TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES (2018) ****

Ever since its debut in 2013, Teen Titans Go! has been my daughter’s favorite TV show.  I have spent countless hours in front of the tube watching it with her and have come to the conclusion that it is the most consistently hilarious show on television.  Its witty blend of irreverence, pop culture satire, and streak of black humor (several episodes end with characters dying and/or the world being plunged into darkness) never fails to impress me.  

Being of a certain age, I never saw the original Teen Titans cartoon.  Because of that, I bring no baggage to Teen Titans Go!  I can simply enjoy it for the madcap way it lampoons its characters, the DC universe, and comic book entertainment in general.  

Now, some people think there’s nothing worse than a beer snob, but they’re wrong.  There’s nothing worse than a Teen Titans snob.  They are the worst sort of DC fanboy.  They exist solely to bitch about Teen Titans Go and bemoan the fact that the old cartoon never got a proper finale.  I’ve been unfortunate enough to meet several of these cretins in real life.  The worst run-in was at our local Gamestop where the guy behind the counter said he wouldn’t sell my daughter a Teen Titans Go! toy because, “That show is an abomination and the only REAL Teen Titans show is the original.”  I just sort of blankly stared at him until he eventually relented, saying, “But I’ll let you buy it because you’re young and you don’t know any better.”  He tried to act like he was joking, yet the seething hatred in his voice was barely masked by his halfhearted attempt at minimal customer service.  

I wanted to beat the shit out of the guy.  How sad is your life that you have to belittle a young girl because her toy selection doesn’t align with your narrowminded pop culture mindset?  If he even bothered to watch the show, instead of refusing to engage with it because the animation style and tone were different than the one he was used to, he would’ve seen that Teen Titans Go! is one of the best satires of not only comic books, but modern pop culture as well.  

I’ve had other encounters with these so-called “fans” (mostly of whom are early twenty-somethings) who allege that the old show is the only REAL version and that the new version is for BABIES.  Again, if they’d actually watch it, they’d see there is a streak of dark humor through the show that adults can appreciate.  Maybe they’re just not mature enough to accept it on that wavelength.

Teen Titans Go! is my favorite show on television, so it’s only fitting I’d label Teen Titans Go! To the Movies as one of the best movies of the year.  Like the show, it’s a deft send-up of comic book characters (specifically the movie versions), but it also acts as something of a wish fulfillment.  If you ever wanted to see a Robin movie, this is your chance.  I know the Teen Titans are a team, but Robin is front and center nearly all the way through.  Since Robin is my favorite character in the show, this was good news for me.  If you’re more of a Cyborg/Beast Boy/Raven/Starfire fan, take heart.  Although they are pushed to the background somewhat, they are still given plenty of moments to shine.  (The scene where Cyborg goes back in time to prevent Aquaman’s origin story is one of the biggest laughs I’ve had in the theater all year.)

The plot revolves around Robin’s attempts to get his own movie.  A big shot director (the voice of Kristen Bell) tells him the only way to headline his own film is to take down his arch-nemesis, Slade (the voice of Will Arnett).  This set-up is ripe with potential and leads to a lot of hilarious in-jokes, potty humor, and pop culture references.

Probably the best part of the movie:  We finally get to see Nicolas Cage as Superman.  Well… at least hear him anyway.  He doesn’t disappoint either.  We can only imagine what he would’ve been like as Supes in his prime in Tim Burton’s famously canceled late ‘90s version of the character.  However, there’s enough proof here to suggest that he would’ve been awesome in the role.

Then there are the cameos.  I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it, but there’s at least one cameo that is guaranteed to put a smile on the most jaded Teen Titans Go! hater.  Even if the constant barrage of hilarity isn’t enough to sway them, they should at least get a smile from the post-credits sequence.

It doesn’t matter if I liked it or not.  It doesn’t matter if the anti-Teen Titans Goers flame the movie on the internet.  All that matters is my daughter was grinning from ear to ear the whole time, cackling throughout, and quoting the dialogue on the car ride home.  

If you are at all suffering from superhero fatigue, you should by all means check out Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.  Like Deadpool, the film gives the genre a kick in the pants (without the R-rated humor of course), but lovingly so.  If you’re a parent, there will be as much humor aimed at you as your child (if not more).  It’s definitely one of the funniest (and best) movies of the year.

Cyborg gets the best line of the movie when he says, “Save me from Gene Hackman’s real estate scam!”