Movie Review: The Lego Batman Movie

Spinning out of The LEGO Movie is The LEGO Batman Movie putting the full focus on the Brick Crusader in his quest to keep Gotham safe. In The LEGO Batman Movie, Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted. Directed by Chris McKay, the film is a visual assault filling the screen with hyperkinetic scenes that challenge you to not be overwhelmed by the sheer craziness on the screen. There’s a lot to take in and you won’t catch it all inviting fans to enjoy multiple viewings to catch every joke.

And there’s a lot of them.

With The LEGO Batman Movie, nothing is sacred in the history of Batman and everything is on the table to mock going back to his debut in 1939 in Detective Comics. And that’s the big thing about the film, if you’re a Batman fan, you’ll love it as it’s an homage and spoof of everything that has come before. If you have enough knowledge about Batman’s history and previous experiences on the big and small screen, the movie lands with a barrage of jokes that keep on coming. If you don’t appreciate a “Kapow” your enjoyment may vary.

The film itself is interesting in that it throws it in your face, Batman is really a dick, at least this version is voiced by Will Arnett. A disconnected self-centered manchild who’s all work, Batman/Bruce is focused on making Gotham free from all crime and everything else comes second. Batman is the center of the joke, the film spends an ample amount of time making fun of him and the “character” be exagerating the staples we’ve seen in so many itterations of the 75+ years since his creation. But, it’s not just Batman that’s mocked, there’s ongoing jokes involing Bane and his voice from The Dark Knight Rises, D-list villains, Michael Jackson, and the very concept of it all. I found myself laughing more during the film’s 1 hour and 44 minutes than I have in many comedies and where I wasn’t laughing, I had a smile on my face.

The lessons you’d expect in a film aimed at kids are all there, learning to work as a team, not being mean, trusting others, believing in one’s self, it’s pretty much the same basic formula as The LEGO Movie and that’s not a bad thing. It generally works being there for the kids while the adults can focus on nostalgia.

Where that underlying theme of the film fails is the pacing. As I said, the film can only be described as kinetic and a visual assault at times (not negative things) which makes the quieter moments drag on a bit too much. When the film attempts to “get serious” it drags and that adds up to a movie that’s about 20 minutes too long (the kids were getting a little restless by the end in my screening). The end solution presented to save the day is a bit cheesy as well, as if the writers weren’t sure what to do to resolve the problem.

The thing I love about the film is clearly the injokes about Batman and his history, but there’s so many more nods and winks throughout the movie, it was hard to keep track of everything. Ferris Air, Lex Corp, the background is as packed with jokes and nods to comics fans as what’s right in front of you. At times it’s hard to know where exactly I should be paying attention and focusing, there’s so much thrown out there at once. And it’s that willing to have fun and throw things in that really makes the film work. While it has “Batman” in the title, everything Warner Bros. is on the table, and the less said the better about that. The twist leading to the final showdown is part of the fun so avoid spoilers!

The voice work is pretty solid with a who’s who of talent including Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Siri, Zach Galifanakis, Jenny Slate, Jason Mantzoukas, Conan O’Brien, Doug Benson, Billy Dee Williams, Zoë Kravitz, Kate Micucci, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Jermaine Clement, Ellie Kemper, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Adam Devine, Hector Elizonda, Maruah Carey, Ralp Garman, Chris Hardwick, and so many more. The film is packed with talent and you don’t even realize it until the credits role at the end. The voices don’t stand out in a negative way, they all blend and work for their characters seemlesly.

The LEGO Batman Movie had a high hurdle to get over after the success of The LEGO Movie and the film clearly knows this. It doesn’t attempt to recreate the magic of that first film instead focusing on its own thing and formula. And with that, The LEGO Batman Movie beats its greatest villain, high expectations. I saw it once already and can’t wait to go again to see what I missed and laugh all over again.

Review: The Legend of Tarzan

Rating 7/10

Without giving away too much to our viewers that have yet to see the movie, Director Daniel Yates shows viewers a more complex story starting with Samuel L Jackson, who plays a Black American journalist who manages to persuade Tarzan (portrayed by Alex Skarsgard), who now goes by “John Clayton,” and Jane (played by Margot Robbie) to travel back to the African Congo, away from their decadent, aristocratic lifestyles in order to gather evidence to condemn the Belgian King, Leopold, for his role in the enslavement of Africans. 

Through a heart felt reunion with the people whom Jane grew up with, as well as flashbacks of how Tarzan was raised by hardened, ruthless apes, we are given a crash course of Tarzan's origins. During these flashbacks we also see that Tarzan, the seasoned King of the Jungle, is not one to be trifled with, and how he grows older, and finally meets, Jane. It was a complex love at first sight, and though they came from opposite sides of the spectrum, the two od them became soul mates, so much that he would traverse the deadly African jungle and the even deadlier deadly Leon Rom to get her back. Yates does an excellent job of not only portraying the original story of Tarzan and Jane, while still diversifying and building on the life after love the two have built through this epic story. 

If you expect the simple “Me Tarzan, you Jane” epic, this movie is simply not for you! However, if you’re ready for a a more complex man who fights for the one he loves, while also confronting his past demons, then This movie will be a tremendously pleasant surprise.

Sequel Alert: Pacific Rim 2

Just when you thought the robotic crap fest was over, Pacific Rim 2 receives an official release date of February 23, 2018. Honestly, I really enjoyed the first 'Pacific Rim,' unlike many other Americans (but, weirdly, much like hundreds of Chinese people). Personally, I thought the premise of the movie was awesome: giant robots fighting alien monsters! Of course there were a few plot holes and inconsistencies here and there, but I still enjoyed it! There need to be more giant robot movies, that aren't Transformers (Michael Bay is a dick), but maybe a 'Big O' adaptation would be cool (just some food for thought, Hollywood). After the release of the movie, back in 2013, a sequel was later announced, and much like the production of the Gambit solo movie, set backs and rewrites have delayed the production of the sequel. However, after just recently receiving an official release date for February 2018, promising casting developments have been made as well. John Boyega from 'Stars Wars: The Force Awakens' has been cast in a lead role as Idris Elba's character from the previous movie's son. Steven S. DeKnight, the director from Daredevil, will be taking over for Guillermo del Toro, who will be returning as a producer. There isn't much news about the the plot yet, but I'm hoping we can get concept art soon (I love giant robots). 

Marvel/Fox Rivalry May Come To An End

Back in the mid 90's, Marvel was not known for its big screen productions or after credit scenes, it was just a comic book company (simpler times), but comics weren't selling like they used to and Marvel had to file for bankruptcy in 1996, and sell the movie rights to characters and super powered groups, such as The X-Men, Spider-Man, Blade (which they recently got back), and The Fantastic Four, just to name a few. Now, because of this, Marvel has had to start major movie franchises with B-List characters like, Thor, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America, starting in 2008 with 'Iron Man.' Amazingly enough, under the incredible Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios has succeeded and become the premiere producer of super hero movies. Kevin Feige had the crazy idea of making a cinematic universe where Marvel super heroes would coexist and, occasionally (maybe not so occasional anymore), team up for large scale block buster hits. This format has become wildly successful, but for a hardcore fan of the comics, because of the licensing disputes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has much to be desired. 

There are stories from the comic books that I wish I could see on the big screen, but because of the (I believe childish) rivalry between Marvel and the studios they sold movie rights too, it was very unlikely that we would see stories like 'AvX,' or any of the Spider-Man/Deadpool team-ups. However, The feud between studios may be coming to an end. In light of the success of Marvel and Sony's partnership, where Sony gave Marvel creative control over Spider-Man, and the fact that Fox and Marvel have reportedly been in talks about a partnership, cross studio partnerships and collaboration seem to be the direction super hero movies are moving in. 

But the question is: What's the next property that will be brought to the MCU? Sadly, to your dismay, we most likely won't see an 'AvX' adaptation any time soon (or will we), but what's more likely to happen is that The Fantastic Four will come to the MCU. The Fantastic Four, much like Spider-Man, will need to be rebooted, after what most people would call the worst super hero movie ever (I call it that too). Obviously Fox and The Fantastic Four need new creative direction, and Kevin Feige is more than capable of pulling this franchise out of mediocrity. In the comics, The Fantastic Four is a light hearted family of super heroes, that would fit perfectly in the aesthetic of the MCU, and since they don't have an established cinematic universe, like the X-Men, rebooting The Fantastic Four in the MCU would be almost as easy as putting Spider-Man in 'Captain America: Civil War.'  

Please Follow us on instagram @nerdy.mango

Gallery Block

This is an example. To display your Instagram posts, double-click here to add an account or select an existing connected account. Learn more

Aenean eu leo Quam

<p>Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.</p>

Cursus Amet

<p>Sed purus sem, scelerisque ac rhoncus eget, porttitor nec odio. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</p>

Pellentesque Risus Ridiculus

<p>Vivamus pellentesque vitae neque at vestibulum. Donec efficitur mollis dui vel pharetra.</p>

Porta

<p>Praesent id libero id metus varius consectetur ac eget diam. Nulla felis nunc, consequat laoreet lacus id.</p>

Etiam Ultricies

<p>Donec id justo non metus auctor commodo ut quis enim. Mauris fringilla dolor vel condimentum imperdiet.</p>

Vulputate Commodo Ligula

<p>Commodo cursus magna, vel scelerisque nisl consectetur et. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus.</p>

Elit Condimentum

<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper.</p>

Aenean eu leo Quam

<p>Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.</p>

Cursus Amet

<p>Sed purus sem, scelerisque ac rhoncus eget, porttitor nec odio. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</p>

Pellentesque Risus Ridiculus

<p>Vivamus pellentesque vitae neque at vestibulum. Donec efficitur mollis dui vel pharetra.</p>

Porta

<p>Praesent id libero id metus varius consectetur ac eget diam. Nulla felis nunc, consequat laoreet lacus id.</p>

Etiam Ultricies

<p>Donec id justo non metus auctor commodo ut quis enim. Mauris fringilla dolor vel condimentum imperdiet.</p>

Ben Affleck's Solo Batman Film Not Ready Yet

If any of you are like me, then you were probably wondering when we would see another solo Batman movie, seeing as, after 'Batman v Superman,' Warner Bros. and DC have established a new DC cinematic universe with a new Batman, played by Ben Affleck. And this universe was drastically expanded by the announcement of 'Suicide Squad.' So, how does Batman fit into this universe, and what storylines will they follow for Ben Affleck's Batman? The next solo Batman movie will be starring, and directed by Ben Affleck. He is also writing the screenplay with DC co-boss, Geoff Johns. When questioned about the release date of the movie Affleck had this to say:

"I think they [Warner Bros.] have a date for it. Although, I don’t know if I would necessarily be able to make that date because I don’t have a script that’s ready yet. So that’s my -- my timetable is I’m not going to make a movie until there’s a script that I think is good because, I’ve been on the end of the things when you make movies when you have a script that’s not good yet and it doesn’t pan out." 

I could not help but laugh while reading this statement, because he is obviously talking about the highly criticized 'Batman V Superman,' which was considered by many to be a failure. Also while reading his statements all I could think about was the "Sad Ben Affleck" 'Batman V Superman' interview. And if you have not seen it, I suggest you watch it; it is definitely worth watching (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_OGe7l-WPQ). 

Affleck is trying to keep from falling into the same trap as 'Batman V Superman,' by taking his time with the script and making sure everything is perfect. Some of the issues people had with 'Batman V Superman' were that it was confusing, and at times boring. The production of the movie seemed rushed and sloppy, as they were trying to jump start a DC cinematic universe that could rival Marvel's already well established cinematic universe. So, in doing so DC tried to force a ton of information into one movie, consequently causing the flow of the movie to suffer. Between Bruce's premonitions and the introduction of four new super heroes, it was very difficult for average fan to keep up with plot. While I do think it is important that Warner Bros. and DC realize their mistakes and corrects them before filming another movie, I also think they can be hurting themselves by taking too much time writing the screen play for the next solo Bataman movie. They are way behind Marvel and need to catch the "super hero movie wave" while it is still here, and also trying to create the perfect script can lead to another bad film. 

Donald Glover Cast in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

Nerds are finally getting what we want! Even if it is not exactly what we wanted. Donald Glover, a few days ago, was just cast in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming,' the latest Spider-Man reboot starring Tom Holland. His role in the film is being kept a secret, and it seems Marvel is doing this intentionally. And when the director, Jon Watts was asked about Donald Glover's role in the movie, by the Daily Beast, he said:

“I can’t talk about anything like that! That would have been so amazing, if I’d just completely spilled some secret like that by accident.  I probably can’t say anything. There’s a little sniper dot on me at all times, just in case. They’ll hit me with a tranq dart.” 

So, obviously, this secret is a big one, maybe even bigger than Spider-Man showing up in 'Captain America: Civil War.' The only thing we can do know is that we know nothing, so all we can do is speculate.

Donald Glover has expressed interest in being in a Spider-Man adaptation ever since they started casting for 'The Amazing Spider-Man' starring Andrew Garfield, back in 2010. Twitter, including myself, went crazy and celebrated the idea of Donald Glover playing Miles Morales, the current Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe of Marvel Comics. There were Reddit debates, Twitter campaigns, and petitions supporting the idea of Glover playing Spider-Man, but in the end the execs and producers at Sony said that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and that would not change anytime soon. Personally I would have loved to see someone else, especially Miles Morales, take the mantle of Spider-Man on the big screen, because like I have said before, change in comic books and comic book movies is good and keeps them fresh. They have not even announced what kind of role Donald Glover will have in the movie, but people are still extremely excited about his being in the movie and the thought of change. 

What role could Glover possibly be playing? He might be too old to be a peer of Peter Parker's, because the movie will be centered around Parker's teenage years, and he might even be too old to be Miles Morales, unless they stray from the source material and make Miles a young adult and not teenager (God I hope they stray from the source material this one time). There have been unsubstantiated rumors that he would be a love interest of Aunt May or even a secondary villain. Again those rumors are unsubstantiated, and, hopefully, wrong, because I really want to see Miles Morales on the big screen. Honestly, I just want to see a Black Panther/Black Spider-Man team-up movie. Make it happen Marvel!

Wolverine 3: The Death of Old Man Logan

Wolverine 3 will be the last time we get to see Hugh Jackman play the role of Wolverine, the most popular mutant in the last decade. And while it is sad that there will never be another Hugh Jackman Wolverine, after 2017, it will be exciting to see how he goes out, and also whom they decide to replace him with, because there needs to be another brooding, anti-hero, bad-ass in the X-Men Cinematic Universe. 

It has been said that Wolverine 3 will take place in a time that we, the fans, have not seen before, in an X-Men movie, and the rumor has it, we might be getting a film based on Mark Miller's Old Man Logan series. When confronted about it a while back, Hugh Jackman said he could neither confirm nor deny the rumor, but recent photos from the set of Wolverine 3 show an aged Hugh Jackman and an even older Patrick Stewart.

In the comics Old Man Logan renounces his violent tendencies and travels across the country defeating various Marvel super villains. Hugh Jackman did also say that we would be able to see Wolverine's berserker mode, so maybe in the aftermath of the berserker mode he decides to renounce his violent ways. But, since Marvel owns the rights to many of the villains he fights in the series it is unlikely that we will see that exact story line. However, my theory is that we will see a mix of Old Man Logan and Charles Soule's Death of Wolverine.

In Death of Wolverine, Logan is infected with a virus from the microverse that causes him to lose his mutant healing factor, giving past villains and enemies a chance to finally kill him. Also after the end of this series the mantle of Wolverine is passed down to Logan's clone, X-23. The likelihood of seeing X-23 in Wolverine 3 is extremely high, considering what happens in the after credits scene of X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, and who is alluded to. For those that do not know (Spoiler Alert), in the after credits scene we see men in black suits take a vile of Wolverine's blood and put it into a case that said "Essex Corp." on it. Essex Corp. is owned by Nathaniel Essex, or better known as Mister Sinister. Sinister is obsessed with perfecting the human race through mutation, which is what leads him to cloning and splicing many of the strongest mutants. Even though X-23 is actually created by Dr. Sarah Kinney and not Sinister, it still makes sense to have him be the one who clones Wolverine, because he is such an integral part of the X-Men universe (and, because they did not have him be a part of Age of Apocalypse).

Fox may not know what to do with the X-Men as a team, but it seems they have figured out how to make successful solo movies starring X-Men characters. Considering  their recent success with 'The Wolverine' and 'Deadpool,' I am confident/hopeful that they will not ruin Hugh Jackman's last movie as Wolverine. Plus, it is always exciting to see major change in comics and the aftermath thereof, and with Wolverine possibly dying in the next movie, we may actually see a meaningful death in a comic book movie (Havok dying does not count).

Gambit May Be Losing Another Director

Ever since X-Men producer, Lauren Shuler Donner, convinced Fox to green light a solo Gambit movie, production has been plagued with road blocks. The project has been turned down by several high profile directors and gone through numerous rewrites. The project was finally accepted by the 'Dawn of The Planet of The Apes' director, Rupert Wyatt, but he soon after pulled out of the project, because of continuous rewrites and production delays. There have been rumors that Wyatt actually pulled out of the project, because of creative differences with the studio. After he left the film, the movie's star, Channing Tatum, was dangerously close to walking away from the project as well. Doug Liman, the director of 'Edge of Tomorrow,' would later take the job, in late 2015, months after they would have needed to start filming to be able to release the film on its original release date, October 7, 2016. 

The delays and rewrites continue, and 'Gambit' is in danger of losing another director. Liman will be directing another film for Amazon Studios called 'The Wall,' but when asked about 'Gambit,' he did say he would return to it at the end of 2016. However, THR has reported that Liman is considering directing 'Chaos Walking,' the adaptation of Patrick Ness’ post-apocalyptic YA thriller at Lionsgate/Summit. It would not surprise anyone if he decided to drop the forever delayed 'Gambit' and direct the YA thriller, where he would working with the legendary Charlie Kaufman. 

Since its inception the Gambit movie has been doomed to fail, and considering the relative failure of 'X-Men: Apocalypse,' there may have been even more pressure for the film to perform well. Fox may also be reconsidering the direction they want to take with their superhero movies, and replicate the massive success they had with 'Deadpool.' But continuing to delay 'Gambit' may not be the answer. In the comics Gambit has a very interesting back story and is one of the more charismatic characters in the X-Men universe. Also, much like Wolverine and Deadpool, he is a well known antihero and former villain.