3 out of 5

Directed by: Peter Rida Michail, Aaron Horvath

A chibi, animated, hip lingo-slingin’ Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire concoct a plan to entice Hollywood to make a movie about them.  It’s that show you like, extended – just barely – to feature length.

…And as not a fan of when TTG would deliver multi-part episodes, the same feelings I had when watching those less-than-awesome entries cropped up here: the exuberance and cleverness takes a backseat to narration; a show that ping-pongs off of its character’s eccentricities wears thin when trying to develop those characters enough to support extended dialogue and concepts.  Adding to that, the movie version of TTG takes less risks than the show, clearly holding back some doses of its generally surprising subversiveness in order to keep accompanying parents in their seats without angrily tweeting, and also way playing up the 80s and 90s references – in the most heavy-handed way possible – to make the same parents chortle and admit to the movie’s cleverness.

Here’s the thing: it is clever, and it’s occasionally hilarious.  I just know the show, and writers, are capable of so much, much more.

The movie kicks off as its best self, big-screening things with a revamped, funky song intro for our leads as they smack down a gigantic balloon-themed villain.  Nicolas Cage voicing Superman is cute (if, sorry, maybe not the best voice casting beyond the meta joke of the actor once having been poised to play a live-action Supes), and the way we weasel in to the plot – the team heads to a movie premiere, with Robin flabbergasted by trailers for an Alfred movie, and a Batmobile movie, and a… Utility Belt movie, with there clearly no interest in a Robin movie inciting him to concoct enough hype for their time to woo some cinematic love – is amusing, but there’s still about half a movie to go, and so: plot.  Twists, and lessons, and lots of songs, which aren’t the best.  (But har-de-har they’re very 80s y’all.)

The animation is a bit slicker than usual, and the main voice actors, as always, are top freaking notch.  If these longer eps / this movie had the braveness to go a bit less linear – like, Aqua Teen movie territory – I’d be more impressed.  As-is, this rates alongside the more average TTG episodes.