Lego Batman: Fun Story, Fun Costumes, Just Overall Fun!

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Looking ahead at 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie.

By Shrey Sankalp

I’m gonna say this right off the bat (pun not intended, definitely not in the first line of this piece anyway) – I feel truly, utterly, genuinely sorry for every poor soul who thought that with the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the “Cult of Batman” would come to an end.

Nope, nada, didn’t happen.

Between 2012 and 2016, we got a new Batman (who by the way is a total badass and finally has a dope comic accurate suit, thank you) in Ben Affleck, got a Lego Batman (complete with a dope Lego costume), had a Lego Batman spinoff film announced (which I will be shortly talking about) and are getting a resurrection of the gloriously campy and over the top Adam West Batman in animated form (complete with body hugging costumes for Batman and Robin—seriously, that’s the costume to go with if you want to show how toned your physique is), so yeah, Batman is pretty much anything but dead.

What a glorious time to be a Batfan, am I right?

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That smile on Batsy’s face is rivaled only by the ones on the faces of his fans.

As much as I would love to talk about ALL the Batman films (I am the aforementioned Batfan, you see), I’m going to direct my laser-like focus to The Lego Batman Movie because that’s the one I’m the most excited about.

Why, you ask?

Let’s get down to it!

1. It’s Different

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Look, we all know Batman’s schtick by now – rich dude gets his parents whacked, gets trained, makes an oddly useless yet oddly effective costume and fights crime. Or as Lego Batman would say, “darkness, no parents.”

What’s different in this iteration from aaaaallllll the ones before it is the tone.

Batman is this super serious character who can’t catch a break and mopes all the time, and that really works, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for a different take!

This version of Batman is…humorous, I daresay. 

He quips, he smiles, he beatboxes – all of which neither Bale nor Affleck would be caught dead doing.

Plus it helps they’re going for the Deadpool vibe with all the zany irreverence and self-skewering humor on display so far in the promotional materials.

2. Will Arnett

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Ain’t nobody got time for mainstream!

Will Arnett is a comedy God, and anyone who has seen him as G.O.B. Bluth on Arrested Development or Devon Banks on 30 Rock will agree with me.

The man has shown a comic timing and an ability to deliver the stupidest of moments with utmost sincerity that is rare in today’s world where hyperactively cursing while under the influence is equated with comedy.

And Arnett has the voice part down already, his inherently gravelly voice is literally perfect for Batman, and his voice work on BoJack Horseman has already garnered way too many accolades to list here.

And let’s not forget how his Batman was the best part of The Lego Movie anyway.

He’d have gotten into the Batman costume sooner but for that darned hairline and Hollywood’s obsession with perfection.

Still, it must give him comfort to see Henry Cavill is balding as well, so.

3. We Finally Get an Accurate Onscreen Robin!

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Yep, that’s what you’d look like too in the company of Batman.

Honestly, I refuse to accept Chris O’Donnell as Robin. There was so much about him that was so wrong – the costume (yeah, that Bat-nipple costume), the age and especially the attitude.

Same goes for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he was just a man named Robin, not Robin.

But this Robin is.

He’s the right age, has the right Robin costume (complete with a backstory on how his costume originated), is a child looking up to Batman for guidance (as he should be), and is played by Michael freakin’ Cera!

This is the perfect Michael Cera role, and anyone who’s seen Michael Cera and Will Arnett interact on Arrested Development knows what I’m talking about.

I do hope they sneak in some references here, though.

4. It’s Pure Fan Service

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Fan service is something that may not seem significant, but it is possibly what makes or breaks your movie, whether it is something such as a classic costume, or an Easter Egg or just a throwaway line of dialogue.

The trailer for the film gives me real hope, because going by the scene where Batman’s entire costume wardrobe is revealed complete with glorious costumes like Batman Mariachi Costume, or the Rastafarian Batman Costume (which Robin adopts) or the Batman Beyond Costume (boy, those costume companies will sure have to make a lot of Batman costumes this year), the film will be jam-packed with Easter Eggs.

And when was that ever a bad thing?