[yasr_overall_rating]
Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted.
After the worldwide success of “The LEGO Movie” in 2014, Warner Bros. have decided to give one of the stars of that film, Batman, his own starring vehicle. And it is well worth the wait. Bruce Wayne/Batman (voiced by Will Arnett, who also voiced him in “The LEGO Movie”), is doing what he does best, rounding up the bad guys in Gotham City, and putting them in prison. When Commissioner Gordon (Hector Elizondo), announces his retirement, the city puts on a very swanky party to wish him goodbye. Bruce Wayne turns up and when it is divulged that Gordon’s daughter Barbara (Rosario Dawson), will be taking his place, she takes center stage, announcing her plans for Gotham’s future. Immediately smitten with her, Bruce quickly rescinds his thoughts when she informs the city that instead of Batman fighting crime and injustice alone, he and the police force need to work together instead. No sooner has Bruce protested, stating that Batman works alone, than the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and his henchmen appear but instead of causing havoc, the Joker surrenders and requests to be taken away to jail, much to everyone’s surprise, especially Bruce.
With the Joker tucked safely away in Arkham Asylum, Bruce now has nothing to do. With his most formidable foe behind bars, he visits the Gotham City Orphanage where he befriends Dick (Michael Cera), a young orphan who is obsessed with Batman. With Bruce still head over heels in love with Barbara Gordon, he inadvertently agrees to adopt Robin, while his head is still high in the clouds and before he knows what’s happened, Robin turns up at Wayne Manor. At the behest of Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), Bruce’s loyal and tireless butler and surrogate father figure, Bruce reluctantly agrees to take him on board, eventually allowing him to pick a costume which will become synonymous with his alter-ego, Robin. On their first adventure together, they must break into Superman’s home, the Fortress of Solitude, so that Batman can steal a ray gun which will send anybody it is fired at, straight to the Phantom Zone. Once retrieved, he breaks into Arkham Asylum and shoots the Joker, getting rid of him forever but no sooner has he done so than Barbara Gordon imprisons him and Robin, stating that what he did was wrong. Once in the Phantom Zone however, the Joker amasses a huge army of bad guys, including King Kong, Voldermort, all of the Gremlins, and many more, and they make a miraculous escape back to earth, where the Joker plans on destroying Gotham City once and for all. With the city being overrun by bad guys, Barbara has no choice but to release Batman and Robin, and join them in their crusade to save the city.
“The LEGO Batman Movie” will be enjoyed by all ages. At the press screening I attended, I heard more laughter coming from the adults in the audience than the children that were in attendance, a good indicator in my book. My ten-year-old nephew Martin who accompanied me to the screening, said he would give the movie 4 out of 5 stars, very high marks indeed. The animation is absolutely stunning and the voice work is exceptional, with Will Arnett stealing the show again as Batman, just like he did in “The LEGO Movie.” There are endless jokes throughout and even though some are aimed at the adults, and some at the kids, they are humorous enough that everybody got them. It’s also amazing how much emotion can be gotten out of a LEGO character but director Chris McKay does so successfully, infusing a couple of genuinely affecting moments with raw emotion, and then quickly bringing in the laughter. I think Warner Bros. have another big hit on their hands, at least until September, when their next LEGO movie, “The LEGO NINJAGO Movie,” hits theaters. Now that should be fun!
Available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD Tuesday, June 13th
