The Lego Batman Movie is an irreverent send up of super-serious superhero films. And it’s total wet-your-bat-briefs time.
Lego Batman and his unending ego are in trouble. The Caped Crusader has upset the Joker’s feelings by insisting that they aren’t great enemies, despite the latter’s pleas to the contrary. Realising that he’s redundant if he can’t be the bad guy anymore, the Joker gives himself and his gang up to the authorities. But Batman, foolishly, instead banishes him to the Phantom Zone, where he’s free to unleash the A to Z of movie monsters on to Gotham City.
Can Batman and his adopted son, Robin, save everyone? Will Batman stop being such a narcissistic loner? Who thinks they’re a heavy metal rapping machine?
KAPOW! OWWW! ZLOPP!
After giving us a glimpse of Batman in the hugely successful The Lego Movie, director Chris McKay returns with a film that surpasses it’s predecessor in looks and laughs. The animation blasts with colour and cute detail. Brick by brick, there are pop culture japes and self-references to earlier Batman incarnations. In particular the Adam-West Batman…
The fight scene with the big “POW!”s and “ZAPP!”s bubbles and shark repellent that “actually works!” might pass over younger heads — but they’ll clam older viewers up with nostalgic glee.
Building blocks to heaven
Will Arnett as the gravelly-voiced Batman is a stroke of perfection. He manages to mock Christian Bale and Ben Affleck’s stints in the Batcave and make them look like a couple of Del Boys in fancy dress.
The whole Lego film concept feels as innovative as Lego toy concept back in the early 20th century. The Lego Ninjago Movie is out later this year, and there are least a couple more films lined up. As it stands, these building blocks are going to take a lot to knock down.
