Legos combined with Batman. What else could people ask for? The Lego Batman Movie, directed by Chris McKay, utilizes good humor, a good plot, and the charm of Legos to make an incredibly entertaining movie. Batman, played by Will Arnett, is the premier crime-fighter in Gotham city. On the opposite end, the villain of Gotham is the Joker, played by Zach Galifinakis. Up to his usual mischievousness, The Joker plans to destroy Gotham City. Batman shows up to stop him and a fight ensues. During this fight, however, Batman informs The Joker that he is not as an important part of Batman’s life as he thinks he is. The Joker, deeply hurt by this, plots to get revenge on Batman and destroy Gotham City. The antics of The Joker and other villains, along with Batman and a number of other characters trying to stop them, makes up the rest of the movie.

The humor is what drives the movie. It takes pride in not taking itself too seriously, and makes fun of the dark and brooding themes that are present in most superhero movies today. If there was any problem with the humor, it was that at times there were so many jokes that it became hard to keep up. Overall however, the film can keep the audience more than satisfied with the sheer amount of sides-splitting jokes utilized.

The characters, although made of plastic, exude just as much charm and depth as any live-action performance. Even if characters like Batman can seem completely over-the-top, the movie still takes time to develop them and give them motives for what they do. On top of this, all of the characters have their own unique sense of humor, allowing for great dialogue between them. A character such as Alfred the Butler can be quiet and less rambunctious than others, while still managing to make the audience laugh. Even when things get tough, and the plot takes a slightly more action-based turn, the characters still retain all of the humor and wit.

This movie also boasts very strong voice acting, with big names such as Will Arnett playing Batman, Rosario Dawson playing Barbara Gordon, and Michael Cera as Dick Grayson. Although voice acting is expected to be good in this day and age, the actors bring so much humor and passion to the table that it has to be commended. Matched with the voice acting is the incredible visuals. As the film is constructed with Legos, the opportunity is taken to fill each frame with incredible detail and visual jokes. Frenetic action sequences become a joy to watch when every single explosion is made up of miniscule Lego bricks.

Fans of the original Lego Movie will surely enjoy this one. The same fun-loving sense of humor is present in both. In fact, this movie occurs in the same world as the events from The Lego Movie, making this a spin-off or sequel of sorts that children and adults alike can enjoy . While the children marvel at the spectacular action and funny jokes, adults can pick up some of the subtler jokes that have been carefully inserted. In the end, The Lego Batman Movie is an incredibly enjoyable film that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Directed By: Chris McKay

Run Time: 144 min

Rating: PG