The Lego Batman Movie

Commentary by Susana Vasquez

In the battle of good vs. evil, it may seem hard to find a new way to set up the heroes and the villains. But The Lego Batman Movie succeeds. While it borders on being a clever long advertisement for Lego in general, it manages to deliver funny lines for kids and adults and nonstop action. It's full of bad guys and battles, bombs and blasts from the past. But because it's all made out of Legos, there is nothing by way of real violence. Just snap a piece back in place and move on to the next battle. Most interesting is the reflective nature of Batman as he grapples with the loss of his family and his inability to love or need anyone (or so he believes). As he fights with the Joker or takes on the orphan boy, Robin, Batman struggles to realize that he can't do everything by himself and that he can save the day with help from his butler, Robin and Batgirl. At 104 minutes, it is a long ride into the psyche of Batman and one’s own childhood to a certain extent as the movie connects its audience to the Batman of the past to the childhood humor of the present.