


It happened in 1993 with Jurassic Park of course, and it happened again two years later with Batman Forever. You had a beloved franchise, a strong marketing hook, and the appearance of a top-flight would-be movie star as an added value element. This is not the first time an opening weekend record has been set on this particular weekend.

There has been much talk this week about how Jurassic World was something of a perfect blockbuster package. But that short speech isn’t the only reference hanging around.Batman Forever may not be a great film, but it was a perfectly calibrated blockbuster machine carefully constructed to make ridiculous amounts of money. Superman (2016), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), The Dark Knight (2008), Batman Begins (2005), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992), Batman (1989), and a “weird one” in 1966, which forgoes the Lego style for Adam West’s horrendously cheesy spandex in Batman: The Movie. These “phases” are identified by Alfred as Batman v. For some reason, Batman keeps living the same mistakes over and over again: He doesn’t trust the people in his life because he’s been hurt in the past and that, ultimately, leads him down a dark path filled with heartbreak and betrayal.Īlfred lists off a set of nine “phases” Bruce has been through in the past 50 years, aka, the plethora of Batman movies and reboots. This post contains spoilers for The Lego Batman Movie.Ī scene toward the beginning of Lego Batman has Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s long-suffering butler and pseudo-father figure, explaining to Bruce that he’s fallen into a vicious cycle. The oddly charming story of Bruce Wayne accidentally adopting Dick Grayson’s Robin and then taking on a fantastical cast of baddies, Lego-style, is chock full of easter eggs and hints to Batman’s past adventures and mishaps. Not only is Lego and DC Entertainment’s The Lego Batman Movie a laugh a minute, it’s also a referential romp down memory lane for long-standing fans of the caped crusader.
