As a fan of Teen Titans Go! I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect for the movie, would it be as brilliant as the show, or collapse under the weight of the time limit and absurdity? The answer is thankfully the former. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I never fully got the hate of this show, sure some jokes are aimed for the very young, but the show acknowledges this, plus it’s not like the things that we liked as kids didn’t have groaner jokes for our parents, it’s something you must accept as you get older. In any case the movie’s strength is also the show’s strength, absurd humor that mocks the comics and those knowledgeable to the genre will have a blast picking apart every little detail, I know I did.
Plot wise, the movie isn’t very heavy on story, it’s there, but it pretty much exists to set up the comical misadventures of the Titans, they, or rather Robin mainly, wants in on the superhero movie craze. After being repeatedly told they are just too silly for a film, Robin decides the best course of action is to get an arch-nemesis, cue actual comic nemesis, Slade Wilson. There’s a pretty obvious twist in the movie, especially for comic fans, but the kids in the audience might not pick it up right away, even if they do Raven acknowledges it’s obvious. Which is the film at various points, just acknowledging these tropes which is fun, because again, the movie is less about the story, more about the comedic stuff that comes from the situations.
While it largely targets DC comics for it’s source of humor (especially during a hilarious time travel sequence that mocks some classic origins), Marvel fans may find themselves laughing at some pretty good swipes the movie gets on them. Again, this stuff is where the movie shines the most for adults, especially longtime fans, the characters mocking the source or various adaptations, sometimes it’s just funny, at other times it’s absolutely brutal, but still funny. Much like the show, it occasionally takes jabs at material outside comic books, like 80’s music, famous cartoons and the like, most of these jokes land, but occasionally you do have to wonder if the target audience fully understands, still there’s plenty there for them to be distracted.
Since this is a movie made for the big screen, the film does get some welcomed upgrades along the way. Obviously the animation looks better, whether it’s the movement, the backgrounds, or any of the different styles we occasionally see, it’s all a visual delight, even if it’s not as cinematic as a Disney feature. Then there’s the music, which is charming much like the show’s usual output, though I’d argue it’s among the best in the franchise. Finally there’s the voice work, we get great performances from the TV cast of course, Will Arnett gives a good performance as Slade, while Kristen Bell is fun as director Jade Wilson, (you see the twist is pretty obvious) and Nicholas Cage finally gets to play Superman. Admittedly the voice work is best with the TV cast, but I enjoyed the celebrity additions.
Teen Titans Go!To The Movies is an absolute blast, sure some may dislike bits (I know I got tired of a running gag regarding Slade’s name) but I think the overall product is one of the funniest superhero movies to date. At 80 minutes it never outstays it’s welcome and manages to put out some of the genre’s most scathing satire, a great choice if you ask me. This probably deserves a smaller score, but I had too much fun, so I’m giving it that extra half-point, this is just an absolute fun time for fans, while older fans might end up loving a particular tease in the film’s mid-credits.
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