LEGO Batman: Forces of Havoc

**LEGO Batman: Forces of Havoc** is a 2020 stop-motion superhero movie directed by Brendan. The movie will release on September 19th, 2020, and will be a YouTube exclusive.

## Synopsis

The movie involves Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing combatting crime and corruption in Gotham City. Batman's deadliest enemies have fled from Arkham Asylum and split themselves into three groups of five, each directed by a notorious brute with plans to accomplish a special goal:

* The Riddler is after the city's savings in the Gotham Gold Reserves. Riddler is supported by Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Two-Face.
* The Penguin plots to commit genocide in the city using remote-operated penguin automata. Penguin is assisted by Bane, Killer Croc, Man-Bat, and Catwoman.
* The Joker aims to have a wedding at Gotham Cathedral, before exploding it and spreading his toxic laughing gas through Gotham. Joker is served by the Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Killer Moth, and Harley Quinn.

Each club has its own separate arc and is followed by criminals and minions who serve as the main attackers of the movie's heroes. Batman and Robin's chase of their Rogues' Gallery leads them to investigate many places in Gotham, including an ice cream shop, a floral nursery, a sewer, a menagerie, a fair, and a church, among others. As the story progresses, the Dynamic Duo fights the antagonists one-by-one, until they ultimately decapitate the leader of each group and his second-in-command, thwarting their plan, and incarcerating all surviving scoundrels; each arc also includes a vehicle chase involving either land, sea, or sky vehicles.

Interspersed with the heroes' escapades are villain scenes, each centered around either the Riddler's, the Penguin's, or the Joker's team. Each scene sees the head of the group and one of its members preparing for their respective scheme while evading the Gotham City Police Department, led by Commissioner Gordon, and. Villain episodes also expose certain story elements that would've been unclear with just the hero scenes, such as Bane's arrest (he isn't fought at any point because he dropped a car on his head and died), or the Penguin and Killer Croc rescuing Catwoman from a penitentiary after she was apprehended by Batman and Nightwing (she appears later in the movie with no other explanation). Each villain arc ends with the assembly's leader and his second-in-command successful with their plan, immediately before they are beaten by the heroes.

The villains' plans and pairings are references to the 1989 *Batman* film series and *LEGO Batman: The Video Game*: the Riddler's group consists of antagonists from the Joel Schumacher movies (with the exception of Clayface), Penguin's plan is to attack Gotham with armed penguins and his association with Catwoman are a tribute to *Batman Returns*, and the climax of the Joker's arc takes place in a cathedral comparable to the one from *Batman (1989)*.

## Tropes

* Adaptational Badass: Most villains get this to some degree, for the sake of making them come across as intimidating. The most notable example is Killer Croc having the ability to breathe water like fuckin' Aquaman.
* Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Downplayed with Gotham City Sewer, although Word of God says it would've been played straight if it appeared for more than a minute.
* The Ace: Batman, obviously.
* Bald of Evil: The Penguin, under his Nice Hat.
* Another Side, Another Story: The movie is formatted like this, with frequent cuts between the heroes and villains doing their thing.
* Bad Humor Truck: Taken Up to Eleven by Mr. Freeze's ice cream *plant* of hell (No Osha Compliance).
* Bloodier and Gore: The last two arcs compared to the first one, and the series in general is this to most Batman entries, up to and including *Joker* and the DC Animated Universe original movies.
* Bloodstained Glass Windows: The climax takes place in a cathedral, a Shout-Out to Tim Burton's first *Batman* film.
* Bowdlerization: The censored cut, naturally, although most of the changes, namely Batman knocking out villains instead of killing them and the lack of Gorn and Shock Humor, arguably give the movie more nuance.
* Butt-Monkey:
	+ Robin and Killer Moth, at least relative to most other characters.
	+ Exaggerated with the unnamed kid with an afro, whose only appearances are getting harassed by Batman, chased by radioactive monsters, and shot to death by Fear Gas-affected security guards, and ultimately buried in a humiliating fashion. Word of God claims the kid had some skeletons in his closet, though.
* Censored Child Death: Both instances of child murder are done via this; a penguin bot shooting a kid and a room filled with them getting killed by drugged guards. Downplayed in that a blood splatter is seen in the former and bloody corpses, including a decapitated one, are visible in the latter (not to mention their demonic form in the guards’ vision are seen bleeding). The skeletons and charred bodies littering Gotham High almost qualify but considering the grade of the school, those that perished were either teens or older.
* Cerebus Syndrome: The series plays this straight, as it was mostly a lighthearted series with only occasional blood or gore until the last two episodes of Riddler's arc, and it only gets Bloodier and Gorier from there. The movie itself doesn't avert this, but the decapitation near the beginning serves as an R-Rated Opening.
* Clothing Damage: A non-sexualized example; Batman's cape and even his body armor get damaged pretty frequently.
* Conspicuously Light Patch: If something is made of LEGO pieces, it is a sign that its going to get broken or interacted with, although this is downplayed in that this also happens to non-LEGO objects, just less frequently.
* Darker and Edgier: This clearly isn’t *The LEGO Batman Movie*, and while the use of LEGO Minifigures for characters prevents Forces of Havoc from being as disturbing as *Joker* or even some of the R-rated DC Animated Universe Original Movies, there is still Gorn, the Death of a Child (a half dozen, at least), and a brief shot of cacophilia. Even the censored cut implies most of this, but it still falls short of being as dark as the also PG-13 rated *The Dark Knight* and *Batman: Returns*.
* Downer Ending: While the actual events that occur would imply a Bittersweet Ending, the tone is much more bitter. Sure, the Justice League stopped Batman's Rogues Gallery for good, but the ending lingers solely on the Dark Knight's demise, along with that of countless others.
* Early Installment Weirdness:
	+ Before the second season and third seasons of LEGO Batman: Justice League (the former of which has an Enemy Mine and the latter is centered around the bad guys), this was the only LEGO Metaworld series that had videos exclusively centered around the antagonists.
	+ There are almost no references to the greater DC universe until the Justice League arrives at the cathedral. Juxtapose this with the prequel series, where the Justice League (or at least Superman) plays a much larger role.
	+ Most of the character designs in the series are based significantly on the official Minifigures (when not outright the same), with Gotham also having less of an identity. While the prequels take inspiration from other entries related to Batman, more is done to give the series its own feel and continuity, namely having different character designs.
* Harmless Freezing: Mr. Freeze encases the cops in ice cubes, one of which is easily broken and doesn't appear to harm its prisoner.
* Hat Damage: Mad Hatter's hat is completely shredded by the green slime monster.
* Freeze-Frame Bonus: Batman breaking a random child's stuff seems like an uncharacteristic Kick the Dog moment if you can't figure out that the drawing is of a penis. Once you do, you really start to wonder what was on his phone (Dirty Kid)...
* Kiss of Death: Poison Ivy kills a cop and the Riddler with these. The latter was *inadvertent*.
* Kiss of Distraction: Catwoman french-kisses Batman to divert his attention as she throws the diamond off of a rooftop.
* Land, Sea, Sky: Each arc represents one — the Riddler (land), the Penguin (sea), and the Joker (sky).
* Narm:
	+ The Joker's inflammatory speech that causes a riot among the lower-class of Gotham City takes the audible form of the infamously hilarious "Shadow the Hedgehog is a bitch-ass motherfucker" dub of *Sonic Adventure 2*.
	+ The death of Commissioner Gordon occurs via a car accident, which doesn't sound easy to laugh at... except it uses a CGI car crash that became a Memetic Mutation after the video was originally uploaded.
* Nice Hat: The Mad Hatter. The report at the start of the Joker arc mentions his "huge and ridiculous hat".
* Police Are Useless: Downplayed during the villains' scenes. While the cops fail, since there would be no movie if they succeeded, they are deadlier than the goons Batman battles during the parts about him.
	+ Outright averted by a security guard who succeeds in killing the Scarecrow *by himself*.

* R-Rated Opening: The prologue scene depicts strippers and a decapitation that results in the victim's head getting *propelled by his blood*.
* The Smurfette Principle: The supervillain packs have only one woman each (not counting goons). This also extends to the Bat-Family, who only have Batgirl, and the Justice League, who only have Wonder Woman. Oddly enough, Talia al-Ghul never appears despite her father being in the series.
* Trashcan Bonfire: Burning bins show up in a few scenes.
* Villain Team-Up: There are numerous bad guy team-ups in the film.

## Parents Guide

### **Sex & Nudity**

Moderate

* Strippers and the like are depicted, but since they are Minifigures the worst they're seen in is the "Slave Leia" bikini.
* A drawing of a LEGO guy with a penis and paintings of nude men appear (you'll only catch these if you're trying to). Surprisingly, these are kept in the PG-13 cut.
* The word "cum" is seen on a sign and accompanied by laughing sounds. The entire scene involving this is removed from the PG-13 cut.
* Suggestive references are briefly depicted in graffiti, including a mention of happy endings and a head that slightly resembles the top of a circumcised penis.
* Poison Ivy murders a guy by making out with him.
* Catwoman gives a long French kiss to Batman to avoid handing over a stolen gem.

### **Violence & Gore**

Moderate

* Past the opening scene, the violence is pretty mild and fairly slapstick but it gets progressively worse. It's worth noting that the violence is only enacted by and towards Minifigures, making it more like *South Park* than *Evil Dead*.
* A bouncer gets decapitated offscreen and his head flies off from the jetting blood. Blood is censored in the PG-13 cut (save for a black splat) but we see it hit the floor.
* Characters are shot with visible gunshot wounds, this includes innocents and even children. Save for two guards getting shot, these are removed in the PG-13 cut.
* Since half of the movie (if not more) is from the super-villains' perspective, countless police officers and SWAT members/special forces are shot and killed by machine guns, handguns, and assault rifles. While they obviously die from this, blood is mostly censored in the PG-13 cut. There is still a ton of shooting and gun violence for a PG-13 movie, though, and the scenes that still have blood are even worse (especially a scene where blackish blood sprays from a cop off-screen after he gets shot).
* A robber shoots himself but the blood splatter obscures it (we see his mask on the ground and gory chunks surrounding it). No blood or gore is kept in the PG-13 cut.
* During the Penguin's break-in at the zoo, guards get torn in half by gunfire, exposing their intestines. While blood is seen, mutilation is cut out of the PG-13 version.
* As the subtitles so blatantly put it, rats consume a dead body in graphic detail. This scene is completely absent in the PG-13 cut.
* Characters get melted by acid and other chemicals but it's not as terrifying or gory as it sounds, they just melt into skeletons with little to no blood.
* We briefly see dead children under pools of blood; one of them had his head blown up and bits of gore surround the severed neck. Nothing is seen in the PG-13 cut.
* The gross and charred backs of poverty-stricken characters are depicted (unrealistic and played for comedy).
* Burned corpses with red streaks on them are visible, these are disturbing as they're rather realistic but they're not horrible. The red is not present in the PG-13 cut.
* In the PG-13 cut, Joker commits suicide by shooting himself in the head off-screen; we don't see the impact but we hear it and see light from the muzzle flash.

### **Profanity**

Mild

* The words "dick" and "fuck" are poorly censored during the Joker's "speech".

### **Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking**

Moderate

* The Riddler smokes a blunt in one scene but it's hard to discern.
* Blue meth crystals explode while in a pot.
* Alcoholic beverages are seen in the strip club and a scene with a bartender is added in the PG-13 cut.

### **Frightening/Intense Scenes**

Moderate

* This isn't one you should show kids, regardless of how much they love Batman and/or LEGO. *The LEGO Batman Movie* and the countless direct-to-video films are much more appropriate for them.
* The gore may unnerve viewers, especially since it's juxtaposed with Minifigures.
* Suicide, child murder, decomposition, and dismemberment are shown in graphic (if unrealistic) detail.
* The ending may upset DC fans or sensitive viewers, as Batman sacrifices himself in a way similar to the end of *The Dark Knight Rises* (he actually dies in this one, though).
* Realistic fecal matter and onscreen defecation are depicted.
* Joker and some of the other antagonists could horrify kids, both in regards to their design and what they do.
* Tweens should be fine with the PG-13 cut and teens should be alright with the R-rated one. Not terrible, the violence is the main concern but it's somewhat mild in the PG-13 cut.

The original cut is rated R for strong violence including bloody images, crude content, and brief language– all involving toys.

The family-friendly cut is rated PG-13 for violence, sensuality, thematic elements, some language and drug content.

### **Certification**

* Australia: M (Family-Friendly Cut)
* Australia: MA15+ (Original Cut)
* Brazil: 14 (Family-Friendly Cut)
* Brazil: 16 (Original Cut)
* Germany: 12 (Family-Friendly Cut)
* Germany: 16 (Original Cut)
* Japan: PG-12 (Both Cuts)
* Spain: 12 (Family-Friendly Cut)
* Spain: 16 (Original Cut)
* Sweden: 11 (Family-Friendly Cut)
* Sweden: 15 (Original Cut)
* United Kingdom: 12 (Family-Friendly Cut)
* United Kingdom: 15 (Original Cut)
* United States: PG-13 (Family-Friendly Cut)
* United States: R (Original Cut)

## BBFC Rating

The movie is rated 12 for frequent moderate violence, crude humour, infrequent language, mild horror.

### Violence

The violence in this film, while pervasive and moderate, usually has a comical quality, involves only Lego toys and is acceptable under a ‘12’ rating. The violence occurs within a fantasy context established by the movie's superhero/villain set-up and involves Batman and Robin in constant fights with hostiles ranging from Joker's minions to abominable monsters. Characters punch and shoot at each and other weaponry (i.e. whips and boomerangs) does feature sometimes but the violence rarely has any blood and is gore-free, with characters merely falling down with no suffering. While lacking in detail, the battles carry a frequency and occasional bloodshed that give them the cumulative strength to go beyond what is accepted at the 'PG' category and instead reach the '12' rating where the guidelines state that 'There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context.'

### Theme

The film depicts instances of crude humour, such as characters getting pelted with feces and brief sight of a drawing with a non-detailed penis and testicles.

### Language

Moderate language such as 'son of a bitch' and 'shit' is used, but the movie is mostly free of dialogue, with characters simply grunting, squeaking, and making other comparable noises. The infrequency of the language puts it between PG and 12 boundaries but it was ultimately deemed worthy of note.

### Threat

The grim, gritty settings and mutant monsters that Batman battles offer moments of mild horror which is a matter of tone, instead of bloody detail. The strongest examples of this are two scenes where central characters end up in a dark, isolated forest where a colossal person chases and tries to drown them. The sense of 'threat and menace' that this provides meets with the requirements of the Guidelines at '12'.

The film has suggestive content in the form of brief scenes set in a strip club, with Lego strippers pole-dancing in bikinis. There is a brief scene where a criminal, cornered by a police car, shoots himself off-screen; the screen fades to black just before the shot is fired and we don't see the result.

## Censored Cut

For display to younger and more sensitive viewers, a censored cut might get made. The following scenes are changed:

* First 2 minutes: Introduction.
* All shots of Play Doh blood and muzzle flashes are removed or replaced.
* The scene where the bouncer's head flies into the air while bleeding is cut and blood is removed from the part where the head lands.
* Shot of gore is removed after Two-Face runs over a police officer.
* Shot of Riddler shooting a corpse in the face is cropped to remove bullet hole.
* No blood or gore is depicted after one of Riddler's goons shoots himself.
* Shots of Killer Croc dismembering people and defecating on them are removed.
* Gory images of guards getting mutilated by gunfire are removed.
* Shots of guards next to blood splatters are removed and/or cropped out.
* A scene where a corpse is eaten by rats is removed.
* Shots of a guard with a slash through his mouth and feces under his legs are removed.
* The shot of a rat carcass and corpses after the guards kill the children is removed.
* Depictions of blood splatter from two guards getting shot and the Joker defecating on his body are removed.
* Blood from the Scarecrow getting killed is removed and the cleaning of a guard's bullet wound is shortened.
* The Joker's speech is replaced with fitting audio.
* Signs shown during the Joker's speech are replaced due to ones depicting the word "cum" and an analogy to racism.
* Depictions of feces in the riot scene are reinterpreted as mud.
* Shots showing people getting impaled by Batarangs and bleeding are removed.
* Blood is cropped out of the scene of Joker and Harley Quinn killing guards.
* The shot of a police officer positioning a sausage on his crotch is removed.
* Blood is cropped out of the Wayne parents' killing.
* The scene where the villains get massacred at the cathedral is edited to remove blood.

This list is not comprehensive and the changes listed were not the only ones made.

## Common Sense Media Review

* age 12+ (15+ for uncensored)
* Enjoyable but sometimes confusing cartoon-like experience.
* Parents need to know that this movie isn't based on movies like *Joker* but rather the *Batman* television series and comics. The movie received a PG-13 rating for violence, but the brutality is relatively harmless; LEGO bricks compose the cartoony characters. When fighting, characters get hurt and sometimes killed; this includes police officers and some of the superheroes. However, there is little blood and no gore to fret over; still, characters strike, shoot, and otherwise use weapons against one another. Although the film is generally light and stylized, it includes some dark scenes and ends on a melancholy note. The film has almost no dialogue and doesn't take care to explain much beyond the characters, so folks looking for a movie about plot might find this picture mediocre.
* Positive Messages: The film shows the perspective of both superheroes and their archenemies; it is possible to enjoy the movie while hating the villains, but you'd miss out on much of the movie's appeal.
* Violence: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The movie involves combat, with both the hostile and heroic biting the bullet, whether by gunfire or explosions. However, the film's violence is often cartoony and bloodless, although there are some dark scenes, including some potentially emotional deaths. One scene depicts a duo of security guards shooting what they see as demons; the two are influenced by a drug and are actually killing children. The bloodiest scene is a brief glimpse of a man having a gunshot wound cleaned after getting shot, although he ultimately survives. Heavy Spoiler Alert: The film's titular character doesn't make it to the end, along with some of his allies and enemies.
* Consumerism: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This movie unites the LEGO toy company with the campy Batman television shows and comic books.