SYNOPSIS: When the Teen Titans go to the big screen, they go big! Teen Titans GO! to the Movies finds our egocentric, wildly satirical Super Heroes in their first feature film extravaganza—a fresh, gleefully clever, kid-appropriately crass and tongue-in-cheek play on the superhero genre, complete with musical numbers.
It seems to the Teens that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies—everyone but the Teen Titans, that is! But de facto leader Robin is determined to remedy the situation, and be seen as a star instead of a sidekick. If only they could get the hottest Hollywood film director to notice them. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their heart, the Teen Titans head to Tinsel Town, certain to pull off their dream. But when the group is radically misdirected by a seriously Super-Villain and his maniacal plan to take over the Earth, things really go awry. The team finds their friendship and their fighting spirit failing, putting the very fate of the Teen Titans themselves on the line!
When I first heard they were going to adapt the Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans GO! into a feature film I was kind of surprised. Normally these types of movies are made to go to straight to Blu-ray, and we are in a climate where people prefer their superheroes to be live action on the big screen. Because of that I did NOT think this movie would work.
Well I am here to tell you I was wrong! Teen Titans GO! To The Movies is a funny, smart, and enjoyable film that comic book fans both young and old should go see!
The story revolves around the Teen Titans being told by the main DC heroes that they are not real superheroes, but “goofsters”, since they are more concerned with musical numbers and waffles than actually doing anything heroic. After an embarrassing experience at the premiere of the latest Batman movie, Robin (Scott Menville), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), and Raven (Tara Strong) decide that in order to be taken seriously they need their OWN movie! So, they devise a plot to impress filmmaker Jade Wilson (Kristin Bell) into making a movie about them. Their first plot fails (and I am not going into it because it is so incredible I do not want to give any of it away), so they shift gears and decide the only thing that will prove they are worthy is a victory over a supervillain. Enter Slade (Will Arnett), who they all think is Deadpool and has a crazy plan to use his superpower of “mind manipulation” to take over the world using a jewel (Infinity War anyone?). The movie sticks to the TV script of not calling Slade by his supervillain name, Deathstroke, which they humorously address.
Plenty of hijinks and “shenanigans” take place from there. There are cameos you will not expect and specific pop culture references to keep the adults in the audience entertained. The plot, although predictable, is well executed. Writers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic did a masterful job crafting a movie that not only stays true to its core but also makes fun of the absurdity of the superhero movie genre. They hold nothing back, even attacking movies within the DC brand (especially Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice).
Teen Titans GO! To The Movies shows the lighter side of DC, much like LEGO Batman did. It is a nice break from the all the seriousness fans have for the live action movies and allows the audience to sit back, relax, and laugh at ourselves for an hour and a half, which is something fandom desperately needs to do right now. – Eric Holzmann
GRADE: GO!
