The world seems to enjoy seeing LEGO brought to life cinematically, as the recent successes of “The LEGO Movie” and “The LEGO Batman Movie” have shown. Yet, as is the case with all things that bring happiness to large groups of people, “The LEGO Batman Movie” has managed to attract some controversy, in this case for apparently containing pro-gay propaganda.
READ MORE:‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ Review: Bruce Wayne Has Never Been So Much Fun
As reported by The Mary Sue, one critic in particular, John-Henry Western of the website Voice of the Family, claims that the hit animated movie is riddled with homosexual elements. Western focuses particularly on the longstanding thematic element of Bruce Wayne’s dual identity as defender of Gotham and billionaire playboy, and cites PJ Media’s Michael Hamilton’s review, which argues that because Robin views Batman and Bruce Wayne as separate identities, he views them as his two fathers, and thus this becomes a subtle promotion of “gay adoption” which the filmmakers are trying to force onto its viewers.
“It seemed the creators were so anxious to subtly indoctrinate the little ones into the gender ideology that making it humorous came as a distant second thought,” Western writes.
In numerous other reviews, film critics roundly “The LEGO Batman Movie” agree that the film is absolutely hilarious, so Western’s claim that the writers placed their supposed “pro-gay agenda” as a higher priority than the film’s comedy doesn’t carry much weight.
Western and Hamilton’s argument doesn’t end here, however. Hamilton explains that the relationship between Batman and the Joker is homoerotic, citing that Batman “breaks up” with the Joker in the early portion of the film.
“They’re subtle enough most people won’t notice,” claims Hamilton, regarding the “hidden” and apparently dangerous pro-gay elements of the film. “But failing to notice grants them normalcy, as though you’d be crazy or cruel to suggest anything was amiss here.”
Now, with all film being subjective, one viewer or critic can’t claim that another viewer’s interpretations are wrong, even if those interpretations hold that an entertaining kid’s film like “The LEGO Batman Movie” is rife with subtle hints that relate to gay adoption or a borderline homosexual relationship — or that such hints are a bad thing.
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