Reviews

The real problem here is the writing; the show is awful. Here's an example: The young characters are being marched towards what is likely to be certain death by evil knights. Suddenly, they are having a giggly snowball fight. Wait, what? Also the conclusion was ridiculous; none of it made sense. Why did the evil X just stand there and be killed? Why does Y suddenly have magic powers and not Z? It is a big muddle, like they made it up as they went along. The book, meanwhile, is exciting and tightly-woven—and NO MAGIC, which is part of what makes this such a mess. That said, we were entertained for a while. But I cannot recommend this show, despite some good acting and a couple of characters we really liked. There are some scary moments for younger kids, and characters you like are not protected from, you know, dying. Several pairs of characters kiss -- and not always a boy and girl, so while I was glad my sons watched the show, and the love scenes were touching and quite innocent at heart, just be aware so you are not surprised.

The best word I can think of is "joyless," because it's rarely funny or, really, fun. Expect a relentless series of action sequences and gadgets punctuated by hijinks of a strangely-postured Joker (it seems they felt the characters in Lego were too stiff; now the characters torsos twist and undulate like they're full of Jello). My son even thought it was a little too "real" and not like as much like Lego (some backgrounds reject the everything-is-made-of-Lego conceit completely). There's no real sense to much of it. I should say, though, that there is one brilliant idea in the film when Batman and Superman fool the Joker and Lex Luthor, but I won't spoil it. Additionally, the characters are introduced thick and fast and if you aren't older and have some point of reference (into Catwoman, Green Lantern, etc.), then it is just a big confusing mob. Ditto the bad guys (Riddler, Penguin), who for a child must seem completely baffling. We watched it at one sitting, and when it was over I wished I could get that time back, a feeling I did not have even with some other iffy child's fare. It's all a shame, becuase I adored the Lego Movie; perhaps that film set the bar too high.

My 6-year-old enjoyed the film, as did I, and I agree with others about the content. The relationships between the various Claus generations was too sophisticated for him, and the references to the military went flying over his head, but there was more than enough to enjoy otherwise. There is one scene with vicious tigers and lions that went on for a while and was quite scary. I did note that the first 10:00 or so of the film, a sort of Mission Impossible parody, moved really, really fast -- like so many movies for kids these days -- and as always I wished the moviemakers would stay on a shot longer to allow us to enjoy it rather than moving rapid-fire from image to imaginative image, MTV-style. Perhaps directors seem to feel they have to do this to keep the young audience's attention, but this is a self-fulfilling process...it changes our expectations for what is dramatic in a film, but is unnecessary if the film is made well -- and for me, as an old fogey of 46, it was too fast to enjoy. As we only get a moment to enjoy each idea and image, the result is a jam-packed stream of sensory input that I think is inappropriate for all audiences -- do we really have to condition our children for a world where ideas pass in a flash? Are we catering to ADHD and harming children's ability to concentrate, simply soak in an image, be patient? I would like to see Common Sense add this as a category to their film reviews somehow.

It's a good book (although note the characters seem a lot more like 9th graders to me than 11th in their attitudes -- I teach both grades). The book is not written as well as some others at this level and by this author -- some plot devices and characters are a little thin -- but it is a great source for discussions of tolerance of differences, the importance of individuality, and the influence of peer pressure, among other topics. Possibly could be paired or compared with Millions (book and film) or possibly Pay it Forward (film), I note, which share some themes.

We enjoyed it completely and utterly (kids age 7 and 9) but they were devastated by the very ending, which is not a happy one. My older son is a little bit extra-sensitive, but even so be aware it is a doozy of a tear-jerker.