Mixed or average reviews- based on 98 Ratings See all 31 Critic Reviews See all 16 User Reviews The LEGO Movie Videogame - Launch Trailer The LEGO Movie Videogame - Official TrailerThe Lego Movie: 'waves the flag for free-form invention'. The repositioning of luddite Lego bricks as a saleable staple of the digital gaming revolution is one of the greatest marketing coups of the 21st century. Parents who grew up assembling brightly coloured building blocks in the age of the Bakelite telephone were amazed to find their children playing Lego Harry Potter for DS or Lego Star Wars for Wii, the brand name meaning as much to their computer-literate offspring as it did to them. Terrific to report, then, that The Lego Movie does nothing to undermine the Danish dynamo's ongoing reputation as a purveyor of fine entertainment for kids of all ages. While younger viewers will delight at the whiz-bang animation action and hugely likable familiar figures, adults will laugh themselves silly at the smart consumer satire gags and goggle in wonder at the undulating Legoland vistas.
Tipping its head toward the self-aware set-up of Wreck-It Ralph (via the Tour Guide Barbie sequence from Toy Story 2), The Lego Movie casts (un)happy plastic construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) as an accidental hero when President Business (Will Ferrell) attempts to obliterate nonconformist creativity with the aid of an instruction manual and some glue. Teaming up with Batman, Wyldstyle and other assorted contrarians, Emmet waves the flag for free-form invention, which appears to be Lego's rallying cry. The denouement may be a super-soppy sales pitch, but the surreal slapstick sensibilities of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs writers/directors Lord and Miller consistently undermine any corporate guff. You'll come out singing theme tune Everything is Awesome in only mildly ironic fashion.Lego and Batman have a strange history. The Caped Crusader has been recreated in the form of the world's favourite construction toy since 2006, in turn inspiring spin-off video games and a notable role in 2014's surprisingly enjoyable The Lego Movie.That film's brilliant take on the character has given rise to The Lego Batman Movie, in cinemas now.
Arrested Development's Will Arnett reprises his role as the bitter, black-clad Dark Knight, a reclusive narcissist obsessed with his gadgets and how awesome it is to be Batman – even as he laments not having a family of his own. Watch a frantic timelapse of the 2,526-piece LEGO Batcave being built The film explores a fairly literal interpretation of the Batfamily, with Batman joined by an expanded roster of heroes from the DC Comics canon to battle his entire rogues gallery – which also provides an excellent excuse to introduce a new range of Batman Lego directly tied to the movie's events. WIRED dons its cape and cowl to take a look at the brick bat's latest toy outing.There are 12 sets in the line, with prices ranging from £11.99 to £109.99. That's a bit pricier than might be expected (there's a reason for that), but Lego has made sure to include some lower-priced sets, unlike its Jurassic World selection.The Joker Balloon Escape (kit ref 70900) is the 'pocket money' offering, at £11.99.
For that, you get minifigs of Batman and The Joker, and a couple of peripherals to build. The set replicates one of the early scenes from the film, with the Joker setting off a bomb in a chemical plant before making a getaway on a balloon-powered backpack. A small chemical plant and the Clown Prince of Crime's aerial gear can be built, but there aren't many play features once you've constructed them. Batman does have a grappling gun that actually fires its hook though, which is a nice touch.The minifigs are the real winner here, with paint details and minor sculpt differences that mark the characters as unique to The Lego Batman Movie rather than earlier iterations.Slightly more expensive is the Mr Freeze Ice Attack set (kit ref 70901) at £19.99. There's a lot more play value for your extra eight pound though – minifig Mr Freeze rides an articulated exosuit mecha, which is reminiscent in its design of the Groot figure from the Guardians of the Galaxy range. There's another Batman minifig, this one with a flamethrower (unlike the grappling hook, this thankfully doesn't work) and a security guard, plus a few more environmental pieces.
Probably the best kit for those on a budget.At the next price point, we have sets like the Clayface Splat Attack (kit ref 70904), at £29.99. Minifigs of Batman and Gotham Mayor McCaskill are side notes here – the set is dedicated to a colossal figure of the muddy madman. It's a fairly lengthy build. Expect to spend at least and hour on it, but the result is a brilliantly articulated and satisfyingly hefty model of Clayface.The attention to detail here is wonderful, with a creative layout of studs giving the finished build an almost liquid effect – perfect for the malleable supervillain. Clayface also comes with gatling gun-style weapons that fire single Lego studs as if they were mudballs, and an alternate hand shaped like a clay mallet. There's opportunity for imaginative Lego builders to craft their own shape-shifted hands to attach.At the same price, there's also The Riddler Racer (kit ref 70903), but it's really just a basic car – Clayface is the better choice.The mid point of the range is represented by a lot of vehicles, both for Batman and his enemies.
We've not had the chance to test any of these, but The Batmobile (kit ref 70905) and The Joker Notorious Lowrider (kit ref 70906), both £54.99, are the stand outs.Forget the Batmobile though – Batman's best ride from the film was the Scuttler. A walking tank, its design is pure genius, and the Lego kit (ref 70908) replicates it perfectly in toy form. In ground mode, the Scuttler looks like an actual bat walking around on the tips of its wings, giving it an imposing, almost creepy look. It's also packed with hidden weapons and neat play features that will keep kids old and young entertained.The Scuttler is another long build – put aside an evening – but worth it. Once complete, it's incredibly well balanced, allowing you to pose it on its hind 'legs' for more impressive displays. The set includes minifigs of Batman, The Joker and Poison Ivy, plus longtime Bat-ally Commissioner Gordon. There are also figures of Batgirl and Robin, in civilian guise as Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson.