LEGO DC SUPER HEROES: JUSTICE LEAGUE- vs. BIZARRO LEAGUE (2015)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *comedy*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological*

Given that all of the Lego versions of standard DC heroes are goofy (some would say "bizarre") takes on said characters, there's not a lot of ground to be gained by creating Bizarros of the Justice League.

The one exception to this statement is that in the opening scenes, the script does get across one psychological trope with regard to the Man of Steel. When Bizarro-Superman shows up in Metropolis and begins wreaking havoc with his blunders, Superman is embarrassed that the locals think the Moron of Steel is somehow related to him. Thus, when the hero finds a way to distract Bizarro by sending him to another planet, Superman's not doing it purely to protect humanity, but to sweep a mortifying subject under the rug.

The script then burns up a little time having the Lego League contend with four Lego-villains, giving the movie the chance to introduce its cubical versions of Guy Gardner ("alternate Green Lantern") and Plastic Man (probably not the best choice of a hero to be Lego-ized).  

Shortly thereafter, Bizarro returns to Earth and invades Luthor's laboratory, stealing his duplicator ray. When members of the League follow, Bizarro uses the duplicator ray to create Bizarro versions of Batman, Guy Gardner, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg, whom he then takes back to his newly adopted "Bizarro World." When the heroes follow, they learn that the world to which Superman exiled Bizarro is now under attack by the forces of Darkseid. After various reversals, the League repulses Darkseid, saving both Earth and Bizarro World.

There's one good fan-pleasing moment: Superman's body gets riddled by kryptonite radiation, but Bizarro, invulnerable to that influence because he's artificial, dispels the poison with his super-breath. But the rest of the film lacks the comic timing found in the better Lego-DC outings. 

There's a coda that foreshadows events of the same year's LEGION OF DOOM effort, though the coda itself doesn't blend in with the continuity of that story.