While some of us at FSR like Ben Affleck’s Batman, I consider him another piece of trash in the dumpster fire that is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fortunately, another version of the Caped Crusader is here to make me feel good about the character again: LEGO Batman.
After the new live-action mess of a DC Comics adaptation, we need to be able to laugh. And The LEGO Batman Movie is helping. The first teaser trailer also features the rest of the Justice League heroes otherwise trapped in the Batman v Superman flames, namely Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. Plus it’s got Green Arrow and Green Lantern, too.
Voiced by Will Arnett, LEGO Batman returns following his debut in one of the best movies of 2014, The LEGO Movie. And here’s hoping his solo adventure is one of the best of 2017. Even if the whole thing is just a robed Bruce Wayne still wearing his cowl watching his Lobster Thermidor heat up in the microwave.
There’s no sign yet of the Batman-specific characters set to appear in this spinoff, including Robin (Michael Cera), Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), Batgirl (Rosario Dawson), the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and Mayor Marion Grange (Mariah Carey). Or much in the way of a plot.
But we do get to see him flying in his Batwing and kicking some bad guy butt, and more importantly we see him busting out some beatbox skills and lying about his Batarang throwing precision. This is both the hero we need now, and it’s certainly the Batman we deserve. He definitely has a right to drop that mic.
Is Warner Bros. showing this ahead of Batman v Superman? Because that might send audiences the wrong message ahead of their super serious superhero team-up. Its playful irreverence is the antithesis of the DC Extended Universe’s no-nonsense tone and might remind viewers that these are just silly comic book characters. Actually, that’s beneficial for anyone going into Batman v Superman.
And after, when they’re really bummed out about how bad the new movie is, they can recall that there’s a bright, computer-animated light at the end of the bat cave tunnel. The LEGO Batman Movie, written by Seth Grahame-Smith ( Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and directed by Robot Chicken‘s Chris McKay, arrives in theaters in less than a year, on February 10, 2017.
