Today’s Prayer Focus
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MOVIE REVIEW

The LEGO Batman Movie

also known as “LEGO® Batman: Film,” “Lego Batman,” “LEGO Batman: La película,” “LEGO Batman: O Filme,” “LEGO: Batman Elokuva,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA) for rude humor and some action.

Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Kids Teens Family Adults
Genre: Animation Action Comedy Family
Length: 1 hr. 44 min.
Year of Release: 2017
USA Release: February 10, 2017 (wide—4,000+ theaters)
DVD: June 13, 2017
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Relevant Issues

About adoption in the Bible

About orphans in the Bible

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Featuring Will ArnettBatman / Bruce Wayne (voice)
Jenny SlateHarley Quinn (voice)
Ralph FiennesAlfred Pennyworth (voice)
Channing TatumClark Kent / Superman (voice)
Jonah HillHal Jordan / Green Lantern (voice)
Rosario DawsonBatgirl / Barbara Gordon (voice)
Jemaine ClementSauron (voice)
Zoë Kravitz (Zoe Kravitz) … Selina Kyle / Catwoman (voice)
Zach GalifianakisThe Joker (voice)
Ellie KemperPhyllis (voice)
Michael CeraRobin / Dick Grayson (voice)
Kate MicucciClayface (voice)
Adam DevineBarry Allen / The Flash (voice)
Seth GreenKing Kong (voice)
Mariah CareyMayor McCaskill (voice)
Billy Dee WilliamsTwo-Face (voice)
Jason MantzoukasJonathan Crane / Scarecrow (voice)
Riki LindhomePamela Isley / Poison Ivy (voice)
Eddie IzzardVoldemort (voice)
Conan O'BrienEdward Nygma / Riddler (voice)
Doug BensonBane (voice)
Siri … 'Puter
Director Chris McKay — “The Lego Movie” (2014), “Robot Chicken” (2005-2011), “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” (2010)
Producer Animal Logic
DC Entertainment
See all »
Distributor Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo. Warner Bros. Pictures

Review updated February 15, 2017

It’s awesome being Batman (aka Bruce Wayne). The people of Gotham City love him; he has his amazing Bat cave with all his high tech vehicles and gadgets. While it’s awesome to be Batman, it can also be very lonesome. His butler, Alfred, tells Bruce that there is one thing he fears in this world and that is relationships with other people and being part of a family. Bruce’s loneliness starts to diminish once he realizes, after attending an event for an orphanage, that he “accidentally” (not paying attention) adopted a young boy, Richard Grayson.

During a confrontation between Batman, the Joker and the Joker’s gang of villains that he broke out of Arkham Asylum, the Joker tells Batman that he and his entire gang are turning themselves in. Batman is skeptical about this and begins to monitor Joker at the Asylum.

Fearing the worst, Batman realizes that the only place Joker should be, where he can’t harm anyone anymore, is the Phantom Zone, a place outside the LEGO universe where all the worst villains are locked away. Batman realizes that the only way to send Joker there is by sneaking into Superman’s Fortress of Solitude and stealing his Phantom Zone transporter gun. The problem is that the gun is protected deep underneath the Fortress of Solitude, surrounded by dozens of lasers and the only way Batman could sneak in is through the vents, which he is to big to fit.

Enlisting the assistance of his new son Richard (whom Batman nicknames Dick), the two of them successfully acquire the ray, and Batman, during a visit to Arkham Asylum, sends the Joker to the Phantom Zone. But Joker has a plan of his own and with the help of Harley Quinn is able to escape the Phantom Zone and unleash the nastiest villains from the Phantom Zone on Gotham City.

It’s going to take Batman, Dick, Alfred and the new police commissioner, Barbara, to stop the Joker from destroying the city of Gotham, before it’s too late.

Walking in this afternoon, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from “The LEGO Batman Movie.” While “The LEGO Movie,” which I reviewed for Christian Spotlight, was a phenomenal film, in my mind, leading up this afternoon’s showing, I questioned whether “The LEGO Movie” needed a spinoff series with Batman. In my opinion, in “The LEGO Movie,” Batman was one of those characters who really didn’t stand out that much and had very few humorous lines.

After this afternoon’s showing, I must agree with many of the critics in saying that “The LEGO Batman movie” is a wonderful, well written film. What impressed me is that it has a relatively strong plot, strong character development of Batman, some great performances from Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and Rosario Dawson, as well strong (thankfully, not cheesy) messages, as other reviewers have mentioned, regarding family, adoption, and teamwork. My only complaints would be the use of toilet humor, which the original LEGO Movie didn’t contain much of, and there are a couple occasions where the pacing is slow. In general, though, this is a well-developed and enjoyable film from start to finish.

Objectionable Content

While “The LEGO Batman Movie” is a relatively clean, there is some objectionable content to contend with, should you decide to take children:

Violence: Most of the violence in the film is tame and not to be taken seriously, including LEGO buildings being destroyed by villains, LEGO vehicles crashing into things, a scene where Dick smashes his head against a dashboard, and villains using guns (characters shoot at each other, but we don’t see anything graphic happen to the characters). Other violence includes some fist fights between the heroes and the villains.

Language of concern includes the words “heck,” “stupid,” and “sucks.” Other suggestive dialog, which made me slightly uncomfortable, occurs between the Joker and Batman regarding their relationship (basically mocking romantic relationship break-ups), and a toilet reference to Richard’s nickname being “Dick.”

Mild Sexual Content: Batman and Dick are seen in their undwear, after pulling off the pants of their costumes. In another scene, we briefly scene Batman without a shirt on (he is changing out of his costume though). Joker also rubs his bottom on Batman’s vehicles.

Other: One of the villains from the Harry Potter universe, Voldemort, uses magic spells to attack the heroes. There is some homosexual innuendo in dialogue between Batman and Joker, and there is a push when the character Dick says, “I have two dads.”

Morals

As I previously mentioned, the film contains strong messages of friendship, family and teamwork. It is refreshing to watch a film that promotes these themes not just once but consistently throughout the film.

While it may not be as strong, in my opinion, as “The LEGO Movie,” I have come to realize that “The LEGO Batman Movie” is not trying to BE “The LEGO Movie.” It is a prime example of how family-friendly films can be made without the large amounts of toilet humor or suggestive content. The LEGO Batman is a relatively safe, well-written and humorous film that I can comfortably recommend to children and adults.

  • Violence: Moderate
  • Language: None
  • Sex/Nudity: Mild
  • Occult: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—This was a very fun and family-friendly film, even though it had lots of “lego” violence. I even appreciated they didn’t say “Oh my G*d” but “Oh my gosh,” which softens the taking the Lord’s name in vain. In these days of Hollywood, I will take anything I can get…
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
James, age 43 (USA)
Positive—I walked in to this movie not sure what to expect. I didn’t care much for The LEGO Movie, as it was kinda silly and sluggish, but not this time. I found myself laughing out loud several times during the movie. Yes, BATMAN is a little cocky throughout the beginning of the movie and feel he needs no one. He learned that the power of friendship and teamwork is the best superpower of them all, and, as for him and joker, yea, it could be looked at in a homosexually type of way BUT it is only IF YOU THE VIEWERS we it that way I personally didn’t have a issue with it myself I thought he was just another example of how Batman was not a good friend.

I say that you should take the family to see this one I loved it
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Chris, age 27 (USA)
Positive—I think this might be the best DC Comics based film since the Dark Knight trilogy. I loved the animation, dialogue, storyline, etc. It has a fantastic message to it that appeals to both young and old. For Doctor Who fans, like myself, Lego Batman features some familiar faces from the popular TV show. Harry Potter fans will also enjoy a familiar character making a brief appearance as well. It's very action packed and not a dull moment. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I totally recommend this to everyone.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Shannon, age 35 (USA)
Positive—I took my 9-year-old son to see this movie, because I knew he would like it. Our family has enjoyed “The LEGO Movie,” as well as several LEGO TV shows and have found them well-made, clean, creative and clever. The movie met those standards, as well. I, personally, wasn’t as in to the superhero thing, but I appreciated what they were doing. I liked how, for most of the movie, there wasn’t even a real villain. My son loved this movie, and I enjoyed it as well. I appreciate how they try to include the adults in the jokes, too. I laughed out loud at things my son didn’t even realize were funny.

I’m honestly surprised that there are so many negative reviews. I do understand, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians, that different things cause different people to stumble, but I just found this movie very clean. The superhero theme didn’t particularly resonate with me, but the movie certainly wasn’t offensive. The only thing I found questionable at times was Robin who seemed homosexual to me, but it may have been his childish glee. I did not find any of Batman and Joker’s banter to include homosexual threads, subtle or otherwise. I have been an evangelical Christian since I was a child and I think I, like many Christians these days, am on hyper-alert for things that may conflict with my Christian beliefs. But maybe sometimes, because we’re looking so hard, we’re finding things where there aren’t any, which is what I believe has happened with the negative reviews here. I feel confident in recommending this movie to adults and children. I just think you may appreciate it more if you like superheroes/comics.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Doralyn, age 39 (USA)
Positive—This movie is a must see! I saw it with my 3 little ones, and they loved it, as did I. I thought it gave many positive messages, especially the one that you can’t live life depending on no one but yourself. The relationship between Joker and Batman was very cute, and I find it refreshing to see a more positive interpretation of the two together.

I’m not sure why there are so many negative reviews concerning it. Any person who is complaining about “homosexual themes” or the fact that Robin was pleased to hear he had two dads, I invite you to read 1 Cor. 14:33. Have you broken God’s word by not heeding this verse? Don’t forget, that in 1 Corinthians 6:9, he tells us that no sin is worse than any other. No, don’t worry, you aren’t sinning, and neither is any movie that allows representation for all people. I’m not a liberal, but I believe times have changed. I think that this movie was wonderfully made and incorporates important themes that our children should know—aside from a few potty jokes.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Helen, age 32 (USA)
Positive—I almost didn’t watch this because of the reviews making it seem like it pushed the Gay agenda a lot, but I read more reviews and decided to see it. I was surprised that I feel like the people who thought that, were reading way too much into the movie. Just because Batman talked about a “relationship” with the Joker, I in no way saw it as a Gay ploy. They were talking about their fighting relationship, always attacking each other. Batman was clearly interested in the new female mayor. Also, when they talked about two men adopting a son, that was out of proportion. Batman adopted a son actually on accident (by a misunderstanding), and his butler, who is like his dad, happened to be there in the home because he lived there. And, yes, the whole 2 dads thing was a different situation, and, yes, I think it could be confusing for a child unless you explain it to them, when Batman was dressed as Batman but Bruce is the one who adopted him, so the kid was confused that they were not 2 different people. I definitely didn’t like how they kind of ran with that a few times.

Overall, this movie was funny, fast moving and lots of action. A few rude comments, but not much, mostly funny, short one-liners about how in shape he was. I thought the movie was well done and really dealt with a lot of family issues about him being lonely and wanting a family. In the end he connects with the Mayor lady, like they are going to raise this kid together. He grows up and learns a lot about family, teamwork and caring for other people. I was surprised this high powered character, was addressing all of these things.

I thought the movie was very well done, except that 2 dads part but it was really one person, the same person that when Batman tried to explain how he was giving permission for something when he wasn’t the real dad that adopted him.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Stephanie Smith, age 42 (USA)
Positive—“LEGO Batman” was a whole lot of fun. It may not be as creatively genius as “The LEGO Movie,” but I still found it to be very enjoyable and surprisingly heartfelt. One moment that made me think some was when one character searched for evidence of “badness” in Batman’s life, and in all of the selfish acts he’s done against his friends, she says, “You’re not a traditional bad guy, but from this, you’re not exactly a good guy, either”. Thinking about it today, it reminded me of how God doesn’t look at any sin as worse than others (1 Corinthians 6:9). Bad guys may commit crimes in movies and TV, but selfish and bad choices at the expense of others is still, in God’s eyes, just as bad.

The movie talks about how “change” is possible and talks about it very positively.

In terms of negative content, there isn’t too much to be worried about. I do think the brief joke about how Bruce Wayne reacted to Robin’s real name (Dick) wasn’t necessary (“Well, children can be so cruel”). It will go over most kid’s heads though. There was a brief suggestive reference with Barbara about having kids. Joker and Batman’s dialog using terms for a romantic breakup for their “relationship” was weird and overused, but it’s played for laughs. I did catch one “oh my g**”.

Besides that, there’s plenty of frenetic LEGO violence, but no blood or anything beyond a typical cartoon. Lord Voldemort does appear from the “Harry Potter” movies, concocting (LEGO) magic from his magic wand. A few toilet jokes that are thankfully few and far in between.

Overall, a great movie for families to see together (ages 7 or 8 and up). Parents will love it for the references to classic movies (many classic villains that were used very cleverly) and older Batman movies, and kids will love it for the action and humor.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Blake Wilson, age 22 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—The first ½ hour or so of the movie was quite good: funny, fast-paced, using the genre effectively, with plenty of humor that adults could appreciate. After that… Slow paced, preachy, nearly boring, and threaded through with homosexual propaganda.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Jeremy Klein, age 61 (USA)
Neutral—My biggest complaint is the cinematography. With Lego characters, there is no escaping the Saturday morning cartoon images. To overcome that, they use a very witty, irreverent dialogue, much like Rocky and Bullwinkle; but it is difficult to maintain that level of humor for more than about ½ hour, as noted by the other neutral comment. Unlike all the negative commenters, I did not find the Batman/Joker relationship to be homoerotic; although it could be construed as such if you are looking for it.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Brian Schacht, age 70 (Canada)
Neutral—Wait for the DVD. Wanted to like it and laugh out loud, but it didn’t happen. Maybe we were expecting too much, since it had 4 stars. Just okay for us, if that.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Sheila C, age 62 (USA)
Negative
Negative—This movie was full of thinly veiled gay and liberal propaganda. Joker and Batman had a homo erotic relationship. The message of the movie was Batman learning he needed people and his new “family” was Alfred, Robin his adopted son, and a female friend—typical promoting of anything besides a mother and father making up a family. The movie also referred to “it takes a village”. It doesn’t take a village to raise a child, just 2 parents.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Dee, age 41 (USA)
Negative—I had high hopes for this movie after several reviews gave it good ratings. It starts out fairly strong and benign. Quickly descends into a movie targeting children with ideas of same-sex adoption and homosexual tension between Batman and Joker. Sad, really. Why is it that Hollywood refuses to complete a film that honors and enforces the idea of strong men who lead their family with a servant heart. I’m a 41 year old male and took my ten year old son to see this movie and was relieved when we spoke after. Fortunately, the innuendo went right passed him, but I wonder how much of it does get in even without him being aware.

I know we don’t live in “Leave it to Beaver” days anymore but why this liberal agenda to desensitize everyone through films designed for kids. Leave the education around sexuality and morality to the parents. A mom, dad, and kids in a healthy family would be so refreshing to see. I guess that doesn’t fit the narrative anymore. Just produce a fun, cleverly entertaining movie that I can take my kids to without cringing in my seat. Leave the rest to the parents.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Rick, age 41 (USA)
Negative—I went to see this movie last night with a friend who asked me to come with her son and his friend. Sadly, both the Mom and me, the retired teacher, felt there was a lot of inappropriate content in the movie and were quite disappointed in it. Some of these things were quite subliminal, which made it even worse, because they were things that would be lost on the kids, but were there just the same and possibly create a tolerance for ungodly attitudes.

I’ll start with the positives which included the themes that being arrogant and thinking you can do everything on your own is not a good way to be. It also encouraged “family” (see note below) and working together with others. Batman misses his parents, and is all alone except for his butler, because Bruce Wayne, the man who is Batman, is really a very rich man. Bat Girl is a very strong female character in a positive sense. It was very visually appealing to the boys, and they found parts funny and enjoyed thinking about what they could make with LEGO after the movie was finished. I mentioned the huge gorilla, and the 7 year old grinned and said he could just buy more LEGO, ha ha.

OK, now the negative and warning that these will contain spoilers. At the beginning of the movie Batman and Joker have a conversation in which Joker wants Batman to declare that they are enemies, but he refuses to have a “relationship” with him, which came across as extremely strange and confusing. This makes Joker sad. At the end of the movie, this makes more sense, because Batman and Joker tell each other that they hate each other, which makes Joker happy, which is seemingly what he wanted to happen at the beginning. Other inappropriate content includes: Uses of a number of swear words/vulgarity, including the f word for passing gas, butt, several darns and oh my gosh, said in a way like it is a swear word. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Kathy Pj, age 56 (Canada)
Negative—While the “movie quality” was good, as far as acting, humor style, teaches a moral/value, etc., I was very offended and shocked at how Gay the movie was. This would never ever even made sense when I was a kid (30 years ago). The weird thing between Joker and Batman (“you can forget about fighting “this” anymore [referencing his body as “this”]. “Oh, I like to fight around with other people…” WHAT?!?!?! Just weird!). And then when Batman says how he and Bruce Wayne have decided to share custody, obviously he’s suggesting they at least could be, umm, partners. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Steph, age 38 (USA)
Comments from young people
Positive—Great, except for the homoerotica vibes between Batman and Joker. Also, Robin, not knowing Bruce Wayne is Batman thinks he has 2 dads and praises it. This is Hollywood pushing the homosexual alternate family agenda.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
John, age 18 (USA)
Positive—This is essentially Deadpool in Lego form! Not that it’s offensive, vulgar, or crude, but that it’s self-aware, mocking nearly everything BatMan, but not in a demeaning way that might upset fans. I love all the BatMan movies (yes even BatMan and Robin), but this is my favorite BatMan outside of the Dark Knight Trilogy! Recommended for kids and adults alike, save for one play on a swear word (Dick Greyson) and VERY light bromance between BatMan and Joker, but not in a serious way.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Nathan, age 17 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Movie Critics
…funny, exciting and packed with gags… [4/5]
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)
…pretty irresistible. It’s silly without being truly strange or crossing over into absurdity…
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
…A highly quotable, visual treat that’s packed with in-jokes but is entertaining enough on its own terms to work for fans and non-fans alike. The best Batman film in years. …
Jonathan Pile,·Empire [UK]
…an irreverent blast, a fun, funny send-up of the Caped Crusader and his world that turns out to be just the shot of adrenaline the dour superhero with the permanent scowl needs right now. …
Adam Graham, The Detroit News
…A helter-skelter lampoon in the daftly exhilarating spirit of Mad magazine and the “Naked Gun films. It's that quick and cutthroat clever and self-knowing. …
Owen Gleiberman, Variety
…superbly silly… This animated sendup of comic-book epics includes a neurotic Batman, a needy Joker and a desperate Dick Grayson…
Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
…Everything isn’t as awesome the second time around. …
Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter