TheRetroCritic

As DC prepares his new live-action blockbusters, Batman returned in The LEGO Batman Movie , a spin-off from The LEGO Movie in which the Dark Knight (voiced by Will Arnett) takes centre stage in his very own adventure. Very much in the spirit of the first LEGO Movie, this spin-off is a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek romp packed with silly jokes, familiar characters and colourful LEGO action. The genuinely cool, relentless opening sequence sees The Joker (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) join forces with other Batman villains, even the wacky ones, to execute his latest evil plan. Batman, of course, shows up to save the day and we get a more honest look at what happens with Bruce Wayne after a wild night taking care of the bad guys. Lonely, bored, microwaving lobster thermidors, watching Jerry Maguire on his own: it turns out that working solo has its disadvantages. The film captures the strengths and weaknesses of the Batman character brilliantly and although it's technically a spoof,

I look back on The LEGO Movie and talk about The LEGO Batman Movie . LIVE!

Well, it's looking like The Lego Movie is proving to be a big hit in the U.S. and elsewhere and it's no secret why: we all had Lego growing up and whether you like the idea of a movie based on the toy or not, chances are you'll go see it anyway. If I went to see it, you either probably will or you've been already. I mean, I was proven wrong long ago about how a Lego video game wouldn't be a good idea so there's no reason why those colourful blocks and little plastic dudes wouldn't work on the big screen. The good news is that, indeed, The Lego Movie works, mostly. Voiced by an all-star cast, the film sets out to make the ultimate Lego movie and it does just that. From the get-go, it's Lego agogo. We're suddenly introduced to this Lego-centric world where everyone lives as per the Lego "instructions" and, as that annoying little song proclaims, "everything is awesome". Except it's not, there's the small busi