The Lego Batman Movie - Film Review

I don’t think anything could have prepared me for how much I loved 2014’s The Lego Movie. It’s one of the best animated features I’ve ever seen, a winning combination of unique animation, intelligent humor and heartfelt storytelling. And seeing as how Will Arnett’s Lego Batman character was one of its biggest highlights, it came as no surprise to anyone when Warner Bros. announced a new entry in the Lego series focused on the character. Does The Lego Batman Movie live up to the high bar set by its predecessor? The short answer is ‘no.’ The longer answer is ‘no, but it’s still a whole lot of fun.’

Things kick off in splendid fashion with an extended action sequence in which Batman saves Gotham City from the clutches of his Rogues Gallery for the umpteenth time. After he basks in the adoration of a glowing public, he returns home to celebrate.

Alone.

Needless to say, Batman’s home life is far less fulfilling than his crimefighting one. He lazes about in his giant swimming pool, feasts on microwaved lobster meals and carries on conversations with a massive portrait of his dead parents. Alfred, his ever-faithful butler, recognizes and points out the crucial element Batman is missing from his life: a family.

Batman’s world is turned upside down when he accidentally adopts Dick Grayson, a high-spirited, eager-to-please young orphan. After Dick discovers the batcave (with a little help from Alfred), he leaps at the opportunity to aid Batman in his never-ending battle for justice. And it’s not a moment too soon. The Joker has a sinister plan up his sleeve and Batman will need all the help he can get in taking the Joker down and saving Gotham City once more.

I’ll give The Lego Batman Movie this much: if nothing else, it kept me laughing. Every time my interest began to drift, a perfectly-timed one-liner would pull me right back in. The bad news is my interest drifted far more often than not. Where The Lego Movie felt like a work of genuine passion and blazing originality, The Lego Batman Movie feels a bit more calculated, less a genuine creative effort than an attempt to bank off its predecessor’s success. And while I can appreciate The Lego Batman Movie’s valid attempts to make the character fun again, it does so at the expense of developing a genuine emotional center. The continuous onslaught of jokes makes it difficult to connect with the material. It’s as if the filmmakers were concerned slowing the relentless pacing down for a few minutes would lose the audience. It’s not to say the film doesn’t have heart; there’s no question it does. It’s just difficult to feel genuinely invested in such a hyperactive film.

But the moments that work tip the balance in the film’s favor. There are tons of great Easter Eggs and subtle references for Batman fans, and even though I wish the creative team had delved a bit deeper into examining the character, I can’t fault them for making a clear effort to celebrate his legacy. And something else that should come as a surprise to no one, the casting is superb. Will Arnett makes a welcome return as the Dark Knight with Michael Cera filling in as the enthusiastically optimistic Boy Wonder and Ralph Fiennes serving as the indispensable Alfred Pennyworth. Rosario Dawson and Zach Galifianakis are excellent in their respective roles as Barbara Gordon and the Joker, and the film is full of fantastic cameos from many familiar faces that I won’t spoil here.

The Lego Batman Movie is a consistently hilarious effort, providing solid entertainment for Lego and Batman fans of all ages. It might be something of a step back for this budding franchise, but it’s still inventive and funny enough to rise above its shortcomings. That being said, the manic, ADD-esque energy levels these films demonstrate may be starting to wear out their welcome. It’s charming enough…for now…but if the Lego creative team wants to keep people invested in future films that won’t be able to rely on an established character such as Batman, they’re going to need to start devoting some serious time to going beyond the flashy animation and zippy punchlines and not being afraid to give us something to invest in.

FINAL RATING: 3/5

Doctor Strange - Film Review

Doctor Strange is yet another efficient cog in the Marvel Movie Machine. It successfully entertains and moderately thrills, but it never fully engages or enthralls. Much of its successes are in large part due to its stunning and inspired visuals as well as yet another excellent cast led by Benedict Cumberbatch. Its drawbacks are much the same as the other middle-of-the-run Marvel films: standard plotting, simplistic villain and an all-too-familiar story structure.

Doctor Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is one of the most prestigious neurosurgeons in New York City – probably the entire world. He takes pride in his steady hands as well as his unparalleled music trivia knowledge.

He’s also a pompous jackass.

And I’ll pause here for a moment to give Marvel Studios props for giving us a protagonist who is relatively unlikable for a good chunk of the film’s runtime. It’s a bold move and their willingness to mess with their tried and true formula is exactly why the studio has been so successful over the past decade. Dr. Strange regularly belittles his colleagues, takes for granted his one, true friend: fellow surgeon and ex-lover Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) and behaves in a generally selfish manner. His life is upended when a horrible car accident takes away the use of his hands. When modern medicine fails him, he delves into the world of the mystical and discovers possibilities and powers far beyond anything he could have imagined.

Doctor Strange works best when it focuses on its characters and its action sequences, the latter of which are some of the most bonkers Marvel Studios has pulled off to date. Buildings fold and bend, floors expand and contort, universes are passed through on a whim and energy is focused and honed to create magical weaponry. Director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister) has a strong handle on the other-worldly material and the flashy visuals, but to his credit, he never forgets to pause every so often in order to give the characters some room to breathe.

As I’ve already said, Cumberbatch is excellent as Strange, lending a relatability and likability to a character who, for the most part, behaves rather deplorably. His character arc from selfish, entitled neurosurgeon to selfless, badass superhero feels earned and it’s largely due to Cumberbatch’s talents as a performer that we’re willing to stick with Strange through thick and thin. The supporting cast, featuring the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, and Mads Mikkelsen, is strong, but none of their characters are as well-drawn as that of Strange’s. Thankfully, their talents overcome this drawback and they manage to charm regardless. The chemistry between them provides the film with some of its finest moments and biggest laughs.

The plotting is what really holds the film back from greatness. This was an excellent opportunity for Marvel to get a little weird and push the boundaries of their storytelling method. They opt instead to play it safe, perhaps to normalize the otherworldly visual onslaught for general audiences, or perhaps because they don’t want to mess with a solid formula. Probably both. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame they didn’t take more of a risk here, especially considering the absurd possibilities of the source material. (If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out Jason Aaron’s current run on the series. It’s spectacular) In an odd change of pace from Marvel’s standard formula, Doctor Strange’s climax ends up being one of its more inspired moments. I won’t spoil it for you here, but it was refreshing and creative in a way I was hoping the entire film would be.

While I couldn’t help wishing the storytelling had been as bold and awe-inspiring as the trippy effects, Doctor Strange is still a highly entertaining work from a studio that, even when it doesn’t hit one out of the park, manages a solid base hit. I’d rank it below Marvel Studios’ best cinematic outings (Iron Man, The Avengers, the latter two Captain America films), but it falls right in line with Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. More importantly, it introduces another excellent character into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and holds the promise of more exciting things to come. I can’t wait to see how Doctor Strange fits in with the rest of the gang.

FINAL RATING: 3.5/5

Sing Street - Film Review

Oh, man. I really wanted to like this movie. I mean, really really. I adore John Carney’s feature debut Once and was hoping to find some of that magic rekindled here. But despite strong performances from its relatively inexperienced cast and a top-notch soundtrack, Sing Street’s scattershot plot and unfocused characterizations keep it from truly singing. (See what I did there? Do you hate me for it? I hate me for it)

It’s 1985. The Cure has just released ‘The Head on the Door’ and Back to the Future is captivating movie audiences worldwide. In Dublin, Ireland, a 15-year-old lad named Conor has just been informed by his parents that they can’t afford his ‘fancy’ upper class education and will be transferring him to a free state-school.

The shift is understandably jarring – the place is a zoo. Fights break out on the regular and teachers pay little mind to the chaos in the classrooms. Conor is tormented not only by his classmates, but by the school’s strict principal (Don Wycherley), who calls Conor out on his first day for not wearing black shoes. When Conor argues that his brown shoes are ‘really quite sensible,’ the principal forces him to spend the rest of the day shoeless.

Conor is befriended by Darren, another social outcast (gingers never can catch a break). In an attempt to impress Darren, Conor asks Raphina, the aspiring model who lives across the street from the school, to be in a music video for his band. She agrees, but there’s just one problem: Conor doesn’t have a band. He and Darren set off to recruit musicians for their new ‘band’ Sing Street, so Conor can woo Raphina, win the respect of his classmates and discover who he truly is.

There are elements of Sing Street I really enjoyed. As I mentioned earlier, the soundtrack is outstanding (I’m listening to it right this VERY SECOND, no matter when you might be reading this review), and I loved all the scenes that involved the band getting together and making music/movies. It’s slightly unbelievable that a group of such young kids would be quite this good at making catchy pop songs, but the performances are so fun and spirited, it’s easy to suspend your disbelief. (Carney co-wrote the original compositions with Gary Clark) I was also thoroughly entertained by Conor’s discovery of new bands and how he'd adapt his musical and fashion stylings accordingly.

While Carney’s direction is solid and he does a great job capturing the look/feel of the era, his script is a scattered mishmash of ideas and themes that never coalesces into a satisfying whole. He takes on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to growing up in 1980s Dublin, dealing with abusive authority figures, coping with your parents’ crumbling marriage, not letting your dreams get away from you, etc., but never strikes the right balance between them. Intriguing subplots are left under-developed or completely unexamined and the most interesting plotline – the formation/development of the band – takes a backseat to the more hackneyed one - the romance between Conor and Raphina, which never fully transcends its young-adult trappings.

This is by no means the fault of the young actors, who are all excellent. As Conor, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo is very appealing. He nails the quietly cocky, slightly awkward demeanor of the character perfectly, and does a great job in the film’s more emotional moments. Likewise, Lucy Boynton is beautiful and elusive as Raphina, the star of Sing Street’s music videos and the object of Conor’s affections.

The additional bandmates are great too with Mark McKenna being the standout as Eamon, a musical prodigy who can play practically any instrument. It’s just such a shame we don’t get to spend more time getting to know them, as the musical aspects are the film's strongest moments by far.

And maybe that’s the biggest problem with Sing Street: the whole thing feels like Carney was so concerned with finding the perfect musical cue, he forgot to develop a fully realized story or characters. In that regard, the film is a lot like its main protagonist, constantly shedding one identity for another without ever really finding itself. If that was Carney’s intention, more power to him. It just doesn’t make for very good storytelling.

Here's hoping this one grows on me. In the meantime, I’m going to go listen to ‘Drive It Like You Stole It’ for the umpteenth time.

FINAL RATING: 3/5