Movie Review: Holy cowl! The Lego Batman Movie is awesome
The bar is set very high for this Lego outing. How can it not be since The Lego Movie (2014) was so outrageously fun and irreverent?
While there's no originality in terms of seeing our beloved Lego characters being animated on the big screen, the visuals and action sequences are extremely kinetic and spectacular.
This movie may not focus on the brick-building aspect of Lego, but the rich and vast sets make up for it. The Batmobile, Batcave and Wayne Manor are amazingly built.
The film-makers must have had fun including numerous Easter eggs and references to Batman history.
Speaking about Batman history, there have been so many incarnations of the Dark Knight since his creation in 1939.
Will Arnett's version is a composite of many, and that's why his is so much fun.
His Lego Batman puts the latest big-screen portrayal - Ben Affleck's - to shame.
Arnett's Dark Knight gives a gamut of emotions. Our vigilante is a moody, angsty, and an obnoxious egomaniac. Yet behind the cowl is one emotional and lonely hero.
There's humour aplenty too.
Right from the get-go, the jokes are on rapid-fire mode, making fun at the rivalry between Batman and Superman, and mocking Batman's penchant for grittiness.
The supporting characters are hilarious too, particularly the wide-eyed Robin (Michael Cera) and The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) while Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) makes a gentle, fatherly figure.
One can only hope the upcoming Batman outing in Justice League will be entertaining too.
Rating: 4/5
MOVIE: The Lego Batman Movie
STARRING: Will Arnett, Ralph Fiennes, Rosario Dawson, Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, Jenny Slate
DIRECTOR: Chris McKay
THE SKINNY: The Joker is terrorising Gotham City, and Batman is determined to put his nemesis behind bars once and for all. But the Dark Knight has to learn that he can't succeed as a lone vigilante.
RATING: PG
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