THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE – AFJ MOVIE REVIEW

Starring: Will Arnett, Jenny Slate, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, Rosario Dawson, Channing Tatum, Billy Dee Williams
Directed by: Chris McKayWritten by: Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKennaStudio: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1h 44min

SPOILER FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been 3 years since the Lego Movie changed the way we see “Lego movies”. Hopefully, some of us have seen the way we view toys differently as well since that film came out. It has been a long drought, but thankfully the powers that be did not rush a Lego Movie sequel to capitalize on the hype. Instead, they launched a spin-off movie, featuring their version of Batman (again played by Will Arnett), from the Lego Movie, into his own feature film. Is it worth the wait? Yes, and everything is still awesome.

It is hinted at, in the Lego Movie, that this incarnation of the Dark Knight is every bit of a loner as his other multi-media counterparts. What this Batman wasn’t afraid to hide was the love he had for himself and how awesome he felt he was. That really isn’t your typical Batman story that any medium would tackle. Being a Lego Movie, the reins are off and we are allowed to see just how full of himself this Batman is.

Full review on Action Figure Junkies.com

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK – AFJ MOVIE REVIEW

Starring: Matt Ryan, Camilla Luddington, Jason O’Mara, Ray Chase, Rosario Dawson, Jerry O’Connell, Alfred Molina, Roger Cross, Fred Tatasciore, Nicholas TurturroDirected by: Jay Oliva
Written by: J.M. DeMatteis, Ernie AltbackerStudio: Warner Brothers Animation, DC Entertainment
Rating: R
Run Time: 1h 15min

To start, Kevin Conroy is not Batman in this film. This Justice League story follows the current cast of James O’Mara (Batman), Rosario Dawson (Wonder Woman), and Jerry O’Connell (Superman). It is rated R, so not really one for the kiddies. There also isn’t nearly enough Swamp Thing in it. Finally, I hope you know more than the average viewer about one John Constantine (Matt Ryan).

Justice League Dark is a bit of a quagmire for the the DC Universe animated films. It features only one of the primary Justice League members, Batman, and introduces a whole new cast of characters. For the most part, we are introduced to these new members with a quick backstory or origin. What was severely lacking was a light shined upon our lead character, John Constantine.

Read the full review on Action Figure Junkies.com.

AFJ REVIEW: SUICIDE SQUAD

Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Cara Delevingne, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Joel Kinnaman
Written By: David Ayer, Based not he Comic Book by John OstranderDirected By: David AyerOriginal Year of Release: 2016Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 2:10

Sometimes a movie comes along and I find myself torn between critic and fanboy. This looks to be what will come with DC Comics and Warner Brothers’ superhero releases. The critic within places a wall up and stands firm upon it saying, “forget all you know about these characters, these films stand on their own”. That’s a really hard thing to do when you know the backstory to so many of DC’s characters. The fanboy stands there screaming with joy that the likes of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and Killer Croc are in a movie. These two sides of my brain also struggled with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Thankfully, the writer within, who simply loves a good story, trumps them both. This brings us to Suicide Squad.

This is a huge gamble for DC Comics placing B and C list characters in their own film. On a grander scale, it is a huge gamble for superhero movies in general. This film is the first of its kind for the genre, a live action film featuring villains as the main characters. Many of these characters have yet to even grace the silver screen. So introductions need to be made. An immediate overlap and exposition comes from two of the main characters, Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). We are given an overabundance of who they are. Granted, they are the stars of the movie, but I felt as if I got all I needed from their second introduction, the first was pointless. This additional time may have been better spent flushing out some of the smaller and lesser known characters in the film. In not doing this, it reveals to the audience who is going to stick around and who will die an early death. It also doesn’t help that one’s star power also indicates his/her level of significance.

The full review for Suicide Squad is on Action Figure Junkies.com.