First Take: The Lego Batman Movie- everything is just as awesome

SYPNOSIS: Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted.

Back in 2014, The Lego Movie became a surprise success story for Warner Animation- now we have the first of many spin-off films from the creative team who brought it to us. And I have to admit- for an animated film based on a character suited to a 12 certificate product, this is very, very good.

Chris McKay has directed a very nice animated superhero film, however, the film does suffer from a few narrative contrivances- a problem which is expected when you have 5 screenwriters working on a film. But at its heart, the story is very solid, with Seth-Grahame Smith creating a very easy to follow narrative that has bits for every audience who will see this film- references to older Batman films are very well handled, and the humour easily passes the 6 laugh test. It is animated very well, as expected, and even in 2D it feels like the stereoscopic effects that viewers of the 3D version can expect have been thought out brilliantly.

The voice cast are just as good, with Will Arnett making an easy job of his role as Batman, with new members including Michael Cera as Robin, Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, and Ralph Fiennes as Alfred fitting very well into this neat little film. Lorne Balfe’s score has big echoes of the Hans Zimmer-esque music from The Dark Knight, and as a standalone film in the DC universe, this is a brilliant way to introduce younger audiences to the comics. Everything is indeed awesome once again- especially if you are Batman himself.

THE VERDICT

This is legitimately the funniest Batman film we’ve had for a long time, and while the final 10 minutes aren’t really needed to close the narrative, this is a rare film that will satisfy audiences both young and old.

RATING- 4/5