The Lego Batman Movie

There are a lot of reasons why The Lego Movie is awesome. One reason I didn't mention in my review was its exaggerated take on Batman. And now, the plastic Dark Knight has a movie alongside the real ones. This, of course, is The Lego Batman Movie.

Batman (Will Arnett) begins his movie by stopping The Joker's (Zach Galifianakis) latest scheme. He's still dark and awesome after eighty years; he's also alone and prefers it that way. Especially since his parents were murdered ages ago. He doesn't have time for arch-enemies and lets The Joker know that. That really hurts The Clown Prince.

The Joker gets his revenge by turning himself and his fellow Batman Rogues. His real goal is to get Batman to send him to the other-worldly Phantom Zone. There, he'll get an army of "uber-villains" from outside the DC Universe and escape. That all happens, of course. So Batman has to team with his faithful butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), new sidekick Robin (Michael Cera), and the new Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) to save the day. Perhaps he'll learn that being part of a family isn't so bad.

The Lego Movie's Phil Lord and Chris Miller left the director's chair to that film's animation co-director/supervisor and co-editor, Chris McKay. The story he works from credits five writers, including Seth Grahame-Smith. It's a story which proves that fun and meaningful can play in the same sandbox. There's much fun with all the in-jokes and Batman's awesome ego. There's also the realization of how unpleasant it is to be and be around a moody loner like Batman. There's much to cheer as Batman learns to reconnect with friends, family and enemies. It's that kind of movie.

Still, this film acknowledges every Batman movie and continuity from the silly to the serious. How does that timeline work? Perhaps I shouldn't think about it too much.

The Lego Batman Movie's Lego-like CGI is as fun and colorful as The Lego Movie. Special mention goes to some of the larger characters, who are sure to be massive undertakings in real life. Wayne Manor also looked great when The Joker took it over in the end. The Phantom Zone was also nice.

The Lego Batman Movie laughs with Batman and not at him. It's also more mature than some "mature" interpretations of the character. It's the best Batman movie without a bloated run-time (104 minutes). It's also an awesome toy commercial as much as its predecessor. It's a perfect warm-up for Lego's next big-screen adventure, The Lego Ninjago Movie. Let's hope Batman's next live appearance in Justice League will match his animated one.