LEGO Batman Movie review: colourful, frantic, hilarious

The LEGO Batman Movie follows the success of The LEGO Movie quite well, so much so that it surpasses it. Will Arnette’s comedic delivery combined with the methodical and humorous script writing kept the entire audience in hysterical laughter.

In this new offering, Batman is forced to come to terms with his greatest enemy — his family. The LEGO Batman Movie, directed by Chris McKay who’s known for his work on Robot Chicken, created a great way of not only visually telling a compelling story but also an emotional one.

After Arnette’s performance in the first LEGO movie, I was curious to see how he would carry his own film. And boy, did he deliver.

His performance solidified him as the LEGO Batman, his delivery of some of the punchier jokes as well as his performance during serious scenes was really well-delivered. I’d also like to give it up to the script writers, of which there are many. The movie’s story made it easy for the actors to give excellent performances.

With Batman being one of the main pillars of the DC Universe, you’d expect him to totally overshadow his supporting cast (which happens in most movies). This wasn’t the case in this flick. The lesser known characters also shine. The dynamic between the likes of Batman and Robin could, however, confuse newcomers to the Batman world’s lore.

But the lore wasn’t just a focal point for the interactions. It was also used as a comedic device between characters. Yes, you would be able to understand most of the jokes if you weren’t a Batman geek, but the subtle nuances of, say, a background image or a specific tribute would probably blow past you.

The LEGO Batman Movie will be one of the most entertaining family flicks in early 2017

The movie’s visuals are so fleet-footed, you could miss a few scenes if you blink.

If you’ve seen The LEGO Movie, you’ll understand just how quickly things move in this film. The plot pacing is relentless, constant action and stuff in your face for most of the movie. But, when the plot decides to slow down, that’s when it unexpectedly hooks you. From long staring shots or really heartfelt monologues breaking up the frantic pacing, the movie does well to really entertain adults and not just kids.

Nevertheless, it was one stunning-looking movie. The bright colours, incredible lighting and stop-motion-inspired animation is enough for both adults and kids to appreciate the flick. The use of colour and highlighted neons would be distracting to some, especially if they have an acute sensitivity to light.

The overall theme of this movie much like the previous one promotes togetherness but does really well to understand the simple dilemma of giving up someone you care about not only to protect yourself but also them. And it does so in really genius ways as well. The movie does well to not also let you slip into emotional scenes too much by timing the comedy to such an extent that your pulled from that lull of emotion.

Verdict: Fast-paced, colourful animation matches the storyline peppered with Batman references fans will love. We’d recommend seeing The LEGO Batman Movie without a doubt.

Score: 9/10