Like a miniature universe made entirely of millions of tiny plastic bricks, The Lego Batman Movie looks and feels like it could only have been put together by a roomful of mad geniuses, moving in a ballet of well-choreographed
creativity.
From the "pew-pew-pew" that accompanies the animated movie’s make-believe gunfire to the roster of deliriously ecumenical villains recruited for this clever mash-up of comic books and construction toys, the film is the definition of fantastic. What’s more, it is that rare sequel that outdoes the original (no small feat, considering that the 2014 The Lego Movie has a 96% “fresh” rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer).
The movie was directed by Chris McKay and it opens with the voice of Batman (Will Arnett) riffing on the tropes of Batman movies - black screen, scary music, the solitary, brooding hero, and a last-minute rescue.
There is a plot, too, and a point, having something to do with Batman’s unhealthy tendency to work alone and the efforts of the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) to get under his skin.
Other members of the excellent voice cast include Rosario Dawson as new Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and Ralph Fiennes as Alfred the butler. Additional villains - and what is a Batman movie without an army of them? - include such franchise favourites as Riddler (Conan O’Brien) and Two-Face (Billy Dee Williams), along with such extra-canonical reinforcements as Voldemort (Eddie Izzard) of Harry Potter and the Daleks from Doctor Who.
Never heard of them? “Ask your nerd friends,” cracks Batman in one of the movie’s frequent asides addressed to the audience.
Like a bratty child, Lego Batman keeps setting up a structure of bricks, only to kick down the fourth wall with destructive delight. Other crossover cameos feature Dracula, the Gremlins from Gremlins, a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz, King Kong and Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.
There are explicit allusions to every Batman movie, as well as to the 1960s television series. You may not catch every one but it’s not necessary. It’s icing on the cake if you do.
The film has a message about selfishness that adds substance to the satire.