MOVIE REVIEW: FTN reviews Teen Titans GO! To The Movies

Teen Titans GO! To The Movies (PG)
Directed by: Aaron Horvath, Peter Rida Michail
Starring: Greg Cipes, Scott Menville & Khary Payton
Running time: 1hr 33min

A villain’s maniacal plan for world domination sidetracks five teenage superheroes who dream of Hollywood stardom.

Man, this is so hard to review…

See, I’m a man in my forties now and, as sad as it makes me to admit, the crazy humour in this just left me a little… tired. And old. But mostly tired. I think.

See, I love shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. I love the through story, the mythology… because I’m a bit older, I just enjoy the journey.

I don’t get that with Teen Titans GO!

But.. I love DC, so as much as I didn’t like the movie, i paradoxically DID like the movie and all the casual nods to characters both popular and obscure.

Does any of this make sense?

Basically, I’ll say this: If you like the animated series this came from, then you will adore this. If you don’t, you won’t.

So, on that note, my kids loved this. They’re both fans of the series and the characters and they both found this very funny and the songs were spot on… typically sugar-coated and self-knowing.

As was the whole movie.

So, don’t get me wrong, even if you are being dragged along, you need to let yourself just go with it. The knowing references to the DC Cinematic Universe – yes, there’s a Martha joke in here and yes, the Green Lantern Movie takes a pounding too – make it an enjoyable blink-and-you’ll-miss-it experience.

But by the same token, it also is quite an awareness –  and good natured laugh at – the Marvel universe with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool, in an inspired wind-up over Deathstroke, while Stan Lee makes his cameo here too, seemingly shocked that this is actually a DC movie.

And the plot, what little there is, is very similar to The Incredibles 2 in the villain’s motive.

Not that that matters.

It’s also cool that Nicholas Cage finally gets to be Superman.

But, in closing, here’s the deal:

Tapping into a wealth of DC history and oddities, Teen Titans GO! To The Movies isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself or their main adversaries, The Marvel Universe, and it’s all the richer for it.

Probably not a great jumping on point if you’ve never seen the TV series it inspired – or if you’re approaching anything resembling maturity – there’s a lot of fun to be had if you go with the silly.

And thankfully, I make it a rule to ALWAYS go with the silly.

Dumb, daft and furious,Teen Titans GO! To The Movies isn’t the best movie of the summer, or the funniest, but it’s certainly the silliest… and that’s no bad thing.

3 out 5 Nerds – if you’re new to the show or consider yourself mature.

4 out of 5 Nerds – if you are kid, like silliness and have seen –  and liked – the series before.