Monday, August 17, 2015

Please Keep These 'Lego DC Comics' Direct-to-Video Movies Coming



In 2013, Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite, a direct-to-video animated movie inspired by the Lego Batman game franchise, was released.  I extremely enjoyed it (it didn’t make my list for best 2013 movies for I saw it in 2014).  And I guess I’m not the only one pleased by it because Lego and DC decided to make more movies like this.  The short film Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (which I only saw earlier this year) premiered as a TV special in 2014.  And this 2015, two Lego DC Comics direct-to-video animated movies are released.

The first 2015 movie, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, was released in February.  The second, Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, has just been recently released this month.  But I’ve seen them back-to-back recently.   That’s why this mini-review is for both.

In Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, Superman’s Justice League teams up with Bizarro’s Bizarro League to save both Earth and Bizarro World from Darkseid.  And in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, the supervillains, tired of being constantly defeated by the Justice League, decide to form their own team – the Legion of Doom.  The plots of both movies are pretty uncomplicated that to give more elaborate synopses is unnecessary.

I like the second movie better, but both movies (as well as the previous Lego DC Comics films) possess similar attributes and nature; hence, the following evaluation applies to both.

The animation is wonderfully beautiful, and the voice work is impeccable.  The story is undemanding and light-hearted – these movies’ target audience are kids anyway – but it’s still appealing to adult sensibilities.  And, most importantly, the utilization and combination of Lego logic, parodies of DC Comics tropes, clever gags, non-annoying puns, and charming slapstick create a unique kind of hilarious, wholesome comedy that can’t be found anywhere else.

I hope that the Lego DC Comics franchise will be around for a while.  Even if there’s already that upcoming Lego Batman movie set for theatrical release, I hope the production of these brilliant direct-to-video animated movies won’t cease.  These Lego DC Comics movies are cartoon gems, and I don’t think I’ll get tired of them anytime soon.  

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