Wednesday 22 August 2018

Review: Teen Titans Go! To The Movies





Teen Titans Go! To The Movies
Cert: PG / 88 mins / Dir. Peter Rida Michail & Aaron Horvath / Trailer



I started grinning a few seconds into The Late Batsby short, which precedes Peter Michail and Aaron Horvath's cinematic rendering of the Cartoon Network show, Teen Titans Go!. I was still smiling as the final recurring gag occurred at the end of the credits, and continued to do so for a good while after*1...

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies is the big-screen offshoot of the aforementioned cartoon set in a comic-version of the DC universe, in which - sick of being known only as Batman’s sidekick - young Robin is determined to go to Hollywood and be the star of his own superhero movie. While the ‘big boys’ are off fighting crime, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire tag along for the ride, hopefully saving the world from the evil Slade in the process.

I think it's safe to say that DC have finally cracked the secret to transferring group-versions of their heroes to the big screen, and the main ingredient in this recipe is humour.

Every single frame of TTG!TTM is a hyper-kinetic joy, blending the visuals of Batman: The Animated Series with those of The Powerpuff Girls, and twisting the story structure of Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back filtered through the deconstructive smart-assery of Deadpool. All the while being entirely suitable for your padawans.

From its fixation with cassettes and VHS tapes to finally bringing us a Nic Cage Superman, the self-awareness of both the genre and the format leaps out of the screen. As a Marvel-kid, I think I 'got' around half of the plentiful in-jokes and Easter-eggs on offer, but even the other half are so glibly presented that it's just fun knowing that people will get more out of the film than me.

At just 88 minutes from end-to-end, this is short and punchy, not unlike its heroes. As well as the Batgirl adventure at the top, that runtime also squeezes in a five minute time-travel segment, and a toilet joke that lasts for around three minutes. Fantastic stuff. Using the relentless pacing of a 22 minute TV cartoon, things begin to sag a little at the hour-mark when the focus moves from the jokes to the actual plot. But this soon picks up again when the directors realise the movie can easily juggle both.

Far, far funnier than any live-action studio comedy in recent memory, TTG!TTM is another reminder that dark and moody DC is at its most accessible (ie profitable) when it's neon-lit and unrepentantly silly.

I wish Star Wars: Forces Of Destiny was as much fun as this.


And it's coming to something when the Stan Lee cameo in a DC movie is arguably better than his appearance in the last Marvel flick...


So, what sort of thing is it similar to?
Lego Batman, Captain Underpants, The Super Hero Squad Show.


Is it worth paying cinema-prices to see?
Given that it's firmly small-screen in its scope, yes.


Is it worth hunting out on DVD, Blu-ray or streaming, though?
If you're a fan of the genre, this will be one to have on the shelf.


Is this the best work of the cast or director?
I'm not familiar with the work of most performers involved here, but it's a strong play, yes.


Will we disagree about this film in a pub?
That's possible.


Is there a Wilhelm Scream in it?
Not that I heard.


Yeah but what's the Star Wars connection?
Level 1: The voices of Rebels' Hera (and Dark Forces' Jan), Lego Luke Skywalker, Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi and Clone Wars Nute Gunray are in this.


And if I HAD to put a number on it…


*1 My next scheduled film of the day was Hotel Transylvania 3, so obviously the smile didn’t last for too much longer. But hey, you take what you can get, right? [ BACK ]

DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.

1 comment:

  1. I didn't know anything about this going in, but I immediately bought tickets for my nephews on the way out.

    ReplyDelete