This article contains majorThe Lego Batman Moviespoilers.
Holy plastic building blocks, Batman!
Afterward, itll go in the below sections too.
This is made obvious before even the opening titles commence.
By refusing to start with anything but darkness, Arnetts Batman hisses, Every serious movie begins with blackness.
At least all three of Nolans Batman movies do.
In fact,The Dark Knightspecifically washes WBs logo in the same blue filter too.
And does that sounds like Hans Zimmers Joker theme of rising string tension?
Another nod toThe Dark Knightis dropped early when an unimpressed jet pilot shrugs off Jokers high-jacking.
Batman always stops you.
Thats another point forThe Dark Knight.
These are Chicagos famed, movable downtown bridges.
By itself thats kind of hilarious.
This is like a three-dimensional pretzel of sarcastic meta-movie knowledge.
The Joker demands for Batman to admit that the Clown Prince of Crime is his greatest foe.
But Batman demurs, I like to fight around.
As proof he names Bane and Superman as his most recent casual beat-ups.
Lego Joker is exasperated.
But you cant be nemeses with another superhero?!
Batmans like, Yeah, bro.
Afterwards he exclaims, Yeah, I got to do something!
Thus it mustve been seawater down there, because the shade this line threw atSuicide Squadwas salty.
Using villains to fight villains?
Thats a dumb idea.
Youre probably right, Batman.
In a wistful what should have been reference, we finally get to see Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face.
What would Batman name his most adrenaline-heavy, ass-kicking playist?
I think Michael Keaton would agree thats a good choice.
This also seems like a nod to the end of Penguins short time at the wheel inBatman Returns.
I definitely saw, among others, the Tumbler fromThe Dark Knightmovies and the Batmobile from theBatman Forevervintage.
But why list this here?
Technically this is from thoseothermovies, but they really dont need their own subcategory, do they?
After all, one comical satire has to recognize the game of another, right?
As such, this is the only property given the actual clip treatment.
Even Alfred is secretly impressed since he dresses as Wests Batman at the end of the film.
Another obvious nod is Bat-Shark repellent.
Its Chekovs shark repellent.
Another constantand always welcomestaple from the originalBatmanTV series is its groovy theme.
In fact, the filmmakers leaned heavily on it, using the ditty early and often.
A variation on the tune first appears when Batman is kicking all sorts of villain ass in the opening.
During the mayhem, he orders his computer to go into Overcompensate Mode.
He also does this again when he and Robin are locked up by Barbara Gordon at Arkham Asylum.
Yep, the third act is gloriously littered with POWs!
Check out the above image fromBatman: The Movie!
But he is especially worth mentioning since he was a villain created specifically for theBatmanTV show.
Thus a super villain is born.
His aim is to turn Gotham City into ancient Thebes.
Another villain originally from Adam Wests glory days making a cameo in the film is Egghead.
He only eats grade triple A white eggs, and he loves a good egg pun.
Then again, who doesnt?
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE?!
It also feels like a great place to great rick-rick-ity-wrecked!
And Lego Zod looks an awful lot like Terrence Stamps General Zod.
With that said, the Phantom Zone portal weapon and subsequent portal are quite different.
Could that be a reference toMan of Steel?
(There is also more than these pictures if you just want to scroll farther down to see).
So it is also the best place to bring up Rosario Dawsons wonderfully kickass version of Barbara Gordon.
Now, could it be a coincidence thatLego Batmanmade Babs the new police commissioner?
So its safe to sayLego Batmanalso hadBatman Beyondon the brain.
Yuck, indeed, but its back again forThe Lego Batman Movie.
He was already pretty nutty before the chemical bath in the cartoons universe).
Batman almost kills him in a mud bath wrestling match that concludes with the Mutant Leader permanently crippled.
Chances are theyre all there.
Freeze, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and Clayface.
Also among the humorous C-listers getting a nod were Calendar Man, Catman, and the Clock King.
Also thanks to Francisco Antillon for pointing this one out!
This duet of lameness was created for Hanna-BarbaerasSuper Friendscartoon in 1977.
Weird, annoying (and incestuous?)
But it wasnt just Batman villains getting some love.
Plenty of other famous pop culture rogues also escaped from the Phantom Zone to wreak havoc.
And perhaps, not so surprisingly, many of them were villains in past or upcoming Warner Bros. films!
While this is more movie studio synergy, there is no denying that theyhadto use Voldemort.
Seriously, they already had Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth, itd be criminal to otherwise ignore him.
And wouldnt you just know it?
Huh, small world.
Feast your eyes on the Daleks.
You know the weird antagonistic, movable trashcans that shout EXTERMINATE?
Joker told you to ask your nerd friends about them.
I dont think WB has a Dracula movie on the horizon.
Hes just an awesome classic villain who also happens to be in the public domain.
Heres a nifty image of Bela Lugosi in the role!
(you might read our analysis of the entire evolution of cinematic Dracula conventions here.)
So definitely not a punchline for the kids.
Or, it could just be because the song itself is absurd.
Still,Twitter user Bruce Murray makes a convincing argumentthat its a wink to the rom-comNever Been Kissed.
So thats everything we jotted down after one viewing ofThe Lego Batman Movie.
Did we miss anything?
Disagree with anything we have listed?
Let us know in the comment section below orgive me a holler on Twitter!
