The Lego Batman Movie - Two Fingers to Suicide Squad

After a year of critical inconsistency and moderate (if disappointing) box office returns for DC pictures, it's no surprise that the spin-off to one of 2014's most acclaimed animated films would continue the success of its predecessor. Why is Lego Batman better than the last two DCEU films? It understands the characters. The very concept of Batman and his villains is ridiculous, and Chris McKay don't shy away from that.

Will Arnett is the gravel-voiced egotist, joyfully trashing his villains on a routine basis, especially Zach Galifianakis' Joker (the funniest through-line sees their hatred for each other played like a romantic relationship). Batman - despite being in a relationship with someone in The Lego Movie - is very much a lone wolf, refusing to co-operate with new police comissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), his concerned butler (a perfectly cast Ralph Fiennes, given little to do) or the irritating orphan he accidentally adopted (Michael Cera). All the voice actors make for ideal parodies of their serious counterparts.

The plot develops in surprising ways, with a plethora of other Warner Bros properties being wheeled out, from Harry Potter to Gremlins. You'd be forgiven for calling this shameless cross-promotion, seeing as it's fairly jarring to see the caped-crusader fighting Sauron. But this is a minor quibble when meta-gags are thrown relentlessly at the audience, covering everything from the stupidity of Suicide Squad to the questionable shark-repellent from 1966. Virtually all of these jokes land, even the ones aimed at the youngest viewers, largely thanks to the hilarious delivery of Arnett. There's plenty of stuff for older audiences, including a great riff on Jerry Maguire.

Batman's loneliness is made painfully obvious from the outset, but  the obviousness of the overall message of working together is passable considering the laughs-per-minute and fact it's a children's film. Not that that takes away from the marvel of the animation; regardless of whether or not the wee baerns will appreciate it, the way the Lego figures are lit and move is still astonishing the second time around.

FOUR STARS. Worth going to a screening filled with annoying children and tired parents seeking respite and regretting settling into a life of crippling mundanity and monogamy.