When Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy became a cultural juggernaut, a number of Bat-fans decided that his was the only acceptable incarnation of the Dark Knight.Tim Burton's films, they explained to anyone too slow to run away, were overly cartoonish. They considered the Joel Schumacher films atrocious (fair comment) and wouldn't even acknowledge the Sixties TV show, directing attention instead to gloomy Frank Miller comic The Dark Knight Returns. But if Batman’s 78-year history has taught us anything, it is that there is no one, true definitive incarnation of the character. Or at least there wasn’t, until The Lego Batman Movie miraculously united all the disparate Bat-personas at last and had fun doing it. Those who saw The Lego Movie will already be familiar with Will Arnett’s preposterous take on Batman, a preening egomaniac who’s so obnoxious it turns right around into charming.This Batman shares the history of all his past film incarnations, which means he has endured the Christian Bale gloominess, George Clooney’s nipple-gate and the Adam West... whatever that was.
Swathes of backstory and texture here hew close to the character’s history, and the most ridiculous touches come straight from the canon (yes, The Condiment King is a real supervillain). The biggest revelation, then, is the film’s willingness to embrace the silliness of its hero. This is a grown man who lives with his childhood butler (voiced by Ralph Fiennes), puts a bat logo on everything he builds and thinks that black is super-cool. It’s taken until now for a Batman film to truly acknowledge his sheer dorkiness. As we meet the Caped Crusader he’s riding high, taking on all his classic villains and once and still emerging triumphant. But Rosario Dawson’s Barbara Gordon is taking over the job of police commissioner and is determined to rein in the vigilantism. Worse, the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) is obsessed with making his foe admit that they are one another’s nemesis, and he is willing to go to extreme, and mind-bending, lengths to prove it. At home, Batman semi-accidentally adopts an orphan, Dick Grayson (Michael Cera) and is struggling to reconcile himself to any notion of family after his own parents were so brutally murdered.
You may have heard other Batmen mention that tragedy from time to time.Batman (almost never Bruce here) is dismissive of the boy, and of Alfred’s attempts to interfere, telling his faithful butler that he couldn’t possibly understand the pressures of having a surrogate son.All the tiny absurdities of Bruce Wayne’s life are laid bare – eating reheated lobster thermidor after an adventure; sitting alone in his home cinema trying to figure out the remote – and yet this has immense affection for Batman’s relentless determination to be the toughest guy around.That makes the (literally) wide-eyed Dick into the perfect foil to Arnett’s determinedly cynical pose, in what may be Michael Cera’s best role since Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And the Joker’s determination to treat his relationship with Batman as a twisted love story (Batman retorts that he’s “fighting around”) is a lovely riposte to all the theorists who see them as a dark reflection of one another. No spoilers on the rest of the supporting cast, but there is inspired voice work there.
The blindingly bright colours and blocky looks take a little getting used to, especially for those who haven’t played the Lego games or seen The Lego Movie. But don’t settle in too comfortably because this is stunningly fast-paced, and very, very funny. It relies on Deadpool levels of fourth-wall breaking from moment one, as Batman explains how opening titles work, but its cartoon nature allows it to go even further and start playing with the possibilities of franchise crossover, world-bending reality and of course building absurd creations with Lego.The ending isn’t quite as metaphysically satisfying as The Lego Movie, but in terms of jokes per minute, this may score even higher.Most importantly of all, this finally brings us the Batman that Gotham – and viewers – need. He’s still growly of voice and unnaturally devoted to black, but more blocky and diminutive of stature. For the first time since the Sixties, we have a Batman movie willing to admit that he’s as farcical as he is formidable – and while the serious fanboys may be appalled, it’s good news for everyone else.
Back to full review Back to full review 267 Photos and videos Are you sure you want to view these Tweets? Viewing Tweets won't unblock @LEGOBatmanMovie. Loading seems to be taking a while. Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information. Add a location to your Tweets When you tweet with a location, Twitter stores that location. You can switch location on/off before each Tweet and always have the option to delete your location history. Turn location onNot nowAnyone can follow this listOnly you can access this list Here's the URL for this Tweet. Copy it to easily share with friends. Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen. Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
» See SMS short codes for other countries This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you. Tweets not working for you? Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account. Say a lot with a little When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love. Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in. Get instant insight into what people are talking about now. Get more of what you love Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about. See the latest conversations about any topic instantly. Never miss a Moment Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.Man GeezThis ManLove ThisI Love HimYep GifGif XdOlan Rogers FunnyMaster CommanderSo FunnyForwardHahaha Olan. He is hilarious, just look up Olan Rogers and you must watch Ghost in the Stalls first.