This summer has brought us many of the best and highest rated superhero movies of all time. After seeing big blockbusters such as Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 and even Disney Pixar’s animated superhero hit Incredibles 2, folks may have a bit of superhero overload. With so many genre-defining films one right after the other it would be easy to miss the newest contender, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, but it’s absolutely a movie you should make a point to see.
Robin (Scott Menville), the leader of the Teen Titans dreams of nothing more than having a movie made about him. It seems like there is a movie about every other major superhero (even if it wasn’t a particularly good one as Green Lantern reluctantly admits too), so why not him? When he and his team Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Strong) and Starfire (Hynden Walch) inquire why a movie has yet to be made about them, they are laughed at. After all, who would ever make a movie dedicated to the lowly sidekicks?
The Titans realize that there is one thing that all superheroes have that they are missing…an archnemesis, someone they could prove their heroic talents defeating and ultimately earn them a place among the stars. The Titans, due the other major superheroes being unavailable, come across Slade (Will Arnett) attempting to steal a precious crystal. Jumping quickly into action, the team realizes that this may be the archnemesis they are searching for.
Teen Titans is a movie that certainly does not take itself seriously, even their first battle is against a giant balloon man who steals safes by stuffing them inside helium filled balloons. There are also the occasional fart jokes and the expected waffles references, which are all the things that young kids have grown to love about the series. Even though those jokes and references were very funny, they are really only surface level jokes, ones to make the kids in the audience laugh. To get to the real genius of this movie you have to look a little deeper. Teen Titans is full of 80’s and pop culture references, so many that it’d be easy to overlook them the first time you see it. The movie includes subtle nods to everything from Back to the Future to superhero origin stories and every one of them is pure genius. The references were clearly made for the adults to catch, yet you’ll still see the younger audience members laughing (although they may not know why). One of my absolute favorite parts in the movie involves Aquaman, and 3 days later I’m still laughing about it. The joy this movie brings will stay with you for a very long time.
Teen Titans! Go to the Movies has my vote for best superhero movie of the year. It’s a bright shining star in the otherwise dismal DC Universe. It’s a movie that is made for young and old alike, but for entirely different reasons. It is both nostalgic and new, something that is incredibly difficult for most movies to accomplish these days. It will have you laughing throughout, but deep down teaches an incredibly important lesson about friendship, and what it means to be a true hero. For fans of the television series this is an absolute must see movie, in fact you should already have your tickets and know exactly when you are going. For those who have never seen a single episode but love superhero movies, don’t just sit there, fly/swim/portal your way over to the theater. If you have a fondness for the 80s, you’ll be in for a serious treat, in many, many ways. As cliché as this may seem, it’s the must-see movie of the summer and in my opinion the entire year. Oh, and make sure you stay for the credits…the genius lasts until the very end.
What I liked: Incredibly clever 80s and pop culture references, vivid and amazing animation, the superhero origin stories (you’ll understand when you watch it)
What I liked less: I couldn’t immediately go see it again
5 out of 5 stars
Second Review by Barnetty Kusher
Fans of the animated series will be thrilled to know that the big screen adaptation of the popular Cartoon Network series lives up to everything they love about the show. With their ability to not only poke fun at themselves, but also take jabs at some of DC Comics famous superheroes. In the film, we find out that you are not a true superhero unless you have your own movie Eager to become a “bigtime” superhero instead of the laughing stock of the superhero world, Robin (Scott Menville), along with his fellow Titans Cyborg (Khary Payton), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Tara Strong (Raven), and the shape shifting Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), realize they only way to get movie producer Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell) to put them on the silver screen is to recruit their very own archenemy. Enter Slade. The running joke throughout the movie is that Slade is commonly mistaken for the smart mouthed Deadpool from the Marvel Universe. When in reality Slade is Death Stroke. Although the film never makes mention of Death Stroke. And so begins Team Titans adventure through time to try to change the superhero space time continuum and be the only superheroes to exist all while trying to capture Slade.
With a run time of 92 minutes, vibrant animation, and with all the high jinx, witty potty humor, and upbeat song numbers we’ve come to enjoy from the TV show, the Teen Titans Go! To The Movies doesn’t disappoint. It’s not a movie that upstages some of the greatest superhero films on the market, however it was meant for pure merriment and entertainment. Sit back, relax, and look forward to good chuckle!
4 out of 5 stars.
