The Lego Batman Movie

"I am normally sad and lonely. No one likes me. But now, I CAN WATCH LEGO BATMAN and not look so sad. Its like I have friends"- This is what my 4 year old daughter said yesterday. So proud

Robin's real name is Dick. I'll just say it left an awkward silence between my 9 and 8 year old when we watched it for the first time on DVD the other day. I found that highly inappropriate to use a name for a kids movie. They couldve used a name like Dexter or Percy but Dick?! I loved the comedy but I am an adult (I actually laughed so hard and find the movie hilarious). My kids didnt get it. This really isn't a movie for younger kids. Your kids 10 and under won't get it. Your 3 and 4 year olds don't need to see this movie. As a 38 year old mother, I am looking forward to seeing Lego Batman 2...at least by then my kids will be old enough to get it then!

WHO IS THIS MOVIE NOT SUITABLE FOR?: Kids who are sensitive to violence, and maybe epileptic kids. I'm not a parent myself, but I did play this movie for my five-year-old cousin (who I babysit a lot) the other day, and he enjoyed it a lot, and I must admit I myself love this movie quite a bit. If it was for myself, I'd probably give it a 5/5, however, when judging it as a kids movie I'm forced to give it a 4/5 because there ARe some things parents should look out for. The violence in this film is very wacky and cartoony (so, not very graphic or disturbing) and doesn't really overstay its welcome, but parents should still be warned that there IS quite a bit of violence in this fil, so if your children are easily upset by violence you should probably wait until they're older. Similarly, while I do enjoy this movie's fast and energetic animation and saturated colors, the fast pace and bright lights of some of the acion scenes can maybe be dangerous for epileptic chidlren, so you might want to watch it ahead and check if it's safe for them. Also, this is a movie that you should show your children ONLY if you're open to have an honest discussion with them later, as some parts of it tend to explore some serious themes like the fear of loss and social isolation. Many parents seem worried that seeing Batman be a jerk to the people who care about him might be a bad influence on their chidlren, but I think it has the potential to be a good influence if you're willing to discuss with them why Batman was being a jerk, and why the lesson he learns in the end about not letting his fear push his friends away is important. Other thing I should also comment on is the comedy. This film is really funny, but I could't help but notice that, while my cousin was also laughing, some of the jokes were clearly flying over his head, and that overall in terms of comedy this film did seem to have more in store for me than for him, as a lot of the humor were jokes he could have probably enjoyed a lot more if he was a little older. And, while the animation is fantastic and creative, sometime during the action scenes it can get a little hard to follow, so if you're watching this at home your child might need to pause and rewind the movie a couple times to fully soak in what's going on. In the end, despite the few complaints that can arise, I still think this is a great children's movie. It's very funny, but also has some great heartfelt moments (which you might need to explain to your child nevertheless), the animation is stellar and the action is incredibly fun to look at, and while batman might be a jark at the start of the movie, by the end he has turned into a nice role model once he learns about teamwork and becoming a better person, which carries a very positive message for kids.

Translate this into real life and you have yourself a 15 rated movie on your hands. So yeah, I don't really care if it's 'only' lego as what's clearly fictionalised to older minds can nevertheless leave lasting impressions on younger minds that aren't exactly positive. Sure, the takeaway message was an awhhh happily ever after moment, but the interim was jam packed with overtly adult humour such as this whole bit: The Joker: It's gotta be one or the other, Batman. Save the city, or catch your greatest enemy. You can't do both. Batman: I'm sorry, what did you just say? The Joker: You can't do both, I said. Batman: No, I mean the other thing. The Joker: Save the city, or catch your greatest enemy. Batman: You think you're my greatest enemy? The Joker: Yes! You're obsessed with me! Batman: [blows a raspberry] No, I'm not. The Joker: Yes you are. Batman: No I'm not. The Joker: Yes, you are! Who else drives you to one-up them the way that I do? Batman: Bane. The Joker: No, he doesn't... Okay, look, I-I'm fine with you fighting other people if you wanna do that, but what we have is special. So when people ask you who's your number one bad guy, you say... Batman: Superman. The Joker: Superman's not a bad guy! The Joker: You're seriously saying that there's nothing special about us? Batman: There is no "us". Never will be." The Joker: Are you seriously saying there is nothing, nothing special about our relationship? Batman: Whoa. Let me tell you something, J-bird. Batman doesn't do 'ships. The Joker: [Confused] What? Batman: As in "relationships." There is no "us." Batman and Joker are not a thing. I don't need you. I don't need anyone. You mean nothing to me. No one does." Don't know about you but that totally reminds me of a relationship dynamic kids are far too young to understand and I just don't think it's very savoury to stick in a kids film for the sake of the adults having a few cheap laughs. As an introduction to adult swim type material, I thought it was quite funny honestly, but I cringed watching it with my 6 y/o and 8y/o cousins so there's also that. Not to mention the violence because there’s lots of that too.

Not a 5-star because of way too much sentimental feelings for young kids to learn.

Basically, take the darkness of the Batman series and translate it to toys. There was reference to alcohol in the movie and I am disappointed that the review didn't note this (I.e. the party with superman is an example.) Of course there was violence, but it was over 80% of the movie! The Joker is a freaky character, and the ugliness and selfishness of Batman even had my children feeling sorry for the Joker. So messed up! My husband and I enjoyed it, but I wish my kids didn't see it for a few years. Age 10 is a minimum in my opinion. There were times when cursing was implied, that only adults would likely pick up (I.e fudge cake).

My biggest issue with the film is the fast pace editing, non-stop visual assault style modeled after grown up action movies. I'm not convinced kids should be seeing films like this----how could it possibly be good for their brains or souls? We let our nearly 6 yo son watch Ninjago---we aren't excited about it but he loves it so we've given him a pass---and so thought it might be ok to take him to see this movie. He and his friend spent the second half of the film on my lap. My other bone to pick is the way the film treats the topic of adoption--glibbly at best. I am so tired of Hollywood getting this wrong---and so tired of the adoption/loss theme occurring in EVERY film we see.

I LOVED this movie. This is the only batman movie I can watch other than the 1966 one. I rented it and watched it 40 times in one week. Yes I counted. I don't know how I did that, but I love it so much that I did. Now I can recite the whole thing from memory. I would completely recommend it, and there is nothing wrong with it in my opinion.