Lego DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Format: Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD Home Video Release Date: Digital - June 21, 2016; Home Video - July 12, 2016
Synopsis: When Batgirl and Nightwing take Batman on a trip down memory lane – literally – to visit one of the key mentors from his formative years, it’s up to the Justice League to keep Gotham City crime-free. But neither situation proves to be a “vacation” as the Bat trio encounters old nemeses on their adventure, and the Justice League discovers just how busy Batman is on a regular basis. It’s a brick-tastic battle on two fronts as Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing take on Bane and Deathstroke, while the Justice League – with some help from a few Teen Titans – fends off an assault by many of Batman’s infamous adversaries to ensure Gotham City’s safety.
Modern Family star Sarah Hyland joins the cast of Lego DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout as the voice of Batgirl alongside some of the top actors in the industry voicing a quartet of Justice League super heroes: Troy Baker (Batman), Nolan North (Superman), Grey Griffin (Wonder Woman) and Khary Payton (Cyborg). Eric Bauza (Bane), John DiMaggio (Deathstroke), Tom Kenny (Penguin), Jason Spisak (Joker), Tara Strong (Harley Quinn) and Vanessa Marshall (Poison Ivy) comprise the rogues’ gallery of villains that Batman and the Justice League must confront. The Teen Titans also join the fray, vocally represented by Will Friedle (Nightwing), Greg Cipes (Beast Boy), Scott Menville (Robin) and Hynden Walch (Starfire). Amy Hill adds to the fun as the voice of Madame Mantis.
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout is directed by Matt Peters and Mel Zwyer from a script by Jim Krieg. Sam Register, Jill Wilfert and Jason Cosler are executive producers. Benjamin Melniker & Michael Uslan are co-executive producers, and Brandon Vietti is supervising producer.
Lego DC Comics Superheroes - Justice League: Gotham City Breakout
Mini-Review written by Andrei Logigan, edited by James Harvey
Plain and simple, Lego DC Comics Superheroes - Justice League: Gotham City Breakout is a lot of fun. While the Gotham City subplot with the Justice League plot was pretty predictable, Batman's 'vacation' side-story was more intriguing. It was great to see the Bat-Family spending some quality time together, something we never see, and thrust into some actually surprising circumstances. The Bat-Family's main 'foe,' for lack of better terms, was Madame Mantis, a character who I've never heard of before. Legitimately hilarious at times, the fact that I had no idea who this character was actually allowed me to really break away from my expectations and enjoy her laughable antics. The film also offers the neat by-product of seeing more of Batman's past, including his training and the friendly rivalry he had with Slade Wilson. In a way, it was sort of reminiscent of the recent Beware the Batman, though Alfred was more connected to Slade in that version.
Also, a shout-out to the 'Batface' and 'Strokedeath,' which I thought were solid gags.
Unfortunately, the whole 'quest for the forbidden move' did seem to drag on a bit longer than I would've liked, though it wasn't handled terribly by any means. I also found it interesting that while Bane was pegged as the movie's main villain, Deathstroke's focus and development completely overshadowed Bane. There were a few other noteworthy aspects to Batman's vacation, such as the Looney Tunes-esque underground warriors and Batgirl's surprise romance.
Shuffling over to the film's main plotline, the Justice League struggling to take care of Gotham in Batman's absence was enjoyable, and it was fun seeing the world's greatest heroes take on some some of the weirdest names in Batman's rogues gallery (and a spoon). I was expecting the Teen Titans to play a bigger role in the movie, though I didn't really mind their absence that much. I found that their brief appearance was just enough, as it could've ended up just over-stuffing the movie. Superman meeting Commissioner Gordon was a great gag and actually nicely highlighted the differences between the Dark Knight and this cheery version of the Man of Steel. Ideally this sunny version of Superman won't be going away anytime soon.
Overall, a nice and fun adventure which I found quite entertaining. It didn't surpass any expectations, but it easily met all of them. The only real disappointing aspect of this release is the lack of bonus content. Yes, we get the Nightwing figurine for those who purchase the Blu-ray release, but there's nothing outside of that. It's a bit of a shame as there are plenty of bonus shorts and episodes that could've been included. A minor quibble, but still. These Lego DC Super Heroes: Justice League movies have been a fun diversion from the usual dark DC Comics stories we get, and they're the perfect primer for new fans and a nice palate cleanser for the long-timers. Recommended!
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Lego DC Comics Superheroes: DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout is now available to own on DVD, Blu-ray and for Digital Download from from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Also be sure to check out the The World's Finest review of the Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham video game, available to own on all major video game consoles from Warner Bros. Interactive.
