When I told people I was looking forward to reviewing The Lego Batman Movie I got some funny looks. Their puzzlement fell into two camps. One: what was there to be excited about in a film that looks like an animated knock-off of two successful brands? Two: if there was something to be excited by, surely I was too old? However, I knew my excitement was fully justified. I’m a big fan of the first Lego Movie, so the thought of the series taking on the immensely popular characters of the Batman franchise for the big screen filled me with glee. I thus walked into the cinema screening filled with anticipation, hoping not to be disappointed – and I wasn’t.

The first thing worth mentioning about the The Lego Batman Movie is that it is genuinely hilarious. The jokes are witty, clever and had the audience laughing out loud. They also come at you non-stop. This isn’t an exaggeration – apart from a few ‘serious’ scenes , I was guffawing the whole way through. Occasionally, a few fell flat, but given the vast quantity of jokes, it would be nitpicking to cite this as a serious criticism.

“The film is also brilliantly self-aware, bringing a certain wit that had me grinning throughout”

Strangely perhaps, the film is more enjoyable to watch as an adult. Many of the film’s themes focus on mature topics, such as the difficulty of familial and romantic relationships. There are also an an abundance of references to the Batman films and comic books of old. The film is also brilliantly self-aware, bringing a certain wit that had me grinning throughout.

Visually speaking, the film is very impressive. The animation goes beyond that of the film’s predecessor bringing the nostalgia you’d expect through the lego setting.  

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The storyline wasn’t the classic good guy vs bad guy you’d expect from a standard superhero film. Instead, it focuses on the desire to have a nemesis of one’s own, though towards the end it was a bit predictable (but no spoilers!). The voice acting was great: both Will Arnett and Zach Galifianakis were impressive as Batman and the Joker respectively. Sadly, the film lacked a song as catchy as ‘Everything is Awesome’ but in the grand scheme of things I’m willing to let that slide.

Given the success of The Lego Movie, it was always going to be a tough act to follow – yet The Lego Batman Movie has done an awesome job in stepping up to the plate. Visually brilliant and hilarious, this movie is block-filled fun from the first scene to the last