I now know why so many kids have ADHD. The Lego Batman Movie comes to life, initially running at about the standard film pace, but at the flip of a switch it goes into breakneck speed, revving into full neon colored insanity. This film has the exact same kind of methodical procedure I imagine heroin users take part in, with an equally powerful high. The film starts up slow, preparing the spoon, drugs, finding a vein, tying down, injection, and then, the drugs kick in. By the time the third act starts, and you are coming down a bit, you think, “Eh, why not one more hit?”

When The Lego Movie hit theaters, I didn’t pay any special attention, though I did hear a lot of positive buzz around it. Maybe a year later I caught it at someone’s house and was impressed with how good it all came together. The story, script, acting, and design was executed with that kind of polish usually only found in Pixar and Ghibili films. Lego Batman is not an exception. It has an amazing cast, well rounded script, and utilizes not only the DC universe well, it pulls in almost any Warner Bros. licensed characters it can to help pack an even greater punch.

It would be impossible for even the hardest of core fans to catch all of the DC references thrown into this film, but even the low hanging fruit was fun. They payed close attention to Batman’s impact both inside the DC universe and outside, breaking the fourth wall and including fun jabs at other Batman adaptations. Adding the inclusion of other WB properties had me reeling in my chair. There was so much that was not only for the average comic fan, but even for the cinephile. Specifically, not only did they grabbed from the recent past, but all the way back to the origins of cinema, creating a wholly authentic children’s playing experience. In the world of Lego and other toys, children often blend universes, creating alliances and enemies out of unrelated worlds.

The film nerd in me is battling with the comic nerd in the creation of this critique. I would like to deconstruct and rebuild this over and over again to come up with a more cohesive review, but ultimately, I am unable to stick to any one subject within either. So I will leave you with a broad stroke. This was an enjoyable film for the nerds and nerd nots, the younglings and the oldlings, the dating or the alone. Its a little heavy on the moral, but not out of the ordinary for films primarily aimed at families. If you can get past that, you won’t be disappointed.

~* 8.5/10 *~