Batman has had a fair few iterations over the years with everyone from Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer, to Christian Bale and now Ben Affleck (Justice League) getting in on the dark knight action, but the latest iteration is the blockiest of them all in The Lego Batman Movie. It’s also the funniest of them all, unless you count Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance as Mr. Freeze, as it takes its cue as a spinoff from the The Lego Movie, released back in 2014.
There’s a mixed review of the incumbent Caped Crusader in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, but the Lego iteration worked pretty well with Will Arnett returning to voice the character again. He picks up where he left off as one was one of the funniest characters in The Lego Movie, and you can check him out in the trailer below, along with some of the other big name cast members, ahead of its upcoming arrival on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download.
Release date
Cinema:
The Lego Batman Movie had a UK release date on Friday the 10th February 2017, which was the same date it came out in the US. As was the case with the original Lego movie, the visuals are a big part of the Batman spinoff, so it was one to catch in 3D if possible if not the 4DX experience that we reviewed. It was released in the UK on the same weekend as the kinky brogues of Fifty Shades Darker and the sci-fi teen romance of The Space Between Us.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download:
It’ll be coming to DVD in the UK on the 19th June 2017 with a release on Blu-ray on the same date. The digital download release is usually a week ahead of the DVD and Blu-ray, which puts it on the 12th June, but the digital rental ties in with the physical releases on the 19th.
Story
You can’t really have a new Batman movie without the Joker being a part of the action somewhere along the lines, but here he’ll be front and centre, causing havoc in Gotham like only he knows how. Batman, meanwhile, is busy getting grief from Alfred about his nocturnal activity, forcing him to rethink his approach to superhero life in a bid to save the city he’s protected for years. Luckily, he’ll have a very enthusiastic Robin with him on the brick-based adventure, but as his adoptive son, so it’s a slightly different dynamic than we’re used to.
The Lego Batman Movie trailer:
Cast
Will Arnett is joined by Michael Cera (Youth In Revolt) as Dick Grayson / Robin and Zach Galifianakis (Keeping Up With The Joneses) as the Joker. Rosario Dawson (Daredevil) has also been cast as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, Ralph Fiennes (Hail, Caesar!) plays Alfred Pennyworth and, somewhat randomly, Maria Carey is down to star as the Mayor of Gotham City.
Age rating
The film has been given an age rating of U in the UK by the British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC) with mild comic violence, rude humour, very mild bad language.
Production
The Lego Batman Movie has been directed by Chris McKay and written by Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride And Prejudice And Zombies), Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, with additional screenplay material by Jared Stern and John Whittington. Dan Lin, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Roy Lee are down as producers of the film, having worked together on The Lego Movie, and Jill Wilfert, Matthew Ashton and Will Allegra are the executive producers. You can see more on the production on the official Twitter page.
Review
Sometimes, you’ve just got to look the Bat in the eyes and tell him how it is, and from the look of the trailer The Lego Batman Movie didn’t appear to be anywhere near as funny as we were hoping. However, the end result worked out a lot better. It’s got a great comedy cast, and the lines in the film are much better crafted than those in the trailer, resulting in a family fun film with a good amount of left-field edge.
The visuals are impressive as they cleverly recreate a feeling of stop motion construction through some very smart computer animation. The decision to give Batman the same helmet as in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice adds a little to the tongue-in-cheek charm of the film and the fleeting glimpse of Wonder Woman, Superman, The Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Aquaman and (we think maybe) Atom were pretty funny too alluding to the upcoming release of Justice League. You can read our full review for more details.
