Hunter Biden’s Ex Accuses Him of Excessively Spending on Prostitutes and Drugs Katy Perry Addresses Orlando Bloom Split Shahs of Sunset’s GG Splits From Husband After a Little More Than a Month 'Bachelor' Star Raven's Ex: No-Orgasm Claim Is 'Definitely Not True' Bristol Palin Is Having a Baby Girl With Dakota Meyer Donald Faison Mourns the Death of His Ex-Wife in Heartfelt Post Meghan Markle Joins Prince Harry in Jamaica for Friends’ Wedding Why This Boy’s Request for a Haircut to Trick His Teacher Went Viral 'The Lego Batman Movie' Review: Everything Is Still 'Awesome' in This Entertaining Spinoff 3 stars (out of 4)Everything is still awesome in the Lego Movie universe!!!All right, maybe not everything.And in a young movie year when the biggest box office hit showcases a deranged man mutilating teen girls for kicks (for shame, Split, for shame), let's cheer an ultra-accessible blockbuster that packs in clever laughs, not to mention fun pows!
to please the Batman faithful. Indeed, if any character from the marvelous 2014 hit The Lego Movie warranted a spinoff, it’s Will Arnett’s why-so-serious Caped Crusader. “Really long dramatic production logos.” “Animal Logic animation studio.” Batman himself narrates the opening seconds in his deep growl. He then attributes an earnest lyric from Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” to himself. Oh, yes, this is an irreverent toy story coming to play. Life is pretty damn sweet for Batman these days. The good people of Gotham City like him. They know that as soon as the Bat Signal goes up, he’s going to rescue them from those pesky bad guys. Not even the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) can beat him. Off-hours, Batman takes off the codpiece and transforms back into billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. Wanna know what really transpires inside his lair? The guy microwaves lobster for precisely two minutes and watches Jerry Maguire in his private screening room. But the Joker is nothing if not persistent.
So when Batman — his archrival for 78 years! — has the gall to dismiss his antics by exclaiming “Batman and Joker are not a thing,” the villain plots his most intricate hostile takeover plan yet. This time, Batman and his wonderful toys can’t defeat him. He needs to ditch the brooding loner thing and (gasp) seek assistance. Enter a motley crew of eager crime fighters: wide-eyed Boy Wonder Robin (Michael Cera), the new Commissioner Gordon (Rosario Dawson) and trusty butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes).There’s delicious irony in noting the action and entertainment value here far exceeds that of 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. (Granted, it’s faint praise. That dud nabbed Razzie nods for a reason. Changing a light bulb in the bat cave is more thrilling.) The fact is, Lego Batman owes a major debt of gratitude to Ben Affleck’s incarnation. The latter portrayed the iconic superhero as a humorless, tortured soul seemingly impervious to warmth. All that darkness was ripe for the picking.
And, holy wow, does this film pick with glee. And the winking jokes come at breakneck pace. For starters, Mr. Grumpy Vigilante is the only superhero not invited to Superman’s rager in the Fortress of Solitude. And his patience with golly-gee Robin — who never realizes that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person, despite their similarities — wears thin in hilarious ways. (Shout-out to whoever thought to cast two Arrested Development vets in these roles.) This Batman can also can sing and dance about his greatness (sample lyric in his signature tune: “It’s OK if you stare/I’m a billionaire!”). We laugh because we love. At heart, the film is an homage to the superhero’s deep roots in pop culture. Listen closely for familiar references to everything from a Gotham parade set to Prince music (1989’s Batman) to “the two boats” in the river (2008’s The Dark Knight). Every single old foe lines up to torment him, including the Riddler, Two-Face, the Penguin and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Every single villain appears, period. Like nearly every spinoff and sequel, this doesn’t recapture the magic of the original. A straight superhero tale, even a sublime one, can’t compare with the joyous story of Chris Pratt’s smiling everyman Emmet learning how to save the day. And that movie’s inventive live-action twist just can't be topped. See what happens when the bar is built too high? (The Lego Batman Movie opens Friday, February 10.) get enough of Us? Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter packed with the latest celeb news, hot pics and more! The movie is a wonderful surprise, cleverly written and executed brick by brick with a visual panache. January 3, 2015 | Lord and Miller's sensibilities are continually clever, and The Lego Movie works hard to gradually deliver surprising payoffs to what seem to be throwaway bits. The Lego Movie has enough wit and wisdom to send a recession-age message to families on the importance of thinking through problems with creativity.
As a rule, movies about toys need to be approached with extreme caution; some of them have been bad enough to count as health hazards. This one is the exception. March 3, 2014 | This is truly a movie that children and their parents can both enjoy for different reasons. February 10, 2014 | The Lego Movie: Merely a great film, or the greatest film ever in the history of cinema? February 9, 2014 | For the Terms & Conditions of the LEGOLand promotional voucher included with some new copies of the The LEGO Movie Videogame, please review below: Terms & Conditions: This voucher entitles one child to free entry to LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort (up to and including 15 years of age) and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester (up to and including 11 years of age) when accompanied by a full paying adult. • Only one free child entrance ticket per full paying adult. Maximum of two full paying adults per transaction. • This voucher is valid for admissions from 14/03/14 until 3/11/14 at the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort and 01/01/14 until 31/12/14 at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester.
• Car parking charges apply. • Voucher must be presented upon entrance into LEGOLAND Windsor Resort and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and surrendered to the ticket booth operator. Discount vouchers cannot be used for pre-bookings. • Not to be used in-conjunction with any other offer, reward/loyalty program, 2 Day Pass, Annual Pass, group booking, on-line tickets, rail inclusive offers or pre-purchased tickets. • This voucher is not valid for LEGOLAND Windsor Resort Hotel. • Guests are advised that not all attractions and shows may be operational on the day of their visit. • Height, age and weight restrictions apply on some rides. Some rides will require guests who only just meet the minimum height requirements to be accompanied by a person aged 16 years or over. • Guests under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a person aged 16 or over at the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort. • Guest under the age of 11 must be accompanied by a person aged 16 and over.