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.

The box might say "LEGO Batman - The Movie", but it features . . . well, pretty much everyone in the DC stable. This is essentially World's Finest with Batman's rogues gallery and the JLA thrown in. Even so, it being LEGO puts a nice spin on such well-worn story material, and there are plenty of made-out-of-bricks gags. This may have been direct-to-video, but it's another win for WB; the voice cast is great, they use the Elfman and Williams scores (homage-y, not cheap) and the characters really come to life. I liked the friendly rivalry between Batman and Superman, and Batman's constant shaming of Robin.

I had a lot of fun with this and there's plenty of potential with LEGO properties. Where's the sequel? C'mon, while we're young, people! 7/10

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.

Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite (2013) is a movie I recently rewatched on HBOMAX. The storyline depicts President Lex Luthor teaming up with the Joker for their own diabolical plans. Batman, not exactly the best team player, will need to team up with "his good friend Superman" and other members of the Justice League if he hopes to bring them down. This movie is directed by Jon Burton (Lego Batman) and contains the voices of Clancy Brown (Starship Troopers), Troy Baker (Young Justice), Christopher Corey Smith (Hunter x Hunter), Charlie Schlatter (18 Again!) and Townsend Coleman (The Tick). The animation and music in this is awesome. The character interactions and dialogue are a lot of fun. I loved the direct and indirect zings they take at each other. This film does a great job of mixing in multiple components of the DC universe throughout its storyline. This movie isn't perfect but it's a lot of fun. I'd score this a solid 6.5/10 and recommend seeing it.

Having never seen nor played any of the Lego movies or video games this was my first venture into their blocky incarnation of various franchises. I was fully expecting nothing but a feature-length cut-scene but was surprised at how cinematic it actually is.

Opening with Danny Elfman's brilliant Batman theme (no offense to Zimmer but Warner knows that fans prefer this version), we learn that Lex Luthor and Joker have teamed up and have gained the upper hand over Bats and Supes. If only Bats had the humility to ask the rest of the Justice League for help. Skipping back a couple of days, the story of their dire situation unfolds. It's not an original framing device, but it was better than I was expecting.

Director Jon Burton (no relation to Tim) uses many atmospheric locations that look wonderfully photo-realistic, while building as much of the world as possible with actual Lego bricks. Builders will get lots of ideas when watching this movie. Rob Westwood's score, while very entertaining, does get a little overbearing at time though. He should have let a couple of scenes speak for themselves, but it's still good enough to warrant a release on CD.

There is a fun sense of humor permeating each scene, meaning that if the vivid sets and cute action don't entertain you will still be smiling. It does suffer a little bit from the "smashing skyscrapers" cliché that is common in many comic book movies but it's not too much of a distraction.

Far better than I expected. I will certainly invest time in a sequel.