‘Teens Titans Go!’ has always had strained relationship with nerds. On one hand their jokes at the expense of the DC Universe have always been brilliant. They somehow know how to point and laugh at everything wrong with DC’s properties, while also celebrating what makes them great. On the other hand there are a lot of poop jokes. Not to mention the cartoon that came before it ‘Teen Titans’ was a pretty great take on the source material, so it being replaced by a bunch of goofs making fart jokes was a tough pill to swallow, and ‘Teen Titans Go!’ revels rubbing it in those fans faces. I enjoy the show immensely, and I thought ‘Teen Titans Go! To the Movies’ did a great job of taking something built for a fifteen minute format and turning it in to an hour and half movie.
In the movie, the Teen Titans are upset that no one takes them seriously. Even though they rarely fight crime and spend more time practicing their songs than their combat. The only way to be taken seriously, much like the real world, is to get a movie made about you, so the Titans are off to Hollywood to get a picture made about them.
Just like the TV show, ‘Teen Titans Go! To the Movies’ is meta joke layered on top of meta joke with a poop punch line, so the more you know about the greater DC Universe, the more you will like, or hate, the movie. However, my daughter who is four and who knows nothing about the Challengers of the Unknown loved the movie. She sang along to their catchy tunes, and laughed at their toilet humor. In other words, you don’t need to know everything DC to enjoy this movie, it just helps.
Considering DC already has a cartoon movie franchise that satirizes themselves, a ‘Teen Titans Go!’ movie was always odd proposition. However, I am glad they made it, and it justifies its length by telling a fun story and never feeling like Star Trek: Insurrection. I think you should do yourself a favor and check out ‘Teen Titans Go! To the Movies’! Even if it is just for the songs and the Challengers of the Unknown.