PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *comedy*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological*
I haven't seen all of the Lego DC flicks prior to this one, the sixth in the series, but this one is overly silly even for a comic take on DC superheroes. Not only did the usually dependable Jim Kreig turn in stupid schticks like Joker having conversations with the spoon he used to dig out of Arkham, the title seems poorly conceived. Members of the Justice League are in the film, and various Bat-villains break out to menace Gotham. But Batman and his entourage are the stars, and the main plot focuses upon two villains forming yet another plot to rule the world.
Because it's the anniversary of Batman's first adventure, his Bat-buddies and various heroes of the Justice League and Teen Titans talk him into taking a vacation. Superman offers to guard Gotham in the hero's absence, with co-ordination from the Boy Wonder, though the Man of Steel appears overconfident in his abilities. Nightwing and Batgirl accompany Batman to a remote island where he received all of his martial training from an eccentric old sensei, Madame Mantis. However, the Bat-folk soon find out that Mantis is being impersonated by a short green humanoid called a "Trogawog." This creature serves Mantis' only other notable trainee: the mercenary Deathstroke. Deathstroke has forged a partnership with Bane, and they're using a special device to brainwash the subterranean Trogawog race to be their vanguard in conquering the world.
The plot also involves Deathstroke's bitterness toward Madame Mantis for having favored Batman over him, which included teaching Batman "the forbidden move." (It's really nothing but a picayune version of Son Goku's kamehameha wave.) The script at least develops the Batman-Deathstroke conflict well enough, punctuated by numerous pseudo-humorous remarks from Madame Mantis. Most of the other heroes and villains get short shrift, except that Superman becomes embarrassed when he finds that Batman's foes are far from easy to handle. Overall, BREAKOUT has a few decent jokes but for the most part, the flick proves much too predictable.
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