SOURCE: IGN

The post ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’ trailer (video) appeared first on Batman News.

Content

LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite is made up of most of the cut scenes from last year’s video game LEGO Batman 2. I only played about 1/4 of LEGO Batman 2, but I thought it was hilarious and a great deal of fun with some amazing unlockables. If you want to relax and can find that game for around $20 bucks then I highly recommend you do so. As for my nephew, he owns that game too and he’s played through it numerous times. He’s never beaten it mind you, he gets frustrated 3/4 of the way through and restarts from the very beginning, or at least he did until the new Skylanders game was released. Since then, LEGO Batman 2 has been collecting dust… until now. Immediately after watching the Blu-Ray our little review is about, my nephew has done nothing but play LEGO Batman 2 and I hope he actually sees it through to the end this time. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start from the beginning.

LEGO Batman doesn’t take note of the Nolan films, those weren’t exactly the most fun for the 13 and under crowd. It instead draws quite heavily from a casual knowledge of the comics and cartoons and Tim Burton’s first film, BATMAN (1989), even going so far as playing homage to its opening title sequence as we ride the grooves of the batsymbol like a roller coaster. As you can imagine, the channels of Batman’s trademark emblem aren’t quite as smooth because it’s made out of — you guessed it– LEGO. From there we open cold to a scene in which Batman and Superman are apparently killed. Yes, you read that right. Already we’re breaking away from the structure of the video game by telling the story in a non-linear fashion and that works well. After their apparent demise, the story rewinds 2 days prior where we pick up at the moment the video game started only you should notice a drastic improvement in the visuals.

Although 90% or more of this movie (again, I never finished playing the game myself) is lifted directly from last year’s video game, the graphics have been given a good polish. Just to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself, I popped in the video game immediately afterward and compared the two. It’s a noticeable upgrade. However, that doesn’t mean that it suddenly jumped to Pixar-like quality throughout. At around the 20 minute mark I started noticing shots that looked lazily lifted from in-game footage rather than cut-scenes that could be transferred to the movie screen. Shots like that were a bit annoying, but they are very few and far between. And, of course, the six year old never cared at all. He was too busy laughing at the chicken.

What chicken? Well, the humor in this is actually quite good and kids and adults alike can laugh out loud. I know I did a number of times. But there are also the outright ridiculous things like a banana being used by Two-Face instead of a gun or, as I mentioned, the chicken. I don’t know why, but my six year old pal found this random chicken that shows up in one or two scenes to be one of the funniest things he had ever seen. The idea that Joker and company would be in the same room as a clucking LEGO chicken was too absurd to not enjoy. Things that adults will love more than the kids are the many references to the Tim Burton films and the way the grumpy Batman and cheerful Superman clash. Superman’s perfection is overplayed to a really humorous degree and seeing Batman’s frustration toward the guy who can fix anything without breaking a sweat makes for some of the best laughs.

Superman and Robin are without a doubt the funniest characters in the story while Lex Luthor is played pretty straight forward by Clancy Brown. It’s kind of funny how every character in this story is toned down for kids yet Lex Luthor still feels like his usual maniacal self. It’s Lex who is actually the main villain of the film. He wishes to become the next president but in order to get the public to fall in love with him he needs Joker’s gas, which for whatever reason makes people adore the Joker. The change in the gas’s intent is one of the few examples of outright changing something major about the mythology. As you know, Joker’s gas is lethal, whereas Poison Ivy is the one who is better known for chemicals that bring out the effect Luthor wants. But I suppose Poison Ivy just wouldn’t make as marketable a central villain as the Clown Prince of Crime. Other changes I noted were that Bane has a “Mole Machine”, a giant truck with a drill on the front of it… that was kind of an odd choice but, it’s a LEGO movie so obviously you can let it slide. And then there’s Clark Kent, who is seen as a television reporter rather than a newpaper man, a change that I actually think is overdue (or maybe not, I don’t read many Superman comics so I might be way off base with that statement). Anyway, Joker and Luthor team up to neutralize Batman’s gadgets and Superman’s powers so that Lex can become the POTUS. Along the way we see our heroes confront a wide variety of Batman rogues and some cameos by some of DC’s most well known superheroes.

The music in the film is quite good, borrowing most of its score from Danny Elfman’s BATMAN and John Williams’ Superman, which was even used as a great joke while Superman and Batman are riding in an elevator together. Voice acting is top notch. I have absolutely no complaints about the cast and thought that everyone fit their LEGO counterparts well. In addition to Clancy Brown as Lex, many other actors have worked in the realm of Batman before. Troy Baker, who does the voice for Batman, actually played Robin and Two-Face in the video game Arkham City, though you would never notice since he’s so versatile. And then there’s Rob Paulsen, who is terrific in everything, playing The Riddler. Paulsen has starred in The Batman, Batman: The Animated Series, and The Dark Knight Returns.

The use of LEGO in the movie is really well done and makes for some great sight gags, but I was most impressed by the visual of Green Lantern building constructs with his ring! I would actually go so far as saying that the LEGO effect was better than what we saw in the Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds. Seeing the green, glowing LEGO quickly assemble out of thin air looked really cool. The world in which our story takes place, however is surprisingly organic and only appears to be made of LEGO on occasion. I would’ve liked to have seen more blocks int he environment, but I suppose it is difficult finding just the right balance of what should and shouldn’t be made of blocks in order to make something that’s still pleasing to the eye. Perhaps if there was too much use of LEGO in things like dirty terrain or grass, audiences would be too focused on those details to pay any mind to the story.

And what is the moral of our story? After all, a good kids movie should probably have some kind of life lesson, right? Batman needs to turn to other for help once in a while! It’s okay to call upon friends in a time of need and you don’t have do go it all alone. It’s really a pretty good message and one that’s fitting for a Batman film. After all, that was the very same message taken away from Grant Morrison’s Return of Bruce Wayne. Batman isn’t in this alone.

As you can imagine the hour flew by and more importantly, I never had the feeling of “Jeez, this is just like the video game only without the fun of playing it.” Never. It never happened. Nor did my nephew whine about how he would rather be playing the game. He stayed put, laughed, cheered for The Flash more than I was comfortable with (this is a Batman household, son) and then ran upstairs to play Xbox as soon as it was all over. It’s been LEGO Batman everything in his home ever since. Director Jon Burton and writer David A. Goodman made a very entertaining movie for kids and adults and they did it with material based on a video game, which was based on a toy, which was based on movies, which were based on comics. No small feat. Just small blocks.

Bonus Material

Here’s where the Blu-ray really convinces folks to pick it up. Simply offering spruced up footage from the video game is kind of a hard sell, but luckily the disc also includes quite a bit of supplemental material. Unfortunately, none of it involves a look behind the scenes. How it is that there wasn’t a glimpse into the making of the game, the making of the movie, or a sneak peak at the next LEGO Batman game is pretty disappointing, but my nephew, again, didn’t mind. He was too enthralled by the collection of LEGO stop-motion shorts.

“Building Batman” is a 15 minute long special that shows a group of children learning the art of stop-motion animation from master builder Garret Barati. The short video is filled with pop-up fun facts about LEGO that further educate kids about these famous blocks as Barati shows them how they too can use their imagination to build fun creations of their own and then turn those makeshift toys into a movie. It’s really an amazing time we live in when inexpensive cameras and smart phones are so ubiquitous that anyone can make a stop-motion feature if they just put in the time and effort. It certainly got the wheels in my nephew’s head to turn and he’s been asking his mom to help him “bring his LEGOs to life” for days now.

That’s the most substantial original content on the disc and it’s backed by five contest winning stop-motion short films. Most of these were quite good and my nephew was disappointed to learn that there were no more than five and he even wanted to watch them all again the very next day.

Something everyone can enjoy again and again, are the three cartoons that are included. These features include two Batman the Brave and the Bold episodes and an episode of Teen Titans that’s centered around Cyborg. The first Batman episode, Triumvirate was excellent and had some wonderful nods to the Mark Waid and Alex Ross classic, Kingdom Come. The second episode, however was very Green Lantern focused and had a more serious tone than the majority of B&B episodes. But it’s worth noting that the before-credits vignette about Wonder Woman was fantastic and very funny and that the Green Lantern of the main story was voiced by the same voice actor who played Dick Grayson in BTAS and it was a treat to hear him in a Batman cartoon again.

The Teen Titans episode? …meh. Let me make it clear that the six year old superhero fan this collection of entertainment is marketed toward loved all of these cartoons, but this was my first time sitting through an entire episode of that Teen Titans and I still don’t see the appeal. At least now I see where Cyborg’s “Booyah!” catchphrase from Injustice: Gods Among Us came from.

Last, but certainly not least, this Blu-Ray Combo-Pack includes a real LEGO! Packaged here is a LEGO Clark Kent who is changing into Superman, or as my nephew called it “Superman dressed as Clark Kent.” But that’s a whole other discussion altogether.

Value:   Sale Price

Even with around an 60-90 minutes worth of bonus features and Blu-Ray presentation, I think that a cover price of $24.98 is still asking too much when you consider that the LEGO Batman 2 game it’s based on is only $19.99 and will give you and your kids a lot more bang for your buck with at least 10+ hours of gameplay plus the bulk of the cutscenes from this movie. Amazon is offering it for $13.99 right now, which is reasonable when you take into account the 3 extra cartoons and exclusive toy.

Overall

This is a must-have for kids who love these heroes and since it comes with an Ultra-violet and DVD copy as well you can always store the flick on your phone or play it on an overhead screen in the back of your car during long trips to keep the little one entertained the whole time. It’s really funny, well animated, and comes with quite a few nifty bonus features that won’t only entertain, but they’ll light up a child’s imagination as well. Do I think it has a very high replay value? Meh. That remains to be seen. Since it’s based on a video game and my nephew just so happens to own that video game, he’s more interested in playing the game now than re-watching the movie. Kids who have never touched the game might pop this disc in over and over and over or they might demand you buy them the video game too. And with the game being cheaper than the movie… you might be better off buying it instead.

SCORE: 7/10

The post LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite review appeared first on Batman News.

In this new clip, Batman and Robin attempt to infiltrate Arkham after the inmates have, quite literally, taken over the asylum. For more information on LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite check out the full press release.

The post New clip and photos from ‘LEGO Batman: The Movie’ (video) appeared first on Batman News.

Fans of Tim Burton’s Batman movies will want to check out the first clip above, where we get an overview of the Batcave while Danny Elfman’s classic score plays in the background. For more information on LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite check out the full press release.

The post First clip and photos from ‘LEGO Batman: The Movie’ (video) appeared first on Batman News.

BURBANK, CA (April 17, 2013) – The world is turned upside down as one of earth’s greatest super heroes – Flash – wakes up devoid of his super powers in the all-new Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox – the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies. Produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, this all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives July 30, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP), DVD ($19.98 SRP) and Digital Download. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include UltraViolet™*.

When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline.

“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox has all the elements of another great film – dynamic forceful villains, treacherous twists and turns and internal tensions amongst heroes,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Home Video Vice President, Family, Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. “Showcasing a cast that brings together some of today’s popular primetime television actors with many fans’ favorite voices from the original series, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is proud to release this title as the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie.”

Primetime television stars Justin Chambers (Grey’s Anatomy) and Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy), the voices of Barry Allen/Flash and Thomas Wayne/Batman, respectively, unite with numerous greats of television and film to fashion the famed animated roles. Adding to the celebrity-laden voice cast and providing thrilling additions to the Justice League series are Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale, Friday Night Lights, Chronicle) as Cyborg, C. Thomas Howell (Southland, The Outsiders) as Thawne/Professor Zoom, Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Slade and Deathstroke, Dana Delany (Body of Proof) as Lois Lane, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) as Aquaman, Danny Huston (Magic City) as General Lane, Sam Daly (The Office, The Daly Show) as Superman, and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman.

Screenwriter Jim Krieg delivers an action-packed vision of the legendary comic book miniseries FLASHPOINT, by Geoff Johns & Andy Kubert, adding to the over 13 million DC Universe video units produced to date. Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) is director and James Tucker (Superman: Unbound) is producer.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Blu-ray™ has over three hours of exciting extra content, including:

• A Flash in Time: Are there other dimensions?  Can time travel get us there?  And if The Flash existed, could he really travel through time?  Interviews with experts in mythology, theoretical physics and top DC writers will examine the science and legacy of the storytelling behind the fiction.
• My Favorite Villians! The Flash Bad Guys: Acclaimed DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and others share their favorite Flash villains in this short film that gives viewers a glimpse into the Flash’s world through the eyes of some of the nefarious characters he has encountered over the past 70 years!
• A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe animated movie:. An in-depth look into the next DC Animated feature film, spotlighting the cast and crew.
• From the DC Comics Vault:  Bonus cartoon episodes
• The Flashpoint Paradox Audio Commentary

The post Warner Bros. announces ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’, new animated feature appeared first on Batman News.

Update, 03/27/13: Fans attending WonderCon this Saturday, March 30 have the opportunity to become part of the documentary. From 10:30am-Noon, the documentary crew will be filming in and around the DC Booth at the Anaheim Convention Center — seeking video and interviews with fans attired as their favorite DC Comics’ villain. So dress your best.

BURBANK, CA (March 26, 2013) – The Joker, Bane, Deathstroke, Darkseid and Lex Luthor — the scariest and most menacing villains in DC Comics’ universe — take center stage in a brand new full-length documentary from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and DC Entertainment (DCE). The joint announcement was made today by WBHE and DCE.

Christopher Lee, who has played the villain more times than almost any other actor, will provide his unique voice as narrator. His roles in more than 200 films include star turns as Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein’s monster in Hammer horror classics, Count Dooku in Star Wars, and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit films.

In this new documentary film, the malevolent, sometimes charismatic figures from DC Comics’ hallowed rogues’ gallery will be explored in depth, featuring interviews with the famed creators, storytellers and those who have crafted the personalities and profiles of many of the most notorious villains in comic book history.

Production begins March 30, to coincide with WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center March 29-31.

Noted Geoff Johns, best-selling author and DCE’s Chief Creative Officer, “DC Comics is known for many things, but chief among them is the compelling, diverse and legendary society of super-villains who populate its universe. From the monstrous Solomon Grundy to the brutal Black Adam to the charismatic Sinestro, there is no single greater collection of villainy in all of fiction. These villains are hugely popular comic book characters in their own right and, quite honestly, many are often times more popular than some of our iconic super heroes.”

Jeff Baker, WBHE’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, added “The DC brand is enjoying a huge resurgence thanks to the entire leadership team at DC Entertainment which is driving opportunities not only for new theatrical properties, but for brand extensions as well. This new documentary will reinforce this evolving strategy and leverage DC assets across the entire studio landscape.”

Johns also reiterated that this year’s initiative will be a turning point for DCE. “It’s time we deconstruct these complex and sinister antagonists and celebrate the role they play as the engine and energy of some of the greatest storytelling in comics. 2013 is the Year of the Villain at DC Comics.”

On Saturday, March 30th, fans attending WonderCon are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite DC Comics’ villain for an opportunity to be featured in the documentary Fans can join DCE at WonderCon at booth 801 with filming to take place Saturday from 10:30am – Noon. To find out more about where and what time to meet in the WonderCon DC Entertainment booth, keep checking the DC Comics Facebook (Facebook.com/DCComics) and Twitter sites (@DCComics).

Participation in upcoming ‘cons’ (Comic-Con International: San Diego and New York Comic Con) is anticipated, with a full release scheduled for later in the year. ­­­­­­

SOURCE: Yahoo! Movies

The post Upcoming documentary ‘Necessary Evil: Villains of DC Comics’ to feature Joker, Bane, and more (update) appeared first on Batman News.

Beginning on March 30th, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold will be available to stream on Netflix. Batman Beyond was a great follow up to Batman: The Animated Series. Will you be checking out these Batman titles on Netflix in a couple of weeks? Let me know in the comments below.

SOURCE: Streaming Soon (via Superhero Hype)

The post Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, and more coming to Netflix appeared first on Batman News.

(more…)

The post ‘LEGO Batman: The Movie’ release date and cover art revealed appeared first on Batman News.

(more…)

The post ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2’ review appeared first on Batman News.

LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Superheroes Unite, the latest animated movie from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, will premiere on February 11th at The Paley Center in NYC. The movie won’t be released on Blu-ray and DVD until May 31st… but as a Batman News reader you can see it early! Warner Bros. has a limited amount of free tickets available for the world premiere. Check out the full press release below for all the details.

(more…)

The post ‘LEGO Batman: The Movie’ to premiere in NYC on February 11th, free tickets available appeared first on Batman News.