The Lego Batman Movie (2017) - Chris McKay | Houselights #290: Wing of Batman

The Lego Batman Movie shouldn't work as well as it does. A feature-length gag reel built out of plastic bricks has no business landing a real Batman character arc, and yet it does. In this episode, the hosts dig into how Will Arnett's relentlessly self-serious Batman powers the comedy rather than resisting it, why the film can lovingly mock eighty years of Bat-history without ever feeling like it's punching down at the source, and where its wall-to-wall frenetic pace becomes a barrier for viewers who came in expecting Gotham to stay serious. From the voice work and the surprisingly grounded take on Barbara Gordon to the anything-goes finale that stretches the premise to its limit, this conversation looks at what a Batman movie gains, and quietly gives up, when it decides not to take itself seriously.