The Lego Batman Movie (2017) Dir. Chris McKay

A spin-off from The Lego Movie (2014), that film's producers followed it up with another computer animated film, this time focusing on everyone’s favourite Dark Knight.

Will Arnett voices the caped crusader and is joined by a talented voice cast of Zach Galifianakis (The Joker), Michael Cera (Robin), Rosario Dawson (Batgirl) and Ralph Fiennes as Alfred. Focusing on Batman’s solitary world and reluctance to work as a team, the film uses a simple set-up to poke friendly fun at the DC Universe. And at the same time it throws in a satisfying dollop of emotion and other pop culture references.

As a personal fan of Nolan’s world and Burton’s ’89 incarnation, it's great to see the film wisely drawing upon not just those but all versions of Batman. This hilariously includes the shark repellent from the 60s show and even the hilariously bad Batman V Superman too. And it's all done with love and reverence to all the different takes during the character's 80-year history.

The plot is secondary to the visual spectacle and as per the other LEGO films, the bricks are created perfectly in CGI and the animation is both bold yet functional to the LEGO aesthetic and its use. The film’s references go full circle with Ralph Fiennes’ Alfred fighting LEGO Voldermort (whom he played in Harry Potter) and LEGO Bane having Tom Hardy’s voice from Dark Knight Rises.

The twist with the Joker being frustrated that he is not Batman’s main villain is a good one and he retaliates by entering the Phantom Zone to pull together a team of supervillains including Jaws, King Kong and Gremlins!

Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face is a great nod to the Burton/Schumacher era whilst 21 Jump Street’s Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play Superman and Green Lantern respectively.

However, all these references are nicely woven into the fabric of the film rather than as a series of memes, and the jokes hit the mark far more times than they miss. A cool comic comedy, I’d certainly recommend this to anyone who loves Batman and his history over the years. And whilst younger kids may not get all the nods, the film is enough of a fun family romp to be enjoyed by any audience looking for lots of laughs.

★★★★

4/ 5

Michael Sales

Screens as part of Batman 85 Years season