Warner Bros. “The Lego Batman Movie” is the best two hours I’ve spent in a theater so far this year.
STARS: 5/5
If you asked me in 2014 if I thought a movie about Lego pieces was a good idea, I would’ve laughed in your face. However, after the smash hit “The Lego Movie,” I was excited to see what Warner Bros. and The Lego Group would produce.
“The Lego Batman Movie” gives fans of the age-old Batman comics a comedy rendition of the caped crusader.
Fans of Batman will love the nods to previous Batman actors like Adam West, Christian Bale and Michael Keaton. This film is made with comic fans in mind and has dozens of subtle references to DC Comics’ best-known characters. However, what’s great about this film is that it’s not dark or brooding, like most of DC’s recent cinematic endeavors.
The script — by novelist Seth Grahame-Smith, known most for “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” — is witty and exciting.
Grahame-Smith takes every chance to make the audience laugh, from a new Batman theme song performed by Will Arnett and Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump to cameos by the most famous Warner Bros. villains: Lord Voldemort, King Kong and the Gremlins.
Director Chris McKay is probably most-known for his work on “Robot Chicken,” however, he’s set to produce and direct the sequel to “The Lego Movie.” While the director of an animated film may not be the first person you praise, McKay lends a particularly good editorial hand to this film.
The best part of “The Lego Batman Movie” is Will Arnett as Batman. Arnett previously played Batman in “The Lego Movie” and his portrayal is a parody of Christian Bale’s gravelly voice in “The Dark Knight” trilogy.
In “The Lego Batman Movie,” Batman is joined by Robin (Michael Cera), Batgirl (Rosario Dawson) and Alfred Pennyworth (Ralph Fiennes), to defeat the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and his band of villains.
Ironically, Voldemort makes an appearance, but is not voiced by Fiennes. Instead, Eddie Izzard lends his voice to the role.
The humor of this film takes center stage, despite the many action sequences, and offers fans a lighthearted escape. At times, it feels like the entire film is the imagination of a kid playing with his toys, but that’s what’s great about it.
Later this year, Warner Bros. and The Lego Group will bring “The Lego Ninjago Movie” into theatres, furthering the Lego film franchise. Though the entire idea behind these movies is to further the Lego brand, audiences cannot deny the simple hilarity of the films.
“The Lego Batman Movie” is by far the funniest movie DC Films has ever co-produced, because they’re not afraid to be the butt of all the jokes. After decades of dark, brooding Batman movies, “Lego Batman” is a refreshing, family-friendly superhero flick.