spaceships -  it looked like something out of a mind of a creative child placed in a room filled with Legos. This is done intentionally as the emotional last act reveals there is more to things than initially meets the eye. The world of Lego should match the expectations of fans as everything looks like it was assembled using Lego blocks; when the main character takes a shower, it's "Lego water." When fire erupts, it's "Lego fire." Although The Lego Movie seems to be preaching an anti-capitalist message but it's a sly move from the toy makers - the film seems to be marketed as an "animation to entertain small kids" but it's actually designed to sell more Lego toys and expand (and diversify) the Lego empire. And now, that's smart.

Rating: 8/10