Review: The Lego Batman Movie, The rise and fall of Lego's Dark Knight

'Less is more.' These are words that I would certainly never use to describe Batman but after watching his own movie in the Lego universe, I am forced to say that the executives at Warner Bros. are one step away from killing Batman, again. The likes of which have not been attempted since the abomination of a film that was Batman and Robin. The lego Batman Movie is a confusing mix of past pop culture nostalgia and child like humour which, when combined, make a film that doesn't fix on its plot point, Batman/Bruce Wayne's fears of starting a family outside of his vigilante life.

The story of The Lego Batman Movie wants to be your basic Batman vs Joker, with the Lego movie twist. Batman thwarts Joker's plans and in doing so states he has no 'main villain'. Much to the Joker's dismay, he wants the Batman to recognise him for who he is, his "greatest enemy." Amongst all this, Barbara Gordon has been promoted to Commissioner of the police and wants to work with Batman, even though that is against his entire philosophy. Whilst adopting a young Dick Grayson in the process (don't ask why it just happens) Batman slowly realises that he in dire need of love and so a family is formed between Bruce, Alfred, Dick and Barbara. Then a massive fight breaks out between Joker's army compiling of the most dastardly villains Lego have the rights to and Batman's family, as well as the villains of Gotham? So, no, not your basic Batman vs Joker, with the Lego movie twist feeling ultimately forced. With far too many supporting characters, the story forgets itself and rather than showing us a Batman we well and truly deserve, we're left with a poor excuse for a caped crusader.

So are there any positives to the film? Yes! The visuals are brilliant. The opening sequence shows how far the Warner Animation Group has come since The Lego Movie in 2014. The environments are prettier, the set pieces are grander and the character expressions are far more detailed than before. Another positive is the comedy. Where the film parodies its own production company, it is genuinely funny! Having jokes about how terrible Suicide Squad was, how misleading Batman v Superman was, how past films have humiliated the Dark Knight (as previously mentioned above) and how it pays homage to the old tropes of Batman we know and love to laugh at. This is a double edged sword however as these references are either painfully dragged out, repeated or unfunny as well as having committed the cardinal sin of being included in all of the trailers. It is in these themes where the film has an identity crisis. Does it want to be a children's film about how Batman can made funny, because he was in The Lego movie admit it, but also appealing to parents who will understand the jokes from the 1960s Batman TV show. There are so many references to the comics, films and TV shows that the jokes should be funny, but instead fall flat of any laughs. Trying to copy or replicate the jokes of The Lego Movie do not work, and the original songs written for this movie have nothing on 'Everything is Awesome'.

That being said, performances from Will Arnett, reprising his role of Batman works well as he still brings a shade of comedy to the hero. Zach Galifianakis' Joker was good in the way that he highlights how his relationship with the Batman works. The idea that one cannot exist without the other is made kid friendly and outlines the paradox in Batman's personality. Although, any Joker performance that followed Jared Leto's version of the Clown Prince of Crime would be considered outstanding. Ralph Fiennes' Alfred, Micheal Cera's Dick Grayson/Robin and Rosario Dawson's Barbara Gordon/Batgirl have little impact, and are only really there to push a lacklustre story.

The Lego Batman Movie is not a great Batman film nor is it a overly fun one. However, its job of paying plenty of detailed fan service pays off very well, even if younger audiences do not understand it. Along with other jokes that don't always stick the landing, I would recommend just watching The Lego Movie for a funnier portrayal of the Batman in Lego universe.

4.5/10