Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout Blu-ray Movie Review

Holy Throwback!

Reviewed by Michael Reuben July 9, 2016

It's a dizzying experience being a latecomer to the frenetic world of LEGO DC. My colleague Kenneth Brown, who reviewed several of the previous five direct-to-video offerings, had his precocious son to guide him through the maze, but I have no such housemates to take me by the hand. (A neighbor's kid once helped me understand The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, but that was five years ago, and he's all grown up.) Suffice it to say that the latest offering from Warner's LEGO animation manages to cram so many familiar characters (and a few new ones) into a single 78-minute film that the result is never dull.

As a reluctant Batman allows himself to be taken on a birthday vacation by Batgirl and Nightwing, temporary guardianship of Gotham City falls to Superman, who quickly discovers that—just as Batman warned him—the Caped Crusader's home town is no Metropolis. In this version of the DC Universe, the Man of Steel is stalwart but none too bright, and he is quickly tricked by the Joker into freeing the entire population of Arkham Asylum. Even with the assistance of Cyborg and Wonder Woman, Superman is outmatched. It will take the full force of the Justice League (plus Robin, after he finishes his school homework) to put Gotham back together again.

Meanwhile, Batgirl and Nightwing are attempting to reunite the Caped Crusader with his mentor, Madame Mantis, but find that they have been lured into a trap by Deathstroke and Bane, who have imprisoned Madame Mantis and enslaved the benevolent race she has been protecting, known as "Trogowogs". As is usually the case with fictional heroes, Batman's "vacation" becomes a working one.

With its martial arts and a legendary "Forbbiden Move", the Madame Mantis story seems designed to echo Kill Bill and its antecedents, but most of Gotham City Breakout's story relies on DCU shorthand as it sends toy characters scurrying hither and yon like hyperkinetic ants. The film's single best element (at least for the adult audience) is its conception of Batman as a super-serious straight arrow in the style of Adam West's portrayal in the classic TV series. Especially after enduring three films' worth of Christian Bale's dour portrayal, this Dark Knight is a hoot.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gotham City Breakout's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray presentation is comparable to previous entries in the LEGO direct-to-video franchise, with solid blacks, bright primary colors, good contrast and only occasional instances of minor banding that may well go unnoticed. If Warner would quit leaving unused space on the BD-25 and up the average bitrate to something better than this disc's 13.82 Mbps (which is even lower than their most recent LEGO film, Scooby-Doo!: Haunted Hollywood), the image might be even better.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bang! Crash! Pow! Explosion! The disc's DTS-HD MA 5.1 spreads the requisite sound effects through the listening space, but it's not a noticeably active or innovative mix.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only extras are a trailer for LEGO Scooby-Doo!: Haunted Hollywood, which is accessible from the main menu, and another for Nexo Knights, which plays at startup. This edition also comes with a Nightwing figurine.

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As with other LEGO entries in the DCU, this one is primarily for kids, although there are enough classic references to bring an occasional knowing smile to adult fans (or at least those sufficiently well-versed in Batman lore to recognize the code word "Batusi").