Teen Titans GO! To The Movies Review & Khary Payton Interview: A Cinematic Treat To Beat The Summer Heat
“Everybody smile and say CHEEEESE!” – Superman…maybe
Teen Titans GO! To The Movies is adorably ridiculous and delightfully intense. And yes the new theme song is “epically dope”. Better yet, it’s a perfect gateway superhero movie for kids and “what..ANOTHER superhero movie?!” family members to enjoy together. If only for that butt humor. Oh, yes, the butt jokes are strong in this one.
Robin (Scott Menville), leader of the Teen Titans, wants what every other superhero (and superhero accessories) are getting, his own movie. Robin leads his team of mischievous teenage heroes, Cyborg (Khary Payton), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Raven (Tara Strong), and Beast Boy (Greg Cipes) on this quest, only to realize that they aren’t considered “real superheroes”. And only “real superheroes” get the movies, even if they are Aqua Manatee.
Teen Titans (Left): Starfire (Hynden Walch), Beast boy (Greg Cipes), Robin (Scott Menville), Raven (Tara Strong), Cyborg (Khary Payton)
Comedy aside, the epic yet all-ages appropriate battles and huge action set pieces involving the Teen Titans journey to superhero stardom are pretty awesome. Some very creative action sequences show off the impressive outside-of-the-box thinking for heroes and villains alike. Everything from Robin running through a crumbling building as it explodes around him, giant robots, aerial chases, and the Teen Titans headquarters itself.
Along the way in trying to fulfill Robin’s dreams and prove their superhero-ness to Hollywood director Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell), the crew encounters the master of mayhem Super-Villain, Deadpool…no wait, SLAAAADE (must always be said with dramatic tongue-wagging).
SLADE (Will Arnett)
Voiced by producer, Will Arnett, the menacing yet funny, Slade is one of many meta comedic delights that screenwriters Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic treat the audience to.
The meta comedy in Teen Titans GO! To The Movies is enough to get a husky chuckle out of the most jaded viewer. Everything from unexpected (but maybe expected?!) cameos, popular Disney (and other big franchises) movie references, along with punch up humor about their own DC heroes. Seriously, no DC hero is safe from Warner Bros Animation’s tongue-in-cheek play (especially not Superman), and some of the jokes will leave you wide-mouthed and delighted, when you realize that “Yes, YES…they did just go there”.
This musical number-laden, road-tripping, madcap cinematic adventure, successfully plays with a variety of animation styles, musical genres and beloved caped crusaders. It’s campy & goofy, with some intensity for good measure. Overall, it’s a great story for budding superheroes and a fun way to beat the summer heat. Stay until after the credits. An important question is asked and it is most definitely worth it.
Khary Payton, the voice of Cyborg from Teen Titans
After viewing the movie, we did a follow-up interview with Khary Payton (Cyborg, Aqualad in “Young Justice“) about his experiences of all things Teen Titans and Cyborg.
Who is another villain that you’d love to see in a Teen Titans GO! To The Movies sequel? “I think Weird Al Yankovic should come out and do Darkseid…on the TV show he has this (emphasis) Big Booming Darkseid voice.”
Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips and an enemy of both Superman and the Justice League, he was introduced in Teen Titans GO! with a huge booming voice that Starfire helped him cure with “the lozenge”. Voice scratchiness cured, he is still a huge (and hilarious) baddie and would be a great addition to another Teen Titans Go! movie.
What was a favorite musical experience for you with Teen Titans? In particular Khary enjoys how much fans enjoy the Waffle song! Frequently, people will walk by him singing “Waffles waffles waffles” (Khary enjoyed singing this for us), and from that one word, it spawned a number of other melodies and storylines. Khary has even brought his guitar into studio to record a power ballad.
Music has always been a fun part of Teen Titans GO!, and audiences can expect catchy full-length songs (such as the new amped up “GO!” theme song) and sequences from director Peter Rida Michail, and composer Jared Faber, along with guest artists such as Michael Bolton!
What are some of your favorite parts of Teen Titan’s Go! To The Movies? Look out for Khary’s favorite parts of Teen Titan’s Go!, one pays a hilarious homage to Lion King and the other is a huge repeated cameo (that you will definitely know once you see it).
What would Cyborg do if there were no more waffles left, or able to be made, in the world? Know that if there were no waffles, Cyborg would then start singing about his next love, crepes.
Teen Titan’s Go! To The Movies opens in theaters July 27th, 2018, has a run time of 88 minutes, and is PG-rated for all of the superheroes (and super villains) out there.
